Like a lot of home vegetable gardeners, I have a love-hate relationship with squash. Yes, they are tasty, diverse and good for me. But when they reach peak production, I'm tempted to run away.

I saw a cartoon once of home gardeners, under the cover of midnight, leaving bags of zucchini at their neighbors' doors. I can totally relate.

Every fruit or vegetable hits a peak in production, and I try to prepare for those peaks.

One strategy is to avoid growing too many plants. I only sowed four seeds of each of the two squash varieties I'm growing -- a zucchini and a summer pattypan type called Summer Sunburst.

I should have composted two seedlings, leaving me two plants of each type. But I have great difficulty tossing perfectly healthy seedlings. And when the plants are small, it's easy to convince myself that I did the right thing by planting all of them.

Then, practically overnight, the leaves assume beach umbrella proportions. Myriad gold flowers open simultaneously, buzzing with pollinator activity. One day, I see flowers and tiny young squash. Two days later, the squash are everywhere -- and they are big.

We eat squash for nearly every dinner, because I've found no good way to store the excess. Canned squash is just gross. It doesn't freeze well, either. That leaves eating it or dropping it off at neighbors' doors in the dark of night.

Here's hoping they don't read this until after I've made my getaway.

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