How to Grow Summer Squash

Yellow summer squash is one of our favorite vegetables to grow and to eat. It’s very prolific and just as easy to grow. Our family is very passionate about gardening and when we find something we all love to eat and it grows well for us, it’s a huge win in my book!

Key Takeaways-

• Learn how to direct sew or start squash seeds in pots
• Learn when to transplant seedlings
• Learn the best growing conditions for yellow squash including soil, sunlight and watering requirements
• Learn when to harvest yellow squash
• Learn the most common pests that effect yellow squash plants the most and how to combat them
• Learn about what to do with excess squash
• Learn great ways to eat yellow squash

Why we love to grow summer squash-

We love growing a large variety of vegetables. We also love eating vegetables fresh and preserving the harvest. Yellow squash happens to fit right in with our wants and needs so this is our preferred summer squash choice. When we started gardening, learning how to grow summer squash was a priority.

We like to grow an heirloom garden because it is a sustainable option and preserves valuable vegetable varieties. When it comes to our summer squash, we choose heirloom types of straight neck and crook neck yellow squash. I think they taste about the same but I enjoy having a little variety in their appearance. We also throw in a zucchini or two here and there.

Summer squash are on my list of easy to grow vegetables. They don’t require much effort and seem to flourish. It doesn’t take much to learn how to grow squash.

Summer Squash – An Easy to Grow Vegetable

How to plant summer squash

Direct sewing summer squash seeds- Summer squash do best when they are started from seed directly in the ground after any risk of frost has passed. Squash are very susceptible to frost and most likely would kill them if they experience a frost. The soil temperature should be 65 degrees F or higher for best germinating results.

Plant seeds at 1″ depth and space the seeds out with at least 18″ and up to 36″ apart. Squash plants can grow to be quite large measuring 2′-4′ across. We like to grow ion raised beds and implement the sqft gardening technique. With this method, we plant one squash plant (bushing variety) per 2 sqft of raised bed space.

About 6-12 days from when you sow your seeds, little seedlings should begin to emerge. It is a good idea to plant several seeds in one spot and thin to the strongest plant when they get their first true leaf.

Transplanting summer squash- You can also start summer squash seeds in pots and transplant once the ground is warm enough and the plant is has true leaves and is a strong looking seedling. The advantage to this is that you can transplant after last frost and the soil has warmed. You start out with several weeks growth thus providing a harvest sooner than direct sewing from seed.

Fill a starter pot with starting mix, plant your seed about an inch deep, keep the soil moist but not soggy. Using a heat mat will help to keep the soil warm and speed up germination. Keep your starting pots in a sunny window, greenhouse, or use grow lights to encourage strong stems and prevent them from getting leggy (thin stems that can’t hold up the plant). There are several options for starting the seeds such as soil blocks, small plastic starting pots, peat pots, etc…

You need to be mindful of the root system when transplanting because they do not like being disturbed much. When you transplant be sure to dig a hole large enough for the root system to be placed in gently for the least amount of disturbance. The gentler you are the quicker the plant will start maturing. The more the roots are disturbed, the more stunting and slowing the plant will experience.

Another option is buying seedlings from a trusted local greenhouse or a local farmer. I like to start my own seeds but there have definitely been years that I ended up purchasing seedling and transplanting them.

Growing conditions to grow squash- Squash do best in soil that drains well and is rich in organic matter or compost. You can use compost that you’ve made at home with animal waste and/or your own food scraps. Another option is buying a premade high quality organic compost like mushroom compost from a local greenhouse or store.

Yellow squash are heavy feeders and would benefit from organic fertilizer as they begin growing and producing. In all honesty, I don’t usually fertilize and find that I still get a great harvest regardless.

Squash plants also like a sunny spot where they get full sun for at least 7 hours a day. Avoid planting your squash in a spot that gets shady during the day. Also be mindful of the plants you plant around them, plants that get a lot taller than squash such as tomatoes, corn, and okra could potentially shade the squash if they are planted too closely.

Mulching and watering yellow squash- When your squash reach about 2″ in height, adding mulch around them helps to prevent weeds from taking over, retains moisture in the soil, and keep the soil temperature regulated. Mulch also breaks down over time to add natural organic fertility and organisms to the soil.

Yellow squash need to to be watered once to twice a week at at least an inch deep for good root development. Again, using mulch will help retain that moisture and evenly distribute it to the roots system. It is best to keep water off of the leaves and just water at the base of the plant. Wet leaves can lead to sun scorch, fungus issues, and mildew none of which you want to have to deal with.

Saving seeds from squash- If you want to save seeds, be mindful of other squash varieties and the distance required between them to prevent cross pollinating. Squash cross pollinates very easily so if you are saving seeds I suggest hand pollinating and protecting the flower you’ve chosen with a mesh bag or mesh fabric.

Once the fruit begins to set be sure to tie a ribbon or mark the fruit stem some how so you know that’s the “pure” fruit to save your seeds from. You need to allow this fruit to grow as large as possible. You want the seed s to fully develop in order to save them and have good quality seeds and a good germination rate.

When to harvest yellow squash- Summer Squash are usually ready to harvest at around 60 days. This is a relatively fast growing plant and one of the first to produce in the garden each year. I like to pick yellow squash when they are about 6″ long. If they get too big, they do not taste as good, they can become bitter and tough.

Common pests for yellow squash and how to deal with them organically

Common pests for yellow squash- Two of the most common pests for yellow squash plants are squash bugs and squash vine borers. Both of these pests can be devastating to your plants.

Squash bugs- Squash bugs are quite pesky little creatures! They lay a lot of eggs seem to proliferate quickly. The best way to combat these bugs organically is by watching for them daily and killing the adult bugs as you see them.

I also check for recently hatch bugs, they start out green then turn gray and are much smaller than the adults. When I find them, they are usually in a group and I kill them to keep them from eating the plant, growing up and reproducing again.

Inspect the tops and bottoms of the leaves daily for clusters of squash bug eggs. When we find eggs we either smash them, tear off the part of the leaf with the eggs and burn it or smash it, use a piece of duct tape to pull the eggs off then fold them inside the tape to smother them.

The only thing organic that I know of that kills eggs is Clove oil. I have mixed clove oil with some soap and water in a spray bottle and sprayed it on the egg cluster. I feel like the oil has the least success rate of the options but it does help.

Squash vine borers- These are the most devastating and the hardest to combat of the two main squash plant adversaries. They do exactly as it sounds, they bore through the squash vine (usually right at the base of the plant) and eat the inside of the vine thus killing the entire plant very quickly.

The tell tale sign of a squash vine borer is what looks like sawdust on the outside of the stem where the borer is boring and pushing the plant matter out the hole. The saddest part about this is that the plant is usually fully grown and producing by the time this happens so you end up losing most if not all of your harvest.

The best way to stop these is by prevention. There are a couple of ways to prevent the adult moth from laying the eggs that will hatch and bore the vines. One simple method is to wrap the bottom 3″-4″ of the stem closest to the ground with something like aluminum foil. That will prevent the moth from laying eggs.

Another prevention option is using row cover to completely keep the moths off of the plants. This option also works well to help prevent squash bugs from laying eggs on your plant leaves.

Using BT is an organic method of killing off the pests on your plants. BT is a natural bacteria that kills bug larvae and caterpillars when ingested. You can inject the liquid BT straight into the vine of the plant. When the vine borer hatches and begins eating the plant, it will ingest the BT and cause the big to die.

Livestock do happen to love overgrown squash so if they get too big for you, your animals will thank you for sharing. Composting them is another great option, no reason for any to go to waste!

Ways to eat yellow squash-

Yellow squash is not only fun to grow but also delicious! Some great ways to enjoy eating yellow squash is in squash casserole, grilled on a grill, sautéed in butter or oil, and breaded and fried. These are just a few ways we enjoy eating our yellow squash!

Be sure to pick your yellow squash often for continual harvest. They tend to be great producers and you’ll likely have plenty to eat, share, and preserve.

Growing yellow squash is so easy, even a baby can do it.

You can buy your squash seeds here: