How To Squash

How To Squash Plant | Cucurbita

Squashes are a type of fruit, just ask any botanist. If you ask a chef, you might hear them insist squashes are vegetables. Which one is it? Botanically squashes are fruits because we only consume the flower part of the plant. The seeds of the plant are nestled in the meat area of the fruit characterized in fruits. In the culinary world, squashes are known to be vegetables because of how we use them, and their savory flavor. The name squash refers to both the plant and the fruit it bears.

Native Americans considered squash to be one part of the “Three Sisters.” This technique was a very important part of the agriculture process, and helped the people grow the foods they needed to survive. The Three Sisters includes corn, beans, and squash, that were sowed together to provide support and protection to each other. The corn stack provided support for the beans to climb and shade during the very hot months for the squash. In return, the squash vines covered the ground limiting weeds and other soil nutrient sucking plants to populate. The bean plants provided nitrogen to the soil which made the corn grow taller and healthier, and the squash grow bigger and produce better fruits.

About A Squash

The squash fruit comes in all shapes, size and colors. This plant is characterized by big hairy pent-angular stems with large hairy leaves, producing unisex yellow or white flowers from it’s base. Originating from America, squashes encompass summer crops like zucchini and fall crops like pumpkins. Squashes comes in bush varieties and vining types, and there are four species of this plant.

The bush varieties can grow very big 18 to 30 in height with giant leaves so give them space when planting. The giant leaves make good shade cover for other types of plants and soil. If you have more than one plant in your ground garden, space then plants in rows 4 to 6 feet apart and 15 to 20 inches apart in the rows.

The vining varieties can also take up a lot of space, with giant leaves and thick stems as well. If planting this fruit plant in rows, space the rows 6 to 12 feet apart and the plants 12 to 15 inches apart. If you decide to plant them close together, the leaves from the plants will collide, and the confusion could be too much to handle and you will not be able to find all the delicious fruit the plants bear.

Squash Plant Varieties

There are two main commonly divided categories of squash, summer varieties and winter varieties. As you might have guessed, the names comes from when the vegetable is harvested.

• Summer Squash – This is a bush type of squash and is characterized by it’s soft thin seeds, edible rinds or skins, and tender flesh. They are quick growing you can get your first fruit in 60 days and harvested throughout the summer months during the growing season slightly before full maturity. Generally this fruit does not have a long shelf life, and should be consumed within 5 days from harvest, but require either very little time cooking, or none at all. Some of the popular summer varieties are zucchini, and yellow crookneck.
• Winter Squash – Mainly harvested at the end of summer, and into late fall, these vining plants are picked at full maturity when the skins are hard, like a pumpkin. They are slow growers and the first fruit comes 80-110 days after germination. Winter squashes are characterized as having thick hard seeds and skin, and firmer flesh. Because of the this thickness, the winter squash is better protected once picked and does not require any type of refrigeration for longevity. Some fruit can last a month or longer once picked and placed in a cool dark place. Some winter squash varieties includes butternut, acorn, spaghetti and pumpkin squash, and all winter varieties takes longer to cook, and in most cases we do not consume the very hard skin or rinds. Winter varieties fruits are very big in size compared to summer squash.

How To Grow Squash

Growing conditions

Both summer and winter varieties of squash love warmer weather. They both do really well in hotter climates. When starting your garden, sow your seeds into the ground after the last frost has melted and the average ground temperature is 60 degrees. If you transplant instead of starting from seed, you want to wait until the ground temperature is above 70 degrees, or you could run the risk off shocking the roots and killing the plant.

When planting your squash, make sure the plant will have full sun at least 6 hours daily. Try to plant in a location that will give the plant 8-10 hours, that would be ideal. If you see the squash plant’s leaves droop and wilt it is either from not enough water, or it is too hot for too long on the plant. If the plant does not perk up after watering and the sun goes down, you might have to find a cover shade for the plant if grown in the ground.

Soil pH and Fertilizer

When you are planting your squash, the soil ph is very important for the success of your plant. Squashes thrive in a slightly acidic environment, and do best when the soil pH is between 6.0-6.8. Although the plant can handle a pH as low as 5.5. If your soil is below 5.5 ph, I recommend getting a lime solution from the nursery or hardware department store. Test your soil before adding anything to neutralize acidity or add to it.

Squash plants love nutrient rich soil just like any other plant. Depending on where you live, the soil might need some extra nutrients turned into the soil, or spread on top. I recommend either buying or making a compost bin. You will get the richest organic material so full of nutrients, you can literally taste it in the foods. If this is not an option, you can buy manure, or other squash specific fertilizer and mix it into the top foot of soil before planting.

I recommend slow release fertilizers added right before you plant. A balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK Ratio) formula of 10-10-10, or 13-13-13 and add ½ tablespoon for every gallon of soil. Peat moss, perlite, or sphagnum moss could be integrated into your soil if you have a lot of natural heavy clay in your soil. NPK are the three most valuable and needed nutrients for just about every plant.

Watering and Moisture Control

Where you live will determine the amount and how often the plant should be watered. For some regions in America, you would do well placing a drip irrigation system down to keep the soil from drying out and destroying your crops. The drip system will help you more than words during the hot summer months when the plants may need to be watered two times a day.

No matter where you live, or if you choose to plant in a container or in a ground garden, do not let the soil every fully dry out. Once the top two inches are dry, you are already too late watering your plants. This plant is not really drought tolerant, and the leaves will wilt as it needs water. If no water is given at this time, your plant probably will suffer and die from the dehydration. Keep the under soil moist at all times.

