Days to Maturity: 48 to 52 direct sow; 40 to 45 transplant
All-America Selections (AAS) Edible Vegetable Winner 2025
Ready to harvest in a flash, Green Lightning delivers a quick and easy crop of summer squash that's packed with delicious flavor, which is mild and sweet but robust enough to stand up to seasoning. Early ripening, it is one of the first of the season to be harvested and offers a substantial yield. The fruits are not only flavorful but also cute as a button and highly ornamental. Each 2½- to 5-inch fruit weighs about 1 to 2 pounds and displays unique medium- and light-green striping on its glossy rind. But don't let their small size fool you: the seed cavity is small, so there's plenty of edible flesh for roasting, grilling, or eating raw. And their pretty scallop shape adds plenty of plate appeal.
A Cucurbita pepo cultivar, commonly called patty pan squash, Green Lightning is an F1 hybrid fruit vegetable and member of the cucurbit family (Cucurbitaceae). This herbaceous annual's quick maturity allows it to be grown in almost any Zone, from Zones 2-11. The plant has a bushy, mounded habit and reaches about 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide. The fruits are harvestable at full size (up to 5 inches) or at the baby stage when the flower is still attached, with younger, smaller fruits tending to be the most tender.
Green Lightning squash is easy to grow from seed, growing best in a sunny spot with fertile, organically rich, medium moist, freely draining soil. A heavy producer, the plant benefits from regular fertilization. Monecious, Green Lightning does not need a second plant for pollination, but it may be helpful to plant bee-attracting plants, like marigolds and zinnias, nearby to ensure pollination.
Green Lightning squash is a warm-season vegetable, sensitive to cold temperatures and frost. The seeds can be direct sown into warm spring soil after all danger of frost has passed, or they can be started indoors about 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting. Flowers begin to set fruit with day temperatures between 68 to 72°F and night temperatures between 60 and 65°F. Mulching around summer squash plants helps to moderate soil temperature and to maintain moisture levels. Protect your Green Lightning squash plants with row covers if temperatures are expected to dip below 50°F.
If you plan to start your Green Lightning squash seeds indoors, be sure to check out our Bio Dome Seed Starter Kit. Bio Dome allows you to control the temperature, light, and soil mix, ensuring your seeds become strong for transplant.
