Zucchino Rampicante — Italian Climbing Courgette

A wonderfully unusual Italian heirloom squash with long, slender, curling fruits that can be enjoyed as tender summer courgettes or left to mature for winter storage.

Also known as Tromboncino or Trombetta, this vigorous climbing vegetable produces extraordinary pale-green fruits that hang from its vines like long, twisting trumpets.

It's one of those rare vegetables that's as much fun to grow as it is delicious to eat.

Why I Grow It

I absolutely love this plant!

There's something wonderfully entertaining about watching its extraordinary fruits develop, particularly when they're grown over an arch or sturdy climbing frame.

But it's not just a novelty. It's an incredibly useful vegetable because I can harvest the young fruits as courgettes throughout summer, or leave some to mature and store for cooking during winter.

And another reason it earns its place in my garden is its generally good tolerance of powdery mildew, which can be such a nuisance with ordinary courgettes.

A beautiful, productive plant that gives you choices about when and how to harvest it.

In the Kitchen

Zucchino Rampicante is wonderfully versatile.

Young fruits: Harvest while the skin is tender and use just as you would a courgette. They're delicious sliced and sautéed with garlic and olive oil, grilled, roasted or added to pasta and summer vegetable dishes.

The long neck is particularly useful because most of the seeds develop in the rounded end, leaving plenty of firm, tender flesh.

Mature fruits: Allow selected fruits to ripen fully on the vine until the skin hardens and develops a tan colour. Once properly cured, they can be stored and used much like a winter squash.

The mature flesh is lovely roasted, added to soups or used in warming winter dishes.

I particularly enjoy plants that allow me to eat from the garden now while also putting something aside for the colder months.

In the Garden

Zucchino Rampicante is a vigorous climbing or trailing squash with large leaves, yellow flowers and extraordinary long fruits.

It's ideal for growing over a strong arch, pergola or trellis, where the fruits can hang freely and develop their distinctive shape.

If grown along the ground, the fruits often curl and twist into even more unusual shapes.

As a member of the Cucurbita moschata family, it generally has better powdery mildew tolerance than many conventional courgettes, although disease can still occur.

Vine length: Approximately 3–5 m or more in favourable conditions
Spread: Extensive if allowed to trail
Harvest: Summer for tender courgettes; autumn for mature storage squash
Growth habit: Vigorous climbing or trailing annual

Care

• Position: Full sun in a warm, sheltered location.

• Soil: Rich, fertile, well-draining soil with plenty of compost.

• Planting: Plant outside after frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

• Spacing: Allow approximately 1–1.5 m between plants, depending on the growing system.

• Watering: Water deeply and consistently, particularly during flowering and fruit development.

• Feeding: Incorporate compost before planting and provide additional feeding during vigorous growth if needed.

• Support: Provide a strong arch, trellis or climbing frame capable of supporting mature vines and fruits.

• Pollination: Encourage bees and other pollinators for good fruit development.

• Harvesting young: Pick regularly while the skin is tender.

• Harvesting for storage: Allow fruits to ripen fully and develop hard skins before harvesting. Cure and store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place.

• Maintenance: Maintain good airflow and remove badly diseased foliage if necessary.

What You'll Receive

One pot containing one healthy, seed-grown Zucchino Rampicante seedling.

Give it warmth, fertile soil and plenty of room to climb, and you'll have one of the most entertaining and versatile vegetables in your summer garden.