Botanical Name: Cucurbita pepo
Days to Maturity: 55 days
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Native: North America
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Plant Dimensions: Compact vines form a 2' tall by 3'–4' bushtype plant.
Variety Information: Best picked at 6"–8" long, has very dark green, shiny thin skin with creamy white interior, introduced to the U.S. in the 1920s.
Type: Zucchini, Bush
Attributes: Good for Containers
When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is 70°–85°F.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended except in very short growing seasons, 2 to 4 weeks before transplanting. Roots are sensitive to disturbance; sow in biodegradable pots that can be planted directly into the ground. Transplant when soil temperature is at least 60°F.
Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
Seed Depth: ½"–1"
Seed Spacing: 2–3 seeds per mound
Row Spacing: 3'–4'
Thinning: When 3 leaves, thin to 1 plant per mound
Harvesting: Harvest frequently to increase yield; squash seem to get monstrous overnight. While edible at almost any size, seeds are less developed in young fruit, therefore more tender. Using a knife or clippers, cut squash off including some of the stem. By including stem, the fruit is sealed and less likely to mold or dry out. Harvesting Blossoms: Look for male, non-fruit producing flowers that have long stems and harvest just before use (female flowers have a swollen mini-squash at the base of the flower and are on shorter stems).
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Black Beauty Summer Squash Seeds Reviews
19 reviews
Buttery and Sweet
5 out of 5 stars 
Jul 26, 2018
Jul 26, 2018By far my favorite zucchini variety. One I grow year after year.
Plants are very productive. Usually one or two plants is more than plenty for a family of four.
Harvest at 6 or so inches and they can be sauteed or steam with a little salt and enjoy them for their buttery and sweet flavors.
Leave them to grow a little more and harvest between 8 to 10 inches and there will be plenty for savory dishes or to fry up.
Brian NED from CA
Flowers but no fruit
2 out of 5 stars
Jul 31, 2019
Jul 31, 2019I have two plantings of this zucchini and it's been flowering but has not produced a single zucchini, I cannot understand why not. I ordered the cube of butter squash and also have two plants and they have both been producing beautifully. I have grown zucchini before, when I lived in Florida, and have never had an issue with squash being produced. Armadillos and powdery mildew were usually the demise of my plants. I am pretty disappointed as I was hoping for lots of squash and zucchini this Summer. I would say maybe the seeds were bad but they germinated and are producing flowers. Any thoughts why they are producing fruit? Tomatoes and other edibles near the plants are being pollinated, so I would assume these flowers should be too. Bottom line, I probably won't try this seed again but my problem may just be a fluke so give them a try if you're interested.
Jenny Dreaden from KY
Owner Response: Hi Jenny,
Thanks for contacting us about this issue. I think I can be helpful. Tomatoes have "perfect flowers" with both male and female parts and do not need pollinators to produce fruit, a little nudge or some wind does the trick. Melons, cucumber, and squash all have separate male and female flower on the plant. Generally, the first couple weeks of flowers are just male flowers, presumably to attract pollinators to the area, then the female flowers emerge. If the bees haven't noticed the plant flowering, or if you primarily see honeybees (which aren't as focused on getting to every flower on a plant as native bees) these plants just need a little hand to be pollinated and produce fruit. Bees form foraging paths and tend to follow a routine, which is why it can be helpful to add early flowering plants to the garden, making your garden part of their regular routine. The poor pollination doesn't have to do with the seed or the cultivar. Your experience is becoming quite common, as we see native bee populations decline. We created an article and video about hand pollination that you may find useful, https://www.botanicalinterests.com/product/Hand-Pollination-for-Squash-Cucumber-Melon-and-Watermelon. This is also available in the learn more tab of the product page. Please feel free to contact customer service or our horticulturist anytime you have growing questions.
Delicious!
5 out of 5 stars
Jan 24, 2020
Jan 24, 2020We loved this zucchini. I stayed on top of it and picked them when they were small (although every once and a while a gigantic one would appear out of hiding). The flavor was great and all summer long it was a happy plant. These attracted such wonderful native bees and I felt lucky to have this plant to support them. Buy them for your family and for the bees!
Grace Wright from CO
Update from July 31 review
4 out of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2020
Jan 25, 2020Thank you for the information. I did realize later I should have been hand pollinating, after reading your information and other articles. It became clearer after we had to hand pollinate our hot pepper plants last season too. I will try this variety again, and, with a little, will hopefully get some tasty squash this season. :). Thank you again.
Jenny Dreaden from KY
Owner Response: Anytime, Jenny! Happy gardening!
Black Beauty Summer Squash
5 out of 5 stars
Jul 12, 2020
Jul 12, 2020Absolutely great. Growing huge, but staying reasonably compact. Started harvesting a couple of days ago.
Linda Thomson-Clem from MA
good consistent squash
5 out of 5 stars
Aug 15, 2020
Aug 15, 2020great germination and growth. This is my 9th year growing them
Cambria Devoy from CO
Growing The Wrong Squash
3 out of 5 stars
Aug 27, 2020
Aug 27, 2020I am torn on how to rate these seeds since I got a really mixed bag! I have one beautiful zucchini plant growing and multiple of a mystery squash. It is large, oval, and a pale yellow, a bit like a spaghetti squash. I tried cooking one similar to spaghetti squash, but it is not producing the classic "noodles". Fingers crossed I get a few more zucchinis on my one plant before the season is over.
