Your Weekly Electronic Gardening Guide Practical Horticulture for Busy People.

Summer Squash

About This Plant...

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Genus and species: Cucurbita pepo var. melopepo

Growing Season: summer

Indoor Sowing...

Time needed to reach transplant size: 3-4 weeks

When to transplant to garden: 2 weeks after last spring frost

Outdoor Sowing...

When to sow outdoors: 1 week after last spring frost

Other Sowing Guidelines...

Approx. germination time: -

Germination temp.: 70-95 degrees F.

Sowing depth: 1 inch

Days to maturity: 50-70 days

Transplanting Guidelines...

Spacing between plants: 24-48 inches (bush); 36-96 inches (vining)

Spacing between rows: 36-60 inches (bush); 72-96 inches (vining)

Growing On...

Pests: cucumber beetles, squash vine borers, squash bugs, stinkbugs, pickleworms

Diseases: fusarium wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew, bacterial wilt, blossom end rot

Harvest: when immature and tender; keep plants harvested for continual production

Growing tips: summer squash bears quite heavily, so just a few plants per household will yield plenty of fruit