Growing Squash: From Seed to Table

Squash are edible fruits from the Cucurbitaceae family that come in many shapes and sizes and have a wide variety of culinary uses. This post will cover a range of topics including varieties, how to grow onions, harvest, store, preserve and enjoy.

Jump to:

• Nutritional Information
• Culinary Uses 
• Squash Types 
• Suitability for Small Gardens 
• When to Plant 
• How to Grow Squash 
• Maintaining the Plants
• Common Issues 
• When to Harvest 
• How to Store
• Other Grow Guides

Squash is native to what is now Mexico and Central America and has been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. 

Indigenous peoples often grew their produce by the “3 Sisters” method. The three sisters are corn, beans, and squash. Planted together, these three crops help each other grow and thrive sustainably.

The cornstalks provide a natural trellis for the beans to climb. Corn drains the soil of nutrients, but the nitrogen from the beans enriches the soil enough for all three plants. The squash plants extend as a ground cover that prevents weeds from growing and maintains moisture in the soil. 

Beginner gardeners should have an easy time cultivating squash, so long as they have enough space in their gardens. Squash plants produce many fruits for a plentiful harvest. Most people harvest so much squash that they’re begging their families and neighbors to take some off their hands.

A spiralizer will create curly-styled noodles, while a vegetable peeler used vertically will create flat, wide noodles. Summer squash have a very mild flavor and are easy to integrate nutrition into any dish. They will absorb and carry the flavor of any sauce they are cooked with.

Grating zucchini into soups is a great way to add texture to soups without modifying the flavor. The high moisture content of summer squash makes them ideal for baking. Try grating zucchini for zucchini bread, cakes, brownies, and muffins.

Stuffed squash is a must for summer or winter squash. Both Mexican-influenced and Italian-influenced zucchini boats are a light, refreshing whole meal. Stuffed winter squash is an excellent meal for any evening and a remarkable dish for vegetarians/vegans or anyone sick of bland, dry turkey for winter holidays. Stuff winter squash with hearty nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains.

Typically, the skin needs to be peeled from the winter squash and is not eaten with the skin. Roasting and scooping the cooked squash from the skin is easier than peeling winter squash, especially the ridged squash shapes.

Winter squash lends itself well to soups, cubed and cooked in stews, and also roasted and pureed into smooth, creamy soups.

Add summer or winter squash to any roasted vegetable pastas, stir-frys, or curry.

Squash blossoms are also edible and delicious sauteed, fried, stuffed and baked, or as an ingredient in quesadillas and tacos.

Yellow straightneck squash is a long, straight, yellow, smooth fruit with soft skin and white flesh. It's a little bit sweeter than zucchini yet still maintains a mild flavor and can be used any way that zucchini can be used.

Yellow crookneck squash is a long, curved, yellow fruit with bumpy skin that is thicker than other summer squash varieties. The flesh is also firmer on yellow crookneck squash than other summer squash and maintains a firm texture when sauteed.

Pattypan squash is a small summer squash with scalloped edges the size of the palm of a hand or smaller. It can be green or yellow and tastes similarly to zucchini and the yellow summer squash varieties.

8-ball summer squash is a small, round zucchini hybrid with smooth, soft skin that can be yellow or green. Fruits are about the size of a softball when they are harvested at the right time. 8-ball squash have a firm texture that makes them ideal for sauteing. 

It is among the easiest winter squash to peel, making it an ideal candidate for cubing and roasting as a side, the main ingredient for tacos, or simmering in soups, stews, and curries. It can also be cut in half and roasted. The soft, roasted flesh makes delicious soups and sauces when pureed. 

Acorn squash is a ridged, acorn shaped squash with firm, cream-colored flesh and a thin, dark green skin. It has a mild flavor and is not as sweet as butternut squash. The ridged skin makes it difficult to peel, and it is best quartered or halved and roasted. The soft, pureed flesh can be used in soups and sauces.

Kabocha squash, also known as a Japanese pumpkin, is a small round squash with smooth skin. Kabocha squash can be green or orange. The orange flesh of the kabocha squash is very firm and starchy with a nutty flavor. Unlike most types of winter squash, the skin of the kabocha squash can be eaten.

Delicata squash is a small, cylindrical squash with ridges and white and green stripes. Like the kabocha squash, the thin skin of the delicata squash is edible. Delicata squash has cream-colored flesh that is very sweet and nutty and caramelizes well when sliced and roasted in the oven.

Delicata squash deserves to be the featured ingredient in any warm fall or winter salad. Grow it at home or purchase delicata squash from the farmer’s market because supermarket delicata squash pales in flavor in comparison to the real deal.