Tayler Dube from CA
Owner Response: Hi Tayler,
Thank for making us aware of this issue. Quality is very important to us. A customer service agent will be with you shortly to help.
Abundance!
5 out of 5 stars
Sep 11, 2020
Sep 11, 2020Zucchini galore! Thanks for these, I had numerous fruit, a great crop.
SLK from OR
Disappointed
1 out of 5 stars
Oct 17, 2020
Oct 17, 2020These seeds were planted exactly as directed, in full sun, with plenty of water, in fresh potting soil. They produced abundant blossoms, but never any squash.
Deborah from CO
Owner Response: Hi Deborah,
We are sorry you had a disappointing experience with this popular variety. The key to squash fruiting is good pollination, something that has become a bigger issue as our native bee populations struggle. As you noted the plants had abundant blossoms however if there aren't pollinators to move pollen to the fruit-producing flowers (which takes 4 visits) you can hand pollinate the flowers. You can find instructions for hand pollinating in the "Learn More" tab of this product page. Sowing flowers in the garden can also help invite more bees to visit but keep in mind European honeybees aren't as skilled at pollinating squash as native bees. I hope this helps explain that the issue was pollination and not anything to do with the seeds. Happy gardening!
Great plants ruined by vine borers
5 out of 5 stars
Jun 2, 2021
Jun 2, 2021We had a blast growing these really tasty and fast growing zucchini. Perfect germination. Unfortunately, most of the plants were destroyed by vine borers. I will try again with some better preventative measures.
Greg from TX
Owner Response: Hello Greg,
Thank you for your review and we are happy to hear the seeds produce well for you. Vine borers are the worst! You can deter them by covering the base of the stems near the ground with soil, mulch, foil, or fabric material. Here is a link to our Squash: Pests and Diseases article with more information on how to prevent and manage these common pests and diseases. https://www.botanicalinterests.com/product/Squash-Pests-and-Diseases
Not what I expected
3 out of 5 stars
Sep 11, 2021
Sep 11, 2021I planted the Black Beauty's because I have planted them from other distributors in the past. Very disappointing this time. Will try again next year. Truth be known, despite my best efforts, Squash Borers and Squash Bugs were a constant nightmare.
mark from NY
Owner Response: Hi Mark,
Thank you for sharing your experience. We would love to know what was disappointing about the seed or was the disappointment just pest pressure? Covering plants with row cover until they begin flowering and burying the stem up to the first leaves really helps with squash vine borers. In some areas, you can plan your sowing around their migration too. Scouting and smashing squash bug eggs as they appear is the most direct way to prevent an outbreak. Happy gardening!
Black beauty summer squash
5 out of 5 stars
Sep 27, 2021
Sep 27, 2021The seeds came up just fine and still picking squash
Katherine from CO
Tasty and prolific
5 out of 5 stars
Oct 9, 2021
Oct 9, 2021Easy to grow, produced fairly early-late May early June, and didn't stop producing until late August early September. Plants didn't take up much space about 2' sq per plant.
Joshua from MO
Zucchini
5 out of 5 stars
Nov 5, 2021
Nov 5, 2021Grew well, got a good amount off of one plant.
Keri from CO
Bad luck year?
2 out of 5 stars
Nov 23, 2021
Nov 23, 2021Used entire pack, only got 1 plant to bring fruit, only 2 fruits for the whole season. 1st planting I started indoors, nothing germinated ( in peat pot, on heat pad and under full spectrum led lights) 2nd planting outdoors 1st week if June, 1 plant out of 6 seeds sprouted. In the end I had a friend give me extra starts to transplant and of all my squashes I got 2 zucchini for the whole season. Hopefully next year things go better!
Nicole from IN
Owner Response: Hi Nicole,
We are sorry you had a hard time germinating these seeds. Rest assured, our seeds are tested frequently to ensure germination rates meet federal and our own standards. As for fruit production, many growers are having issues due to pollinator decline. There is a link to hand pollination information in the learn more tab on this page. A customer service agent will be contacting you by email to see how we can help.
GAP
5 out of 5 stars
Jan 29, 2022
Jan 29, 2022These seeds sprouted and grew right up my trellis. They were delicious. I had no problems getting them to grow and will be growing them again this year.
Geneva from NJ
Prolific
5 out of 5 stars
Feb 6, 2022
Feb 6, 2022Made a mistake in planting in a micro raised bed. These get big! Still was successful but choked out smaller crop. Grow where you have plenty of room. Great squash with beautiful fruit!
Cynthia from NM
Owner Response: Hi Cynthia,
Thank you for sharing your experience. If there is ever a question we list a plants' typical size inside the packet (outside for flowers) and on the products' web page. Happy gardening!
Non viable seeds
1 out of 5 stars
Apr 13, 2022
Apr 13, 2022These seeds never sprouted for me. I left voice message and email and haven't heard back
Gosia from FL
Owner Response: Hi Gosia,
We are sorry you are having difficulty with these seeds. A customer service agent will be reaching out to you by email. Rest assured, our seeds are tested by a third-party laboratory regularly to ensure germination rates meet federal and our own standards. We will be in touch.
A must try!
5 out of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2023
Jan 23, 2023This is the only variety of zucchini I grow. The seeds germinate easily, plants grow beautifully and are SO prolific. I grow 5 plants and am able to shred and vacuum seal about 20 bags of zucchini, each containing 3 cups. This is not including the zucchini we enjoy during the summer months. We also have enough to share with friends/neighbors. It's an impressive crop every single year!
Luci from CO
