How to Grow Squash
Squash At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 5°C
Plant Family
Cucurbitaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Sow 1 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm, at least 18°C (64°F), since cold soil rots the seed. Push 2 to 3 seeds 2 cm deep into a small mound of compost-rich soil, and give each mound about 60 cm of room, more for big, trailing kinds. They sprout in 5 to 10 days: keep the strongest seedling and snip off the others at soil level.
Squash comes in two kinds that grow the same way but are picked differently. Summer squash like zucchini and scallop squash is eaten young and soft, while winter squash like butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash ripens hard on the vine so it keeps for months.
When To Start
First chance to plant
10 Days After Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Squash?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Squash Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Squash Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow squash outdoors in warm soil and give it lots of room
1 week after your last frost· every year
Bring in winter squash with hard skin before the frost
1 week before your first frost· every year· optional
Did you water your squash seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
How are your squash plants? Water deeply at the base and keep the leaves dry.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your squash is coming along! Keep watering deeply while the fruit fills out.
About 50 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your squash.
About 60 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Squash's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
2 cm
Seeding Depth
60 cm
Plant Spacing
90 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Trellis.
Method: Trellis.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give squash full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day.
- 2Plant it in loose soil with plenty of compost mixed in, since squash is a hungry plant.
- 3Water deeply at the base about once a week, more in hot spells, and keep the leaves dry to slow powdery mildew (a white dust on the leaves).
- 4Feed with a handful of worm castings or a splash of compost tea when the vines start to run and again when the flowers appear.
- 5Give trailing kinds room to sprawl, or train smaller ones up a sturdy trellis to save space.
- 6Look under the leaves for squash bugs and their shiny bronze eggs, pick them off by hand, and cover young plants with row cover until they flower.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~60
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
120 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Pick fruit when full size and firm
How to Harvest
- 1Pick summer squash young and shiny, zucchini at about 15 to 20 cm long and scallop squash at about 8 to 10 cm across.
- 2Check summer squash every day or two, because they grow fast and one left too long slows new ones.
- 3Leave winter squash on the vine until the skin is hard and you cannot dent it with a fingernail.
- 4Cut squash off with pruners, leaving 2 to 3 cm of stem on winter squash, and bring them all in before the first fall frost.
- 5Let butternut and spaghetti squash sit in a warm, sunny spot for 1 to 2 weeks to toughen the skin, then store all winter squash in a cool, dry room.
- 6Roast the seeds with a little oil and salt for a crunchy snack.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Zucchini, scallop, acorn and spaghetti squash and most pumpkins are all the same kind of plant and cross easily through bees, while butternut is a different kind and does not cross with them. If two of the same kind flower within about 800 m, tape a female flower (the one with a tiny squash behind it) shut the evening before it opens, brush it the next morning with pollen from a male flower of the same variety, and tape it shut again. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. Leave the chosen squash on the vine until it is fully hard, even a zucchini, then let it sit indoors for 3 to 4 weeks so the seeds finish ripening. Scoop out the seeds, rinse off the pulp, dry them on a plate for 1 to 2 weeks, and store them in a labelled envelope somewhere cool, dark and dry, where they keep about 5 years.
Seed Production
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