Make Room! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
These babies grew undaunted through a wet, cool Missouri summer in 2009. Produced abundantly til frost. No disease or bug problems at all. In the past, squash bugs decimated all zucchini I ever grew. I saw some squash bugs in the patch in June but they never bothered these. Give them lots of room. They spread like melons. Very good tasting too. Had lots to share with neighbors..
(Posted on 12/16/09)
Fantastic!! Can I choose more than 5 Stars?? Review by Heirloom Maters
Overall Rating
These are the best-tasting, easiest-growing, most-productive squash on the planet. Only word of warning is they will attempt to take over the planet! We trellised our 2009 crop (we grow them every year and would not want to be without them) on 47" cattle fencing which was invisible part way through the season. In a moment of gardening insanity I planted some peppers near them -- and did not see them again until we pulled out the squash vines. They attempted to annex the eggplant and basil as well, climbed the five feet tall marigolds, and headed across the aisle to the tomato beds. RAMPICANTE is right. Give it room, and ENJOY!!.
(Posted on 2/27/10)
a real keeper! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
We love this squash. It can be a little fragile, but it travels well. The flavor is outstanding! No more plain ole zucchini for us! Last summer when we lost the rest of the garden to blight/fungus, these plants just kept on producing. I highly recommend it..
(Posted on 3/15/10)
So much zucchini I had to find new uses Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
I planted two plants in the spring. They produced so much Zucchini I had to find new uses for it. My regular zucchini was taken over by bugs and disease by mid-may. Not these plants, they produced into July..
(Posted on 8/8/10)
Excellent! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
First time of growing this variety and I am very pleased with it. Excellent flavor! Warning: the vine will take over! Give it lots of space to grow. It will have a place in my garden next year..
(Posted on 8/18/10)
looooved this!!! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
tilled the soil,sowed the seeds,threw cow manure on it, watered and weeded when necessaryand voila!!! BIG leaves, L O N G vines and GREAT squash! Also ordered Strawberry Corn and Warty pumpkins...My garden grew all kinds of storybook things! Thanks!.
(Posted on 9/2/10)
Out of CONTROL! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
ONE seedling survived to be planted in the ground and it has taken over most of the yard (this has been an unusually good squash year in spite of the bumper crop of cucumber beetles)! Super productive (I pick about 8-12 squash every 2-3 days). And very good! As a summer squash it is a little more solid when cooked than zucchini and the flavor is good. I just cooked up some larger squash as winter squash and the flavor is good with a nice texture..
(Posted on 9/9/10)
Wow, Rampicante indeed Review by Sarah and Bryce
Overall Rating
The vines absolutely overwhelmed our trellis. I had to reinforce it twice to take the weight of the vines and squash. We left ours on the vine for a while - and the largest squash ended up just over 48" long. Delicious - in fact, too delicious. The squirrels did a number on the flowers and squash - but once the vines thickened up and got a bit spiny we got plenty. We love this plant and would certainly grow it again..
(Posted on 9/12/10)
EXQUISITE Review by BOOPROSE
Overall Rating
I GOT THIS ZUCCHINO FROM A FRIEND THIS YR, I JUST CUT IT IN 1/4 PEACE SLICES, PUT IN WATER THEN ROLLED IN CORN MEAL AN BLACK PEPPER, THEN FRIED, I DONT DO SALT ON ANYTHING, THIS WAS JUST TO GOOD !!!!! CANT WAIT TO GREW ME SOOM & DO DIFFERENT WAYS, HE GOT TON'S OFF HIS VINE'S !!! PLEASE TRY. VIOLET.
(Posted on 12/3/09)
Huge plant, lots of squash, doesn't need a lot of heat Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
This plant is a monster, growing rapidly and producing many firm fleshed fruits. The fruit is neither watery or seedy, though it bruises easily and may break. Squash vine borers will not touch this plant. It loves to climb and can easily attach itself to tree branches if you let it. As a winter squash it's mild tasting and slightly nutty, not sweet at all which I happen to like. If you like stuffed squash flowers or pumpkin leaf recipes you'll get plenty..
(Posted on 12/28/09)
Fantastic!! Can I choose more than 5 Stars?? Review by Heirloom Maters
Overall Rating
These are the best-tasting, easiest-growing, most-productive squash on the planet. Only word of warning is they will attempt to take over the planet! We trellised our 2009 crop (we grow them every year and would not want to be without them) on 47" cattle fencing which was invisible part way through the season. In a moment of gardening insanity I planted some peppers near them -- and did not see them again until we pulled out the squash vines. They attempted to annex the eggplant and basil as well, climbed the five feet tall marigolds, and headed across the aisle to the tomato beds. RAMPICANTE is right. Give it room, and ENJOY!!.
(Posted on 2/27/10)
A GREAT SUMMER AND WINTER SQUASH Review by JAICY
Overall Rating
I love this squash. The neck can get very long and is thin and almost seedless like a perfect zuchinni even when over 2 foot long. Not seedy at all in comparison. If picked before turning whitish, it is an excellent light green summer squash zuchinni, if left on the vine, it gets whitish, really big and holds like a winter squash. These took a bit longer to produce fruit, but were so resistant to bugs and fungus in Florida, they outproduced the regular zuchinni type plants and most winter squash. They will tolerate cool weather (down to 40 degrees) and we grow them 10 out of 12 months in south Florida. I'd grow them 12 months, but we get a sporadic frost two months a year. Heat and cool weather does not stop production. HOWEVER, the germination of the seeds I bought from BAKER was only 10%, so I had to start a second batch of seedlings to get the quantity I wanted. Seeds we saved from our own crop were 100% germinated. I have had problems in the past with BAKER melon seeds having poor germination as well. Make sure you get the FRESHEST pack and not seed from an earlier gathering. One more thing, if you leave some squash on the vine to get really large and use for winter squash, it will stop setting new squash. So two months before the frosts, we stop harvesting a few vines and let the squash mature. Hope this helps..
(Posted on 6/18/10)
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Zucchino Rampicante Squash Review by plant_tender
Overall Rating
My 3rd squash was harvested at over 4' long!!!
To read my full review, & see photos, please visit: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56773.
(Posted on 8/6/10)
Best zucchini ever, no joke Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
This is why I love this squash - the seeds are all contained in the small bulb on the end, so the flesh is easier to use. The shape is a great look, and best of all, they taste SWEETER than any other zucchini. And then, if you leave some in the garden and allow them to turn butternut colored, they store perfectly in the root cellar - mine lasted through February. In early storage they taste like zucchini, but in late storage they taste and look like butternut squash. This is truly both a summer and a winter squash. I've been giving this squash away for three years telling everyone to taste it and then grow it. Fantastic. And very resistant to mildew..
(Posted on 8/28/10)
Wow, Rampicante indeed Review by Sarah and Bryce
Overall Rating
The vines absolutely overwhelmed our trellis. I had to reinforce it twice to take the weight of the vines and squash. We left ours on the vine for a while - and the largest squash ended up just over 48" long. Delicious - in fact, too delicious. The squirrels did a number on the flowers and squash - but once the vines thickened up and got a bit spiny we got plenty. We love this plant and would certainly grow it again..
(Posted on 9/12/10)
Huge yields! Review by Unknown
Overall Rating
Whether picking small at 12' for stir fry or steaming or larger at 2' these are one of our favorites. A favorite with our friends too. Grown in Tucson, AZ where they were extremely heat tolerant and produce all the way until the first frost. We'll be trying them in Oregon this coming year..
(Posted on 10/13/10)
Grows anywhere and produces huge amounts of large squash! Review by Servaline
Overall Rating
Not much can take the sometimes 110+ degree weather in Southern Arizona, but it didn't slow this vine down a bit. Grew along our fence, over into the neighbor's palo verde and into their cactus garden. Gave us and the neighbors a huge yield until the first frost this year. .
(Posted on 11/19/10)
All I can say is WoW! Review by Susanna
Overall Rating
We started this seed (yes, only one was enough) in the back of my three sisters garden, along a chain link fence. It grew up the fence to the top and i didn't see any fruit, but as soon as it started traveling along both sides of the fence, it sprouted fruit everywhere. Some that we found were a few inches long would be 5-6" in a day. The growth rate was amazing.
Unfortunately, my family didn't care for the taste unless it was battered and fried. We did wait until it was quite large before harvesting, so I will try this year to harvest earlier. They grew down until they touched the ground.
We also had them cooked like zucchini and I made some into pickles.
We actually had neighbors come over to our fence to get a closer look at this strange things growing along the fence. All seeds are in the bulb and we did save some seeds and are going to try them this year..
(Posted on 1/1/11)
Superb! Review by ZanaHart
Overall Rating
We grew these for several years while we were living in the central highlands of Mexico, near Guadalajara... ours turned green, not the color shown in the photo. You can see a 46" long one wrapped around my neck in the logo of my website simplegreenliving.com. Love it that they go LONG rather than FAT! Now we are back in Colorado and I am curious to see how they do in this very different climate..
(Posted on 2/12/11)
will try again Review by susanne
Overall Rating
i put these in my winter garden, as we often have trouble with borers and fruit flies in the warm season here in hawaii. the plants grew well at first and we did have several delicious fruits before the whole business succumbed suddenly to dusty mildew. yes, we'd had a spell of misty rain and cool (60's) nights. so i'll try these again in the warm season, and see how they do against our summer pests! wish me luck, as they sound wonderful!.
