
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
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