How to Plant and Grow Acorn Squash

Acorn squash has a characteristic acorn shape

Acorn squash, Cucurbita spp., commonly known as winter squash, has a hard, tough skin, making it a good vegetable to store over the winter. It takes from three to five months to reach maturity and is frost tender. There are varieties for northern gardens with shorter maturity dates, or you can always grow acorn squash in a greenhouse. The trailing vines need a lot of space, so train the vines to grow onto the lawn or patio so they will not take up valuable garden space. Acorn squash is easily grown from seed; plant seeds directly outside in all but the coldest areas.

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Water
• Compost
• Plastic or tarp

Instructions

1. Choose a spot in full sun to grow acorn squash. It needs a long, warm growing season to mature.

2. Dig holes in the garden, to make hills measuring 10 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Fill the holes with compost and cover them with the removed soil. Make a shallow indent in the top, like a saucer, in which to plant the seeds. Allow 6 feet around each hill for the vines. Add compost to feed the acorn squash as it grows and facilitate drainage. Acorn squash needs rich, well drained soil to grow well.

3. Sow three acorn squash seeds, evenly spaced, in the indents in each hill. Plant the seeds 1/2 inch deep. Soak the seeds with water. Seeds germinate in a week.

4. Mulch the acorn squash plants with compost to control weeds and keep the fruit off the ground as they grow. Alternatively, train the vines onto a lawn or patio.

5. Pinch off the growing tips of the acorn squash vines three weeks before the first fall frost. This stops new growth and helps existing fruit to mature and ripen.

6. Cover acorn squash with plastic or a tarp if frost threatens before it matures.

References

• "Flora a Gardeners Encyclopedia"; Hogan Sean; 2003
• "The Harrowsmith Northern Gardener"; Jennifer Bennett; 1982

Resources

• Mother Earth News: Growing Winter Squash