Costata Romanesco Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo 'Costata Romanesco'

vegetable

Costata Romanesco is the legendary Italian heirloom zucchini, famous for prominently ribbed, gray-green, flecked fruits with a nutty, creamy, almost meaty flavor that ranks at the top of every taste test. Plants yield about half what a hybrid zucchini does, but each fruit is markedly better eating and the big semi-vining plants throw heavy sets of male blossoms perfect for stuffing and frying.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Corn — Tall corn provides afternoon shade and a windbreak for sprawling squash
• Beans — Pole or bush beans add nitrogen to the heavy-feeding squash bed and were the third sister to corn and squash
• Nasturtium — Trap crop that pulls aphids and squash bugs away from zucchini stems
• French Marigold — Suppresses root-knot nematodes and is said to repel some cucurbit pests

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Squash bugs →

  Scout leaf undersides for copper-bronze egg clusters and crush them; trap adults under boards laid on the soil and remove daily

• Squash vine borer →

  Wrap the lower stems with foil at planting or cover with row cover until flowering; inject Bt into stems at the first sign of wilting

• Cucumber beetles →

  Cover transplants with floating row cover until flowering, then remove for pollination

• Powdery mildew →

  Choose airy spacing, water at the base, and remove the lowest leaves to keep airflow under the canopy

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick Costata Romanesco young at 6 to 8 in. for the best texture and flavor - the ribbed cross-section is a beautiful star when sliced, and the fruits get watery and seedy past 10 in. Harvest every other day at peak season to keep the plant producing. Male blossoms (those on a slender stem, with no fruit behind the flower) can be picked too; choose them in the morning while open and use the same day for stuffing or frying.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Zucchini is about 95 percent water and very low in calories (about 17 per 100 g) but supplies meaningful vitamin C, vitamin B6, riboflavin, folate, potassium, and manganese. The skin and seeds carry most of the nutrients, so leave young zucchini unpeeled and cook quickly to retain the heat-sensitive vitamin C. The male blossoms are also edible and supply small amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants.