Just a brace of industrial plant will keep your kitchen stocked with this various veggie all summer long .
Among the easiest to grow and most productive plants in the vegetable garden , summertime squash derive in an raiment of colorful sort and unlike Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe . Zucchini , crookneck squash , and pattypan squash are the most popular but there are other , more unusual tasty choices deserving growing in your garden . assay ‘ Cousa ’ , a short and hunker Middle Eastern variety that is mostly used for stuffing , the climbing Italian summer squash ‘ Trombetta ’ , or the Gallic round ‘ Ronde de Nice ’ . Squash plants bring about tender edible flower , too , so you are in for a special goody even before the yield ripens .
Whichever type of summer squeeze you grow , keep in nous that it ’s a warm - weather condition harvest . You call for to wait for balmy spring weather to establish it . And always leave some space for flower industrial plant nearby to attract bee , which are essential for the pollination of summer squash .
Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer
Where to Plant Summer Squash
A spot in full sun with productive , fertile , well - run out territory is a must for growing summer squash . In terms of pH , the plants are adaptable and grow in slimly acidic to slightly alkaline soil .
It is very important to equalize the summer squash variety to your available space . Also take into consideration neighboring plants and twosome summer squeeze withsuitable companion plants . Crowded plants define the scene for disease and pest problem . Some varieties of summer squash grow in a large clump or as a bush character , while other miscellanea vine and urban sprawl . Although vining motley can be trained up a sturdy treillage or arbor , they grow so fast that you might still see vine straggle through the garden .
How and When to Plant Summer Squash
Summer squash is planted by either lineal seeding it outside or bystarting the seeds indoors in potsabout 4 weeks before transplant . This is recommend for cool climates as it give you a head bulge on the get season . summertime mash seed wo n’t germinate in a soil temperature low-pitched than 60 degrees F.
To prevent over - planting , keep in mind that summer squash is a labored manufacturer so you do n’t need to plant a wad of seeds .
To establish source outdoors , wait until the soil has warmed up and any danger of frost is past . Summer squash racquets can be plant in rows or mounds . Vine - character summertime squash needs considerably more space than bush types . Plant seed 1 inch cryptic , 4 to 6 inch aside in a row . When seedlings are 4 to 6 inches magniloquent , thin the plants 12 to 15 inch aside and only keep the strongest seedlings . To plant source in mounded James Jerome Hill , create a little soil mound about 2 feet in diameter . Space mound 2 feet apart . Sow five or six cum 1 in thick and 4 inch apart in each hill . When seedling are 4 to 6 inch tall , thin to the two strongest plant . The exact spacing depends on the mixture ; check that to tick the ejaculate software package for details .
Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer
Have thetrellis for vine - type varietiesin position before plant to stave off damage the tender roots of the seedlings .
Summer Squash Care Tips
Summer squelch is one of the easiest veg to produce . And it is notoriously prolific , too .
Light
pick out a planting site that receive at least8 minute of lineal sunshine every day .
Soil and Water
Plant summertime squash in rich , loose , well - drained soil . Before planting , it is always a honorable idea to work a 4 - column inch stratum of well - decomposed manure or compost in the soil . Theideal pHfor summertime squash is between 6.0 to 7.5 but it is still fine in a soil pH of 8.0 .
water the squash vine on a regular basis and profoundly in the absence of frequent rainfall is crucial . Do n’t spray water directly on the leafage , as this advance the airing of fungous diseases .
Spread a2 - inch layer of mulchover the root geographical zone to prevent soil moisture exit .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Temperature and Humidity
Summer squeeze is a warm - weather vegetable . The ideal growing temperature is between 65 to 75 degrees F. In temperatures below 60 degrees farad , maturation will slow down , and the same affair happens above 85 degrees F , plus the flora produce less in extremely hot weather .
Although summertime squash tolerates a humid climate , spicy and humid conditions can lead to a more speedy spread of fungal diseases .
Fertilizer
Even if you mature summer crush in fat , fertile soil , it will ask fertilizer . Once the plant starts unfolding , or when vine - type smorgasbord jump to spread , add a 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer or a completeall - purpose vegetable garden fertilizerand follow the counsel for amounts and frequency .
Pruning
Especially vine - type potpourri easily outgrow their depute space . Pruning is optional but recommend to keep the plant at a manageable sizing , amend air flow , and make picking easy . Snip off vines without fruit at the radix , and cut those with spring up fruit at one or two foliage nodes beyond the last yield .
Pollination
Summer squeeze has manlike and distaff flowers on the same plant and it need pollinate insects — dearest bees and other bees — to transplant the manlike pollen to the distaff flower . The best direction to ensure pollenation is to establish bloom that attract pollinators , such aszinnias , nasturtium , marigold , orborage . Also ensure not to use any insect powder that could kill beneficial pollinating louse .
Potting and Repotting Summer Squash
Compact bush - type summer squash rackets are suitable to be turn in containers . Use a heavyweight container that is at least 1 human foot wide and deep . Fill it with well - draining potting mix and a few fistful of compost . Plant a couple of come 1 column inch deep in the center of the container . When the works are 4 to 6 in grandiloquent , cut of all but the strongest seedling at the dirt level ( do not pull the surplus seedlings out , which may damage the seedling you want to keep ) .
urine container - grown squash at least day by day , up to twice in red-hot summer atmospheric condition . As summer squash is an annual , repotting is not necessary .
Pests and Problems
summertime squash is normally pretend by pests . Keep an eye out forsquash vine borers , squash bug , Cucumis sativus beetles , aphids , and whitefly . Potential diseases let in powdery mildew , mash prime blight , cucumber bacterial wilting , and mosaic virus . circumvolve the crops in your garden and not planting squash and other cucurbits in the same location as the year before is an important footfall to foreclose serious pests and disease .
How to Propagate Summer Squash
Harvesting
Zucchini , crookneck , and straightneck summer squash are best when harvest at a small size , about 6 inches long . Pattypan or scallop squashes are well when they are 3 inches in diameter . Check plants daily because the squash grow chop-chop in warm weather . beak the squashes when you’re able to easily thrust the cutis with your fingernail . Overmature fruit has a harder hide . If you miss some fruit , harvest them as shortly as you discover them . The more you reap , the more the plants will bear .
check that to cut the fruit off the plants with hand pruners or a acute knife instead of buck them off , which risks damaging both the fruit and the plant life .
Types of Summer Squash
‘Early Summer Crookneck’ Squash
This heirloom summer mash has a bent neck and icteric fruit with jolting skin . The thick plants grow 24 to 36 inch all-encompassing and 24 to 30 inches high . 53 days to maturity
‘Early Prolific Straightneck’ Squash
For more than one grounds , this is a very popular heirloom summer crush with bumpy , creamy icteric hide . It matures early , has a buttery , nutty gustation , early maturity , and the small size ( only 24 to 36 column inch broad and 24 to 30 inch in high spirits ) of the plant agree even in small garden . The bumpy , creamy yellowed cutis . 50 day to matureness
‘Black Beauty’ Zucchini
The outer peel of this smooth , square heirloom courgette is dark green , almost black in colour , and the flesh is a creamy white . It has a bushy growth use , make only 12 to 24 inches in peak . 50 day to maturity
Pattypan Squash
This tasty summertime squash is have a go at it for its fly disk - like shape . It comes in beautiful white , yellow , and orangish colors . A democratic variety is ‘ Sunburst ’ , a deep golden yellowed , flattened , rounded , summer squash with scallop edges . The vigorous plant is quite productive . 50 days to due date
‘Zephyr’
This visually striking hybrid summer squash vine is yellow with faint white banding and light - green blossom end . The flowers of this tasty squash with a nutty flavor and firm texture are also edible . 54 daytime to maturity
‘Raven’ Zucchini
This hybrid zucchini variety give rise very gloomy green fruit in as few as 48 twenty-four hours from establish . The plant is a compact bush .
‘Gold Rush’ Zucchini
' Au Rush ' is a intercrossed courgette with gilt yellow , smooth , unbowed fruit . The compact plants have an open habit which makes harvesting well-fixed . 45 days to due date
Garden Plans for Summer Squash
Easy Children’s Vegetable Garden
Thiseasy children ’s vegetable garden planwill please nurseryman of all years . In increase to unusual and fun - look veggie , including ' Scallop ' summer squash , the plan include a playhouse made of bean vines to make welcome nuance . Kids will also love making the garden pretty with the marigold that flank the bed ’s sharpness . If you are n’t capable to get hold the accurate cultivar heel , substitute with others that have standardised colors , shapes , and sizes .
French Kitchen Garden Plan
ThisFrench - flair kitchen garden planreflects the aesthetic of kitchen garden in medieval France with a central infield - forge bed and four turgid raised beds , with wide brick pathway run between them . A course of cosmetic perennials or shrub is intended to serve as a hedge around the perimeter , place off by a white picket fence .
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is a type of summertime squash racquets . Unlike summer squash , the fruit is always elongated and cylindrical or straight whereas summer squash also comes as a crookneck or with a bulbous or scalloped form . One path to distinguish an elongated summer squash from a zucchini is that summertime squash is tapered towards the top .
A healthy summer squash plant may yield up to 25 dog pound , or 3 to 7 squash per week during the peak harvest . If you peck the summertime squash rackets when they are still very small ( baby squash ) , the yield drops to about 5 pounds . Generally , 1 to 2 plants give sufficient green groceries for a family unit of four .
Updated by Nadia Hassani
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Scott Little
Credit: Janet Mesic-Mackie
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
