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Squash

Cucurbita spp.

Summer squash like zucchini are picked young and tender; winter squash and pumpkins are left to harden for storage. Squash vine borers and mildew can wipe out plants in the Southeast, so tough, long-vining types like Seminole pumpkin are worth growing there.

Growing facts

Scientific name
Cucurbita spp.
Origin
The Americas
Plant size
3–4 ft bushes (summer squash) or 10–20 ft vines (winter squash)
Growth rate
Fast
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Rich soil with lots of compost; water at the base
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
Pollination
Bees carry pollen from male to female flowers. Fruit that shrivels while small wasn't pollinated; hand-pollinate with a small brush if bees are scarce.
Cold hardiness
Killed by frost
USDA zones
Grown as a warm-season annual in all zones
Harvest
45–60 days for summer squash; 85–110 days for winter squash
When to plant (zones 9–11)
Feb, Mar, Apr, Aug, Sep
When to plant (zones 5–8)
May–Jul
Water
About every 3 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 21 days
Taste
Summer squash is mild and tender; winter squash is sweet, nutty and dense
Nutrition
Winter squash is rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A) and fiber

Is squash safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Fruit, cooked or young and raw
  • Flowers, stuffed or fried
  • Seeds, roasted
  • Young shoots and leaves, cooked (common in Africa and Asia)

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Toxic: Never eat squash or zucchini that tastes very bitter, raw or cooked. Bitterness signals high cucurbitacin levels, which have caused severe vomiting and hospital stays. It's more likely in plants grown from saved seed, which can cross with ornamental gourds.
  • Good to know: The prickly leaves and stems can irritate skin; wear long sleeves when picking.

Pets: Plain cooked squash and pumpkin are fine for dogs and cats. Keep them away from bitter fruit and ornamental gourds.

How to eat and enjoy squash

  • Zucchini sautéed, grilled, or grated into bread
  • Stuffed or fried squash blossoms
  • Roasted butternut, soups and pies
  • Roasted pumpkin seeds
  • Spaghetti squash as a pasta stand-in

When it's ripe

Pick summer squash small, at 6–8 in, while the skin is easily nicked with a fingernail. Winter squash is ready when the rind can't be dented by a fingernail and the stem has turned corky.

Storing it

Summer squash keeps a week in the fridge. Cure winter squash in a warm spot for 1–2 weeks, then store cool and dry for 2–6 months.

Squash varieties (7)

  • Black Beauty · also Black Beauty zucchini

    A classic dark-green bush zucchini.

    Size: Pick at 6–8 in

    Compact and productive; prone to vine borers in the Southeast.

  • Early Prolific Straightneck

    A yellow, straight-necked summer squash on a bushy plant.

    Size: Pick at 4–7 in

    Productive and early.

  • Seminole · also Seminole pumpkin

    A small, tan pumpkin long grown by the Seminole people. It thrives in heat and humidity where other squash fail.

    Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, like butternut · Size: Small to medium

    Cucurbita moschata. Long vines that resist vine borers and mildew; fruit stores for months.

  • Spaghetti · also Spaghetti squash

    A yellow winter squash whose cooked flesh pulls into strands.

    Taste: Mild, slightly sweet · Size: Medium

  • Table Queen · also Acorn

    A dark-green, ribbed acorn squash.

    Taste: Sweet, mild · Size: Small

    Bush to semi-vining.

  • Tromboncino · also Zucchetta, Zucchetta Rampicante

    A long, curling vining squash picked young as a zucchini substitute, or left to mature as a winter squash.

    Origin: Italy · Taste: Mild, firm · Size: Long

    Cucurbita moschata, so it shrugs off vine borers. Needs a strong trellis.

  • Waltham Butternut

    The standard butternut squash: tan, smooth and long-necked.

    Origin: Massachusetts · Taste: Sweet, nutty · Size: Medium

    Cucurbita moschata. Resists vine borers better than most; stores well.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing squashes? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your squash needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.