How to grow Squash

Where to plant

Grow squash in full sun in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost. Seeds rot in cold soil and frost kills the plants, so sow after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Mulch helps, as the roots are shallow.

Summer squash bushes fit a small bed; vining winter squash needs 50 to 100 square feet per hill, so give it the edge of the garden, a fence or a sturdy trellis for smaller-fruited types.

• Central Florida: sow from January to March and again in August and September. North Florida and the Gulf South: March and April, and August to September. South Florida: from September through March, the cool, dry season.
• Florida summers bring melonworm, pickleworm, vine borer and mildew, so spring and fall crops do far better than summer ones. Seminole pumpkin and calabaza, both winter squashes, are the most reliable through the heat.
• Texas and the Desert Southwest: sow in early spring (February to April) and again in August.
• California: sow from spring into midsummer.
• Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: sow from late April or May into July; a second sowing of summer squash in midsummer often dodges the first wave of vine borers.
• Northeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West and the Pacific Northwest: sow in late May or June once the soil is warm. Choose winter squash varieties that ripen within your season.
• Hawaii: sow year round. Alaska: start indoors and plant out in June under cover.

Choosing a variety

• Summer squash: yellow straightneck (such as Early Prolific Straightneck), yellow crookneck, pattypan or scallop types, and zucchini.
• Winter squash: butternut, acorn, delicata, spaghetti, buttercup, Hubbard, calabaza and Turk's Turban. Acorn, delicata and spaghetti mature in about 80 to 100 days; larger types take longer.
• Butternut, Seminole pumpkin and calabaza (Cucurbita moschata types) have solid stems that resist squash vine borer, which makes them the best choice where borers are bad.
• Look for powdery mildew and virus resistance on the seed packet in humid areas.

How to plant

1. Work compost and a balanced fertilizer into the bed before sowing.
2. Summer squash: sow two or three seeds 1 inch deep every 24 to 36 inches, or four or five seeds in hills 48 inches apart.
3. Winter squash: sow four or five seeds 1 inch deep in hills 5 to 6 feet apart.
4. Thin to one strong plant per spot, or two or three per hill, when seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall.
5. Where vine borers or cucumber beetles are common, cover young plants with floating row cover, and remove it when the first female flowers open so bees can pollinate.

Watering and feeding

Water deeply once or twice a week, about 1 to 2 inches in total, at the base rather than over the leaves, and mulch to keep the shallow roots moist. Uneven watering can cause blossom end rot on young fruit.

Side-dress with a balanced fertilizer when the vines begin to run or the first flowers appear. Too much nitrogen gives lush leaves and fewer fruit.

Pruning and care through the year

• Squash has separate male and female flowers. The first flush is usually male and falls off; that is normal. Female flowers have a tiny squash at the base.
• If small fruit shrivel and rot at the tip, they were not pollinated. Hand-pollinate in the morning by brushing pollen from a male flower onto the center of a female flower.
• Bees are essential, so if you must spray, do it in the late afternoon or evening when flowers have closed.
• Check the undersides of leaves every few days for bronze squash bug egg clusters and scrape them off.

Harvesting

Summer squash grows very fast after pollination and is most often picked too large. Pick elongated types when they are 6 to 8 inches long and less than about 2 inches across, and pattypans at 3 to 4 inches across. The more you pick, the more the plant produces. Cut with a knife or pruners, as the skin bruises easily, and refrigerate unwashed in a bag for up to a week.

Winter squash is ready when it has turned a deep, solid color and the rind is hard enough to resist a thumbnail. Harvest before heavy frost, cutting with about 2 inches of stem. Cure at room temperature, about 70°F, for 10 to 20 days, then store in a dry place at about 50°F to 55°F. Hard-rinded types such as Hubbard and butternut keep for months; acorn keeps about three months. Do not store damaged fruit or fruit without a stem.

Growing in pots

Compact bush summer squash can grow in a large container, at least 16 inches (40 cm) wide and deep, with rich potting mix. Water daily in hot weather and hand-pollinate if bees are scarce.

Using it

Slice summer squash into stir-fries, grill or roast it, or make squash casserole. Male squash blossoms are edible, stuffed or fried; leave some on the plant for pollination. Roast winter squash, mash it, or make soup; spaghetti squash pulls into strands once cooked.