• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Summer Squash

Botanical Name
Cucurbita pepo
Hardiness
Tender Annual
Height
1 to 3 feet
Width
2 to 4 feet
Flowers
Mid summer to late fall: yellow, females produce fruit, edible
Fruit
Zucchini, scallop, and constricted neck (straight or crookneck) types
Light
Full sun
Soil
Well-drained, organic
Planting & Care
  • Squash germinate best in warm soil temperatures of 70°F to 105°F
  • Begin sowing when the soil has warmed to at least 70°F and all danger of frost has passed. Plant 4 to 5 seeds per hill at a depth of 1 inch. Space hills 3 to 4 feet apart. Thin to 2 or 3 plants per hill.
  • When sowing in rows, plant seeds 1 inch deep, 4 inches apart in rows set 4 to 5 feet apart. Thin plants to 1 plant per every 1 to 2 feet.
  • Squash can be started indoors for an earlier harvest. Sow 3 to 4 seeds per pot and thin to 1 or 2 plants per container. Harden off before transplanting. Set plants out in the garden when the soil has adequately warmed and all danger of frost has passed. Space 1 to 2 feet apart.
  • Mulch the soil to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture
  • Mounding some soil around the base of the plants will help discourage squash borers from laying eggs
Problems
Squash bug, squash vine borer, striped cucumber beetle, bacterial wilt, mildews
Varieties
  • Embassy - heavy fruiting zucchini type
  • Sundance - smooth, bright yellow, crookneck type
  • Goldbar - golden yellow straightneck type
  • Peter Pan - light green scallop type
  • Papaya Pear - bright yellow fruit resemble papaya, harvest when fruit are 3" for continual harvest during the season, All-America Selections winner
  • Eight Ball - zucchini type with round fruit, AAS winner
  • Bossa Nova - ornamental foliage and fruit are both mottled, compact plants are great for containers, early maturing, AAS winner

Related Content

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


April 3, 2024
Garden Trends 

Franklin Public Library, Franklin, WI

April 10, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Register now

April 11, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

7 Steps to Managing Water Where it Falls in Your Yard
Register now

April 17, 2024
Landscaping for Birds: 
A Gardener’s Perspective

Glendale, WI 

April 18, 2024
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine, WI
Register now

April 20, 2024
Pruning Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs 
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL

April 27, 2024
Ridges & Rivers Book Festival
Viroqua, WI

April 28, 2024
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI

May 1, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Register now

May 9, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Plant Your Rain Garden
Register now

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide !

ENTER NOW