Question
Bought from farm stand last year they are approx golf ball size. I bought plants and grew own this year - they are huge! I don't know when to pick them. They are all yellow, at least 10" in circumference - very small amount of dark green on the very bottom (dime size). Did I buy a different variety maybe than the farm stand ones I was used to? Or is this normal? When should I pick them? Chicago area.

Answer
Kathie:
Is "Pitty Pat" the variety name? I don't know what kind this is, so I can't answer for certain. The one's you bought at the market were round, not flat and scalloped? Were they zucchini? Are the ones you are growing flat and scalloped? The name sounds like it would be a patty-pan type summer squash(also called a scallop squash),but I'm not sure. I don't know if you have a different species or variety than what you bought, and there is always the possibility that the plant was simply mis-marked (which would still mean it is not what you wanted).

Elyse