How to Plant Yellow Squash

Plant a wide array of squash seeds.

A staple of summer gardens, yellow squash provides a bountiful crop with little effort. It comes in crook-neck and straight-neck varieties and can be grown on a hill, in an earthen doughnut or on a trellis. Exercise a little caution against pests and you can enjoy your golden harvest throughout the growing season.

Things You'll Need

• Yellow squash seeds
• Shovel
• Hoe
• Water

Instructions

1. Plant yellow squash by direct seeding after the last expected frost date. Expect germination in seven to 14 days; begin harvesting in 45 to 80 days. Yellow squash prefers warm weather. Water regularly and fertilize these heavy feeders several times through the growing season.

2. Maximize the harvest by using succession plantings at 10- to 14-day intervals. Yellow squash produces both male and female blossoms. Only the female blossom sets fruit.

3. Take advantage of companion planting to combat pests. Plant radish seeds, surrounding the intended squash planting site, a few days before sowing the squash seeds to discourage squash borer. Remove and destroy any infested plants immediately to prevent the borer from spreading to other plants. Other pests may threaten yellow squash depending on your region.

4. Allow room for yellow squash to spread by planting it on small hills 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Surround the hill with a shallow irrigation channel to facilitate watering and fertilizing without wetting the leaves. Plant three to six seeds per hill, then thin to the three strongest plants.

5. Modify a hill into a doughnut for an alternative planting method. Raise the soil in a ring approximately 1 foot wide around a central depression 2 to 3 feet in diameter. Sow five to six seeds equidistant around the ring. Use the central depression for watering and fertilizing the plants.

6. Use a trellis to grow squash where there is no room to allow the vines to run. Vertical gardening techniques provide a way to cultivate yellow squash in a small space. Sow seeds more closely when planning a vertical bed since the plants will grow up rather than out. You can harvest a cleaner crop from the trellis and reduce the opportunity for squash borer infestation by having the majority of the plant off of the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage continued production by harvesting each squash before it becomes too large. They are most tender when less than 8 inches long. Discard overgrown squash rather than allowing it to remain on the bush. Check the plants daily--squash matures very quickly in warm weather.

• Cut squash from the vine rather than pulling it off. Avoid the prickly hairs on the stem--they can irritate your skin.

References

• "Getting the Most from Your Garden;" Dan Wallace, Editor; 1980
• Summer Squash; University of Illinois
• "Great Garden Shortcuts;" Joan Benjamin, Editor; 1996

Resources

• Simple Squash Trellis