Squash Gem Rolet Seeds

Rolet is a full-vine South African Cucurbita pepo gem squash producing small dark-green oval-to-globe fruit with cream-yellow flesh.

Grow it successfully: Read the exact South African Squash Grow Guide module.

Quick Grow Facts

• Plant Type: Warm-season edible squash
• Variety: Rolet
• Scientific Name: Cucurbita pepo
• Outcome: Young or full-size gem squash; for tender skin pick young, or harvest fully sized before the rind becomes excessively hard.
• General Sowing Time: Plant only after frost risk has passed. Use September–December/January in cool districts, August–January/February in warm districts, or March–May and July–October in hot frost-free districts.
• Position: Full sun
• Seed Form: Raw, unpelleted seed; sale form does not confirm chemical-treatment status
• Active Pack Sizes: 10 g raw seed, 100 g raw seed, 500 g raw seed
• Growth Form: Full trailing vine; train along the ground or on a strong trellis. No routine pinching is required.
• Pretreatment: None; sow dry unless the delivered lot label says otherwise
• Method: Warm direct sow preferred; transplant only a young intact plug before it becomes root-bound
• Sow Depth: 3 mm under the exact current Ubuntuberg label; keep the very shallow cover continuously moist. The separate Starke Ayres Rolet packet uses 20 mm.
• Germination: 7–14 days at a 21–30°C seed-zone target; do not direct sow below 18°C
• Final Spacing: 50 cm between plants and 120 cm between rows is the stocked-label minimum; allow 120–180 cm for the vine or train it securely.
• Harvest: The current label gives 60–90 days. Start checking from 60 days for young gems; Easi Seeds gives 75–85 days to full maturity and KZN guidance gives 80–95 days to first mature harvest under field conditions.

Why Grow This Variety

• Rolet is an open-pollinated South African gem-squash standard.
• The full vine carries small dark-green fruit suited to single portions.
• Fruit can be picked young or allowed to reach the mature gem stage.
• The exact module replaces the live page's incomplete “Cucurbita ssp” identity with C. pepo.

Garden Uses

Boil, steam, roast or stuff young or mature gem squash according to rind tenderness.

Growing Notes

• Direct sow is preferred; transplant only young, undisturbed plugs before roots bind.
• Give the full vine room despite the current 50 × 120 cm packet minimum.
• Protect morning pollinators; an unpollinated female flower yellows and drops.
• For fresh use, harvest full-size gems before the rind becomes excessively hard.

Seed safety: Raw seed is the unpelleted sale form, not proof of untreated seed. Do not eat seed or use it for feed, sprouts or microgreens; follow the delivered lot label.

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