Whether it is Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck Squash, Pumpkins or the various other squashes out there, they are great Summer and Fall comfort foods. There are so many ways to cook with them from cookies, breads, steamed on the dinner plate or soups, to eating some of them fresh from the garden and dipped in your favorite dressing.
The instructions below are for my zone: Zone 8b. Instructions may vary depending on your zone. Remember to locate your zone: Plant Hardiness Zone.
Germination: 7-10 days at 85 degrees or warmer.
FULL SUN: I allow full sun 6-8 hours a day. Insufficient sun can cause low yields and affect plant health.
PH Level: 5.5-7.5
Weather:
Squash does not tolerate cold temperatures. Depending on your climate, waiting until mid-Spring is the best time to plant for a better success rate in production.
Dirt:
Use a well-draining soil with nutrient-rich compost before you add your seeds. The plant roots like soil they can grow easily in. The tap root can be deep and the rest of the roots span out sideways.
Planting seeds:
- You can start your seeds indoor about 2-3 weeks before your last frost date or plant them directly into the ground when the weather and soil are warmer, around 60 degrees or warmer during the day. They are fast growers so be careful if you start them indoors, making sure you do not start them too early or you may end up with a zucchini patch in your living room.
- Plant 2-3 seeds/plants next to each in a close bundle. This is called 'hilling'. Hilling is not necessarily about an actual HILL as it is bunching a few plants together. When you do this, you allow more opportunity for the bugs to pollinate the flowers.
- Zucchinis, yellow squash and small pumpkins have the ability to grow up a trellis. They may need a little assistance and some gentle straps to a pole or trellis, but you can get them trained to grow up instead of out providing you the benefit of a vertical garden and having less space taken up by the large leaves and outward growing.
Fertilizing:
I use a good fertilizer monthly once I start seeing flowers on my plants. Using a nitrogen-rich fertilizer is best for the leaves and vegetables. Stay lower on the potassium as you are not growing a root vegetable.
Coffee grounds are a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for all squash plants, and a great way to use your coffee grounds if you drink a lot of coffee.
Harvesting:
- Zucchini: You can start harvesting your zucchini once they reach 7-9 inches long. Smaller zucchini's are great for snacking though. If you wait too long to harvest them, they can grow to be 2-3 feet long. At this point, they are still edible but the seeds are biggest and the flesh is tougher. It is really personal preference on when to harvest, based on your needs and taste buds. The cool thing about zucchini plants is that the more you harvest, the more it keeps producing.
- Yellow Crookneck Squash: I harvest as soon as the base of the squash get plump and the neck curves like a duck's neck (see image above). I don't wait until the squash gets too big though, because then you end up with a seed-filled squash versus a meaty squash. This is another squash that continues to grow as you harvest the vegetable.
- Pumpkins: Pumpkins grow in all shapes and sizes. I would like to think they all grow in a perfect round shape, but that just isn't the case. This year they are oval, round, small, large, yellow, green, orange, and I even have some that look like ZUCCHINI'S!! Nope, they are not planted anywhere near my zucchinis. Besides, cross pollination happens only in the same family (jumbo pumpkin to sugar baby pumpkin, or zucchini to yellow zucchini).
- Pumpkins are ready for harvest when they reach your desired color and the rind is hard. Test the rind/skin by trying to jab your finger nail in the skin. It should resist puncture. You can also 'knock' on the pumpkin and if you hear a hollow sound, ripe it is!
- Depending on the type of pumpkins you are growing, some can yield from 2-5 pumpkins per plants, larger varieties will only yield 1-2 pumpkins, while the decorator pumpkins plants will grow up trellises and yield as many as 12 pumpkins per plant.
Storage:
- You can store your zucchini and yellow squash in the fridge in a proper container for a couple weeks, while pumpkins can be stored outside on your patio for months at a time.
- Zucchini and yellow squash can be shredded and frozen the same way and used the same in breads. They have the same consistency in this manner.
- If you find you have an abundance of pumpkins and don't know what to do with them all, you can puree them and store in the freezer for up to a year. This puree is great for all kinds of baking ideas.
Insects:
Those darn squash bugs! They can do some serious damage. I have also found slugs on my vines and they burrow into the vines as well. It confuses me because there are some seriously prickly stems that always seem to find their way into my fingers and thumbs when I am not wearing my gloves.
Squash bugs will suck the sap out of the leaves, causing yellow spots that later turn brown.
Marigolds are know to repel squash bugs. Plant them everywhere!
Companion Plants:
Plants that will grow well with your squash are corn, melons, radish, cucumbers, beans, lettuce and peas.
Plants to avoid are brassicas, tomatoes and potatoes because when planted next to squash, they are more susceptible to blight.
NOTES:
I noted some interesting facts below with images that I experienced over the years. I learn something new each year in my garden. One planting season does not always yield the same in another planting season. Thank you weather!