To help with moisture control, you can buy a bag of peat moss. Peat moss is usually dark brown fibrous material you can find at the local nursery or hardware department store. When sprinkled on top of the soil it will help absorb and retain the water underneath. Because off its nature, it will not compact the soil under it, and it does not carry any fungus or bacteria. Unfortunately the down side is it is virtually void of any nutrients, and it tends to run on the acidic side with a ph somewhere between 4-6. if you cannot find peat moss, mulch will work as well.

Growing Squash From Seeds

Once you have selected the type and variety of squash you wish to grow, start by soaking the seeds between a very wet paper towel for a couple of days. Within a week, you will see little sprouts on the seeds. Choose the strongest looking seeds and discard the weakest seeds and the ones that have not sprouted.

Squash plants can thrive in either in-ground gardens, or container gardens. If container gardening squash, use 5 or 10 gallon buckets. This will ensure the plant has enough root space to thrive. If sowing seed straight to your in-ground garden, you will want to create a little mount of dirt where the seeds will go. Plant 2 seeds for each little mount about 1 inch in depth, and about 4 feet apart.

When your squash plants have their first set of true leaves, use peat moss or mulch to help retain moisture. When placing your mulch, try to keep the material a few inches away from the plant base to discourage stem rot.

How to Harvest Squash

Winters and summer varieties are harvested at different times of the year. They also show different characteristics of when it is time to harvest. You can usually estimate the winter variety can take 80-110 days from sowing the seeds to harvest. The winter squash rinds will be full of color and very firm. In fact, the fruit will be ready to harvest when you cannot dent the tough rind with your thumb by pressing hard on it. Make sure to collect the last fruit before the fall hard frost comes in. When harvesting winter squash cut the fruit from the vine, do not try to pull it. The vine is strong and you will rip up the entire plant. Once you are gloved up and have gardening shears, cut the fruit off 2-3 inches above the stem. This allows the fruit to be stored longer.

Use the same approach to summer varieties when harvesting. The major difference is begin searching for the fruit around 60 days. If you squeeze the fruit like zucchini, it should be firm and deep with color. The summer squash is ready to harvest for eating when the fruit is young and seeds are still tender. When harvesting for seed the fruit should be left on the vine as long as possible without things rotting.

Pests and Disease

The most common pests affecting squash include:

• Aphids – Soft-body insects found under the leaves of the plant. They can cause discoloration of the leaves, stunt the growth of the plant, and cause necrotic areas. They multiple quickly, so if you see them, deal with the problem quickly.
• Army-worms – These insects love to eat your squash plant leaves. They can eat so much they can leave a leaf looking skeletonized. You can find their egg clusters in the leaves.
• Cabbage Looper – These are another group of insects that are big eaters, and will cause a lot of damage to your plant. If possible use natural predictors to solve the problem.
• Squash Bugs – The most common type of squash bug is Anasa tristis. These little monsters will attack your plant and leaves, causing them to blacken, become brittle, wither, and eventually die. If you see brown marks on your leaves, you know squash bugs are close. Look under the leaves for oval-shaped brown eggs, and remove them.
• Squash Vine Borers – These pests tunnel through the stems of squash plants. They will leave the fruit and leaves deprived of moister and nutrients. You can find them by seeing wilting leaves along with holes at the base of your plants. At the holes, you will see green exude sawdust-like substance. Once they have colonized a squash plant, they can be hard to control.

The unique and different varieties of squash can have different disease and pest problems. It is important to keep a watchful eye on your plants throughout the season, and know what to look for. In some cases you can take preventative methods do increase your chance for success.

The most common diseases affecting squash include:

• Alternaria leaf blight – This fungus first appears as small yellowish-brown spot accompanied by a green or yellow halo that appears on the older leaves first. Eventually this leaves will turn black curl up and die. The fruits become spongy with tough, dry rinds and becomes uneatable. Blight can be spread from overwintering the plant, or infected soil. Clean all tools and beds from the previous year and practice crop rotation. Avoid overhead watering to keep leaves dry, and install a drip irrigation for more evenly watering.
• Powdery Mildew (PM) – Powdery Mildew is more common in warm dry climates, when the plants are too close. This problem generally occurs when the plant is mature. When examining your plants and see powdery white spots on thee leaves and stem, you have a fungus problem. The fungus will eventually weaken the plant, decrease fruit production and cause bad premature ripening of the fruit. Spray Neem oil, and see results in as little as 24-hours.
• Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV) –
• Foot Rot – This fungus will start by wilting the leaves. The wilting progresses to the entire plant, which will then kill the plant. A necrotic rot will affect the upper parts, and the plant will break below the soil. To help prevent this disease, try to plant seeds already treated by fungicides and practice good crop rotation.
• Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus (ZYMV) – This virus shows as dark green, blistering patches on squash leaves. The plants leaves and fruits can become mottled, bumpy, and even misshapen. Beetles are usually the ones to transmit the virus after feeding on other infected plants. The best advice is to quickly remove and destroy any infected plants. Spend the time to clean the plants beds at end of season.
• Blossom End Rot – This is seen when the ends of the plant turns brown and shrivels up. This is usually caused by a lack of calcium available in the soil. Check the pH level because if thee soil is too acidic, the roots will not be absorbing nutrients.