(Posted on 3/29/11)
Interesting Squash, Powdery Mildew Resistent Review by Ron
Overall Rating
We like these squash as very immature summer squash. We cut them when they are only about a 1/2" to 1" in diameter. They are meatier than a yellow summer squash and have a taste a bit more along the lines of a butternut squash. While we battled powdery mildew on all of the other types of squash surrounding these they never got a trace of it! This plant loves water when the fruits are forming. If you underwater all the fruits will yellow and fall off. Took a while to learn this, but now we give plenty of water. We cut off the main vines (they averaged about 15' to 25' )and left just a foot from the root stem. It sprouted new vines that were even healthier and larger than the original growth with plenty of new squash. Off to the races again! Our climate is Southern California inland..
(Posted on 8/23/11)
Is that a Rampicante in your pocket or you just happy to see me? Review by claywade
Overall Rating
First off kudos to all the other reviewers! I planted this variety for the first time this year and have to agree with Heirloom Maters. This is the best squash on the planet! Now my vines are joining up with theirs to take over the universe! Recruits welcome sign up at rareseeds.com. If you want a prolific, beautiful vine that produces an abundance of extravagant squash then this is the variety for you. Thank you Baker Creek!.
(Posted on 8/31/11)
Just discovered and learning about it Review by JerryO
Overall Rating
A friend brought the seeds back from Italy last year and gave me a plant he started this spring (5/2011). The vine took over my property but no fruit until today - 9/3/11. Found one fruit close to 4 ft long, very light lime green - straight like a baseball bat about 2 to 3" in diameter and after inspecting I see the start of about 25 more in the 10 to 12 inch range and about 1" in diameter - looks like they are about to grow big. I'm befuddled - how to use them. When's the best time to pick them. From the reviews it seems they can be both summer and winter. Recipes anyone? I'm in the Chicago area..
(Posted on 9/3/11)
The best ,ever! Review by LA and J
Overall Rating
The best part about this squash is that it holds up to all forms of cooking without getting mushy. We've given 15" fruits away to friends and family who didn't like squash. Well, they like THIS squash! Planted three seeds in early May, we had the hottest August on record in Phoenix,AZ and the vines are still going strong into mid-September. Plants are very pest resistant. The fruits last up to two weeks in the fridge, and do not rot if you can only eat one half..
(Posted on 9/17/11)
Will grow again! Review by C
Overall Rating
Resistant to squash vine borers, heavy producer. Produced all summer in 90 degree heat and into the cooler fall in Michigan - long after the summer and other winter varieties of squash had died off. We enjoyed these squash, although it is a different flavor than the zucchini or yellow squash. Maybe a slight bit of butternut flavor. Can pick early and cook with onions and other seasonings, make zucchini bread, and zucchini burgers. Lots of uses..
(Posted on 9/23/11)
Excellent Review by glorygarden
Overall Rating
This squash was one of the successes in my garden this year. It was fun to grow with all of the squash dangling down from my arbor - such an eye catcher with some of them growing as long as 4 feet. This squash will take a little longer to start producing than a bush zucchini but these vines outproduced my other zucchini. It tastes slightly different than regular zucchini, in that it does not have as much water content, so it keeps its shape when cooked; the small ones are great in stir fry - should be cooked a little longer than regular zucchini. The larger ones I have used to make the creamiest squash soup ever! If pureed, they can even be used as a base or thickener for creamy potato or broccoli soup. I have also added pumpkin spice, sugar and cream to the puree to make a wonderful pumpkin flavored pudding. I will definitely be growing these again. I like them better than regular zucchinis..
(Posted on 10/10/11)
Love Love Love it Review by GardenFairy
Overall Rating
This was such a fun squash to grow. In North central valley CA. Tolerated the heat well. Had 4 vines. 3 were at least 15 to 20 ft long . let it go on a fence and two on a trellis over other veggies. One was in a tire to fence the other in a large raised box. We call them Alien squash. It had a couple that were so long it was scary. Upper part of it is best for cooking the bulb at end smells like a melon. To many seeds there to get much fruit. We sure made some good soup and roasted chunks on grill. Also a pie! had a huge crop still have vines out there picked largest fruit and letting them sit in window. YES to this one again..
(Posted on 11/16/11)
Too good to be a marginal variety Review by mapman
Overall Rating
I know these as "Tromboncino" squash. In a good year they are the best of both worlds. The young squash are great when they are raw, the larger ones are NOT good raw, but much more flavorful than zucchini or yellow squash. Allowed to mature, they are the best keepers of ANY winter squash -- I have one in a cool part of my living room that gets AC around 78 in the summer and temps around 62 in the winter that I picked in 2010. But, to be fair, they will take over your lawn. They touch soil and re-root. They will crawl up trees and break branches if the fruit develops. My biggest tromboncino ripped a branch off an apple tree, then climbed up a neighboring Rose of Sharon, and grew to 42". .
(Posted on 1/15/12)
