CyberSalad: Garden Pursuits: Vegetables: Squash

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Curcurbita pepo melopepo

     Squash, some growing on vines, others as bushes, form two main groups--summer squashes and winter squashes. All are grown in clumps on mounds, or hills, of soil.
     Summer squashes have whitish or yellow flesh, and are picked in summer while immature. Two hills yield about 16 pounds over 8 weeks and will continue to produce until frost comes if all the fruits are harvested before they mature.
      Winter squashes have orange flesh. Most are trailing vines spreading 10 to 15 feet or more, but there are also bush types spreading 3 to 4 feet as well as a semibush type spreading 5 to 6 feet.
     Summer squash needs full sun; winter squash does best in full sun but will tolerate light shade. Both grow best in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. To prepare a hill for squash, dig a hole about 18 inches wide and equally deep. Put 3 to 4 inches of compost or well-rotted cow manure in the bottom of the hole, then fill the hole with a mixture of 3 parts soil (use the soil that was removed from the hole) and one part compost or cow manure, forming a mound about 4 inches high. Space hills for bush squash 4 to 5 feet apart, for vine squash about 10 feet apart, for semibush squash 5 to 6 feet apart.
     Sow squash outdoors when night temperatures no longer fall below 55F. Set six to eight seeds 1 inch deep, evenly spaced on each hill. When plants become 3 inches tall, cut off all but the two strongest. When plants begin to crawl along the ground, scatter 1/3 cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer around each one. Mulch with 6 inches of straw or old hay.
     Pick summer squashes when fruits are tender and easily punctured. The first fruits are ready in about 50 days after sowing. If the fruits mature, the vines cease to produce.
     Let winter squashes mature fully on the vines until their skins are extremely hard. To pick winter squashes, cut them from the vine, leaving a 2- to 3-inch stem on each squash. Let the squashes cure in the sun for a week or more, then store them in a cool dry place over winter.

'Park's Creamy Improved', a summer squash. Exceptional performance on space-saving dwarf plants only 18 inches high. Fruits are creamy yellow, 6 to 8 inches long with straight necks. Prolific over a long season, it withstands extreme temperatures. Matures in 55 days.

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Site launched January 1, 2000.
Site updated September 1, 2007.