Golden Summer (Cucurbita pepo) is the open-pollinated golden-yellow version of the classic zucchini that has been a garden staple since the mid-20th century. It’s essentially the yellow-skinned sibling of Black Beauty — same bush habit, same tenderness, same insane productivity, but in bright, sunshine-yellow.
 
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Fruit: 6–9 inches long × 2–3 inches thick, straight to slightly curved, smooth, glossy butter-yellow to deep golden skin (the darker the color, the riper and sweeter).
Flesh: Creamy white, dense, very tender, with a slightly sweeter and milder flavor than dark green types — almost buttery when picked young.
Days to harvest: 45–55 days from transplant (just as fast as Black Beauty).
Plant habit: Open, upright bush 2½–3½ ft wide × 18–24 inches tall — perfect for small gardens, raised beds, or large containers.
Yield: Ridiculous — one plant easily produces 30–50+ zucchinis over the season if picked regularly.
 
Growing Tips for Maximum Harvest
Treat it exactly like any bush zucchini: full sun, rich soil, plant after last frost when soil is 70 °F+, space 2½–3 feet apart. Feed at planting and again when flowering starts. Pick daily once fruits reach 6–8 inches and are bright golden — color deepens as they mature, and tenderness drops fast if you wait too long. Harvesting religiously keeps the plant pumping out new fruits all summer.

If you want the classic zucchini experience with sweeter flavor, prettier color, and fruits you can actually see before they turn into monsters, grow Golden Summer.

Sold in a 2.5" pot.