Spaghetti squash is large, oblong, yellow squash with smooth skin. After roasting the spaghetti squash, the yellow flesh gets very stringy and looks like strands of spaghetti. Simply, pull the strands of squash out with a fork and douse it in sauce like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta for gluten-free and low-carb diets.

Honeynut squash is a small orange and green squash shaped just like the butternut squash, except it is about the size of a hand. Its orange flesh is very sweet and can be prepared any way that butternut squash is prepared.

Buttercup squash is a small green squash with a light green circle on the bottom. The orange flesh is sweet and custardy. Buttercup squash are difficult to peel, and it is best roasted in the oven and pureed for soups and sauces.

Pumpkins are of course members of the squash family too and include a range of sub-varietals like large Halloween pumpkins and smaller decorative gourds.

Water the seed starting mix gently enough to leave the seeds buried in place and cover the containers with plastic wrap or plastic trays to keep in the humidity. Place grow lights 1-2 inches above the seedlings and adjust the lights to maintain this distance once the plants begin to grow.

Vining squash can be grown up trellises. Use twine or cut pieces of nylon to tie the plant to the trellis and train it around the trellis. Tie the plant loosely so that growth is not inhibited.

Growing squash on arches saves some garden space and is aesthetically very pleasing. Garden arches offer great support for the heavy fruit and vines and create a shaded area in the garden. 

Chain-link fences are a great option for growing vining squash vertically. Simply, train the vines around the fence and loosely tie the vines to the fence for extra support.

Cattle panels can be used for growing vining squash. Turn the cattle panels vertically and lean them against a fence or fasten the cattle panels to wooden posts. Allow the squash vines to grow up the cattle panels and train them to climb the panels through the grid openings. Tie the vines loosely to the cattle panels for extra support.

For any vertical growing method, observation and support are critical. The fruits are very heavy and need to be secured in slings of mesh, old t-shirts, or nylons. Tie the slings to the supportive structure and place the fruit in each sling.

Keep an eye on how well the fruits are secured, and adjust the slings to be more supportive as the fruits continue to grow and gain weight.

Dress the soil with an organic mulch to retain soil moisture and keep away weeds. Use additional compost or a well-balanced garden fertilizer (10-10-10) to enrich the soil once the plants are flowering and fruiting. Prune any extra foliage or side shoots as needed to improve air circulation and encourage fruit production.

Note that using row cover may prevent or hinder pollination, so you might have to hand-pollinate the squash yourself by moving pollen from the male flower to the female flower.

It is good practice to remove lower diseased leaves as the vines grow.

Insecticidal soap or neem oil can be applied to deal with squash bugs and cucumber beetles. To rid your plants of squash vine borers, prune any infested stems and destroy them immediately.

• Powdery mildew is a common disease identifiable by white, powdery spots on the leaves and stems. To prevent powdery mildew, space each plant properly to ensure good air circulation and avoid overhead watering. Fungicides such as neem oil and potassium bicarbonate can be used to combat powdery mildew once it sets in.
• Downy mildew is another common disease affecting squash plants. Downy mildew appears as yellow spots on upper leaf surfaces and gray mold on the undersides of the leaf. Consider planting varieties that are resistant to downy mildew. To treat downy mildew, remove and destroy any affected leaves and apply a fungicide specifically for downy mildew. 
• Bacterial wilt is a disease caused by cucumber beetles and will cause the plant to wilt and die. Controlling cucumber beetles will prevent bacterial wilt. Any infected plants must be removed and destroyed.
• Environmental issues also affect the success of squash plants. Poor pollination is a frequent issue when growing squash. Plant plenty of flowering plants nearby to attract pollinators. Marigolds and nasturtium bring pollinators to the garden while keeping many pests away. If pollinators are infrequent, hand pollination is necessary. Use a brush to transfer pollen from the male to the female blossoms. 
• Blossom-end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency, often from inconsistent watering. Blossom-end rot looks like dark, soft spots on the bottom of the fruit. Use mulch to keep the soil moist and do not over fertilize the plants with nitrogen.
• Underwatering and overwatering are common mistakes for beginner gardeners. The plants will yellow and wilt if they are overwatered, and if they are underwatered, the growth of the plants will be stunted. Water squash plants thoroughly but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry a little before the next watering, and use mulch to maintain consistent moisture and reduce waterings.

Winter squash, on the other hand, should have hard skin and reach full maturation before being harvested. The squash fruits should be their full color and have skin that should not pierce through with a fingernail.

The vines and stems of the plants will start to brown and dry. Winter squash usually reach full maturation 80-110 days after planting, depending on the variety. Winter squash should still be harvested before the first heavy frost.

To preserve winter squash, cure them for 10-14 days in a warm (80-85°F), dry, and well-ventilated area. This will encourage the rind to harden. After that, store winter squash in a cool (50-55°F), dry, and dark place to enjoy over the winter months.