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Know Before You Grow: Pumpkins and Squash

Choosing a Variety

Pumpkins and Squash offer a wonderful variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, providing you with many options as far as flavors and applications. You can grow Pumpkins that range from small to giant -- anywhere from about 2 pounds to 100 pounds or more! Some are better for eating while others are mainly used for decoration.

When you're deciding which Squash you want to grow, you can choose from a delicious selection of summer or winter Squash. The summer varieties (which include Zucchini) are best for fresh eating and quick harvests, while the winter ones are great for storing and baking.

When to Start Squash & Pumpkins

Pumpkins and Squash are best direct sown outdoors after all danger of frost has passed in the spring and the soil has warmed. They can be sown indoors (at a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees F) 2 to 3 weeks before planting out, but direct sowing is recommended.

If you want Pumpkins for Halloween, plant from late May (in northern climates) to early July (in extremely southern locations). Keep in mind that if your Pumpkins are planted too early they may rot before Halloween.

How to Start Pumpkins and Winter Squash:

Sow the seeds at a depth of 4 times the size of the seed, siting them in full sun in rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Fertilize before planting and then again every 3 weeks until you harvest. It's very important to keep the plants weeded and well watered. If you're growing your Pumpkins on hills, space the vines about 8 feet apart. If instead you choose to plant them in rows, space the vines 3 to 4 feet apart in rows that are about 8 to 12 feet apart. You can also grow them on a trellis, an option especially appealing if you have limited space. Expect germination in 7 to 10 days.

How to Start Summer Squash and Zucchini:

Sow the seeds at a depth of 1 to 1¼ inches, siting them in full sun in rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Fertilize before planting and then again every 3 weeks until you harvest. It's very important to keep the plants weeded and well watered. If you're growing your Squash on hills, space the plants about 4 feet apart. If instead you choose to plant them in rows, space the plants 2 to 3 feet apart in rows that are about 4 to 6 feet apart. Expect germination in 7 to 10 days and harvests in 40 to 50 days.

The Three Sisters: Squash, Corn, and Beans.

A favorite example of companion planting is the growth of the Three Sisters. This ancient method of growing beans, corn, and squash together was supposedly taught to the settlers by Native Americans. The corn provides a natural trellis to support the pole beans’ growth. Beans provide nitrogen in the soil for the corn and squash. The squash shades the ground for the corn and beans, providing a natural mulch that suppresses weeds and helps hold the moisture in the ground.

Growing Tips for Squash and Pumpkins

Squash do best in a well-drained, sandy loam that is high in organic matter.
Pumpkins and Squash do not transplant easily. If you want to start your seeds indoors use paper containers or some other type of fiber material that will peel away from the roots without causing them any damage. Also, only have one seedling to each container. Peat pots are also good, as they can be planted as-is, thus minimizing root disturbance.

Summer Squash Tips

Summer Squash can be planted any time after there is no longer a danger of frost -- from early spring until midsummer.
Summer Squash will produce excellent yields in any well-drained soil.
Harvest your summer Squash when they're small and tender. They can over mature rather quickly since they develop so rapidly after pollination, so check your crop frequently in order to pick them at their peak quality.
Elongated varieties are best at 2 inches or less in diameter and about 6 to 8 inches long. The smaller "Patty Pan" types are best at 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
If your Squash does get too large it can still be used for things such as stuffing or grating into breads and other dishes.

Summer Squash Tips Continued

Summer Squash develop very quickly and are ready to pick within 4 to 8 days of flowering. This is especially true in hot weather.
Take care when harvesting your Squash -- they can bruise and scratch easily, and the leafstalks and stems are prickly, so they can irritate unprotected hands and arms. Wear gloves and harvest with pruning shears or a sharp knife.
Storing your summer Squash: place unwashed fruit in plastic bags in your refrigerator's crisper. Use within 2 or 3 days for best quality.
The open blossoms (before the fruits appear) are also edible -- they're delicious dipped in batter and fried.

Winter Squash & Pumpkin Tips

Harvest the fruits when the rind becomes hard and they're a deep, solid color.
You will want to harvest most of your crop before heavy frosts, in September or October.
When cutting from the vine, leave about 2 inches of vine attached to the fruit.
If the fruit becomes cut or bruised or they are subjected to heavy frosts, use them as quickly as possible or compost them -- keep an eye out for seedlings in your compost pile!
Winter Squash should be stored in a dry area that stays between 50 and 55 degrees F. If you need to store them for an extended period of time place them in a single layer, preferably not touching each other.


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Description	Trio of minis, just right for fall decor, Halloween merriment, and delicious eating	You can grow this super-compact winter squash in a patio container!	Produces excellent yields in any well-drained soil. Harvest when they're small and tender.	Algarve will become a permanent part of your veggie patch and 3 Sisters planting!	This is an early-maturing, tender bicolor of outstanding eating quality.	Jiffy Pots revolutionized gardening and continue to be one of the most popular ways of growing from seed for transplant into the garden.
Specialty	Bumpkin Hybrid, the classic orange. Hooligan Hybrid, white with orange stripes. Gooligan Hybrid, ghost white.	Honeybaby sets lightbulb-shaped fruit with a hard creamy-beige shell and bright orange flesh.	Easy to pick plant with a delicious crisp flavor!	The flavor is fabulous, the yields huge, and the harvests earlier than most others.	The cylindrical 9-inch ears are a pleasure to look at, with 16 to 18 rows of white and yellow kernels.	Made of lightweight, sturdy Canadian sphagnum ("peat moss"), the roots grow right through the Jiffy Pot wall
Size/Quantity	Seeds Per Pack - 25	Seeds Per Pack - 20	Seeds Per Pack - 15	Seeds Per Pack - 100	Seeds Per Pack - 200	Pack of 100 Jiffy Pots