Winter squash grow more slowly 80 to days and often mature to a rich color before harvest. Their skins are thicker and more protective, making them last longer in storage. Well-known winter squashes include pumpkin, Hubbard, and butternut. Choosing the best squash varieties is a matter of personal taste, but often what you grow comes down to what you want to use it for.
Would you like to eat your squash right away? Do you want to grow your own Halloween pumpkin? Be sure not to choose a giant! Yellow to orange flesh grows inside a deep green skin with occasional orange spots. Its bush habit means the plants sprawl less than vining varieties, but still require a healthy radius of feet to thrive. To cook, slice in half and roast face down on a sheet pan. Flip over in the final minutes of cooking and dollop with butter and maple syrup. Acorn squash is also excellent stuffed with grains or vegetables.
Its vining plants like to travel, so give them lots of space or train up and over a hill. Buttercup squash is excellent mashed and moistened with water or milk and a pinch of nutmeg , or roasted and added to warm winter soups. Butternut : Store butternut squash for a month or two before eating for the best flavour. Butternut is so versatile, it blends well in soups, curries, stir fries, or mashed on the plate. Store up to 6 months.
Delicata : This lovely little winter squash has creamy yellow skin with dappled green stripes. Its mild flavour is great for stuffing, steaming, and roasting—and it takes up less space in the garden than many of the larger varieties. Hubbard : Hubbard is another long-lasting squash variety that will keep well in storage for up to 6 months.
Best if eaten after one month of seasoning, Hubbards are a colourful addition to any garden, ranging from pale blue-green to deep orange. Careful breeding means Hubbards come in a variety of sizes, from the single-serving baby variety to the 40 pounders that may pull down your fence without support. Spaghetti : The bright yellow spaghetti squash has risen in popularity over the last decade as a replacement for pasta.
Once baked, the flesh is easily shredded to look like spaghetti—and it tastes even better. Another easy-to-grow squash variety, spaghetti squash benefits from ample space, hilling, or a squash trellis. The sugar pumpkin is the best pumpkin for baking, soups, and pies. Harvest and eat right away, or keep on the shelf for months to use in your Thanksgiving dessert. Zucchini : The only summer squash in this list, zucchini is a mainstay of the home garden thanks to its prolific production and versatility in the kitchen.
Earlier in the summer, watch for blossoms that shrivel on the ends of yellowing fruit. Enjoy zucchini in stir fries and curries, spiralized in salads or faux pasta dishes, and grated into cakes and breads. Both summer and winter squash are warm weather plants. You can also sow your squash seeds inside or in a heated greenhouse 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost date.
Check with your local extension agent for up to date information in your neighborhood. In general, squash plants like lots of room to spread out. Consider the following recommendations:.
Bush varieties : Space your rows 4 to 6 feet apart, with plants 15 to 20 inches apart. Vining types : Space rows 6 to 12 feet apart with plants 12 to 15 inches apart.
If you plant in hills—a favorite of many gardeners—space your hills 6 to 8 feet apart. If you do, starting from seed is the most economical way to grow. Seeding squash directly into the ground starts with choosing your favourite seed, soaking the seed overnight optional , and planting seeds in a cluster. Once the seeds have sprouted, choose the strongest and remove the rest. When your plants have their first set of true leaves, mulch the soil to retain moisture.
Keep the mulch back from plants a few inches to discourage stem rot. This works particularly well in colder climates where the growing season is short. Most plants will recover from the shock of being moved. Squash plants need full sun to produce. You can use a sunlight calculator to find out. More is better, but if the weather gets too hot for too long, your squash plants may droop with stress. Squash like a slightly acidic soil: between 6.
If your soil is too acidic, add lime according to the instructions on your product. According to the University of Massachusetts Centre for Agriculture, squash can tolerate a soil pH as low as 5. Growing a bumper crop of zucchinis or other types of summer and winter squash is not only simple — you'll also have plenty of extra squash to share.
Zucchinis and other squash don't require much work in advance. As a group, they don't tolerate cold soil, cold air or frost, and their roots don't like to be transplanted. You can plant squash seeds late in spring, after the soil warms, and sow your seeds directly into garden soil that gets full sun. There's no need to start seeds early indoors or to buy pre-started plants from a garden store.
Wait to plant squash seeds until at least two weeks after the expected last frost in your area. If you're unsure of that date, your local county extension agent can help. The successive crops also help improve pollination, and that means bigger and better harvests for you. When you grow squash or other plants from seed, you're not limited to the varieties your local garden store carries.
This opens up a world of squash to enjoy. Choose from heirloom types passed down through generations, such as the dense, nutty Italian zucchini Costata Romanesco, or try sweetly scalloped , yellow Sunburst patty pan squash instead.
Maybe you want the latest disease- and pest-resistant variety. When you grow from seeds, you can pick and choose. Squash are either summer types or winter types, depending on when they're ready to eat. Soft-skinned summer squash, such as zucchini, mature quickly.
They're often ready within two months from when you seed. Winter squash, such as acorn or butternut, take at least three months or longer to ripen and develop a thick skin. But tough skins mean they'll keep longer, too. Seed packets will include this information.
Like cucumbers , squash varieties are either bush types or rambling vines. If your garden is short on space, bush types are a great choice. That means squash can be sown in late spring just about everywhere, and if you live in a long growing season region where the weather turned warm six weeks ago, you may be on to your second planting of squash, perhaps a second variety.
Most summer squash require 50 to 65 frost free days to mature. That means you can safely plant squash in the last week or two of spring. Winter squashes take a bit longer: 60 to frost free days to mature. You can still sow winter squash seeds in late spring and get to harvest before the first frost in most regions.
Tender summer squash can be eaten raw or cooked. If you got an early start on your squash this year, you may already be adding sliced raw young squash to salads. Winter squashes are drier and more fibrous than summer squashes.
Winter squashes are harvested when fully ripe and require cooking. Get them growing before the official start of summer arrives.
The requirements for planting and growing summer and winter squashes are the same except for the time required to harvest. Squash require full sun, warm weather, and good air circulation to mature. Squash grows best in growing zones If your growing season is short, choose a bush variety squash which will mature more quickly. Plant squash in humus-rich, well-drained soil; work in organic compost the autumn before planting or spread compost in the growing bed during the growing season.
Bush-types varieties can be grown in containers. Squash Planting. To get a jump on the season, start summer and winter squashes indoors 3—4 weeks before the last frost. Thin successful plants to 36 inches 90 cm apart in all directions. Squash is often planted on slight mounds or hills. Sow 4—5 seeds 2—3 inches 5—7. Thin to 2 successful plants per hill. If plants are supported on wooden tripods space hills 4 feet 1.
Watering Squash. Squash requires regular and even watering. Keep the soil just moist. Avoid overhead watering. Feeding Squash. Squash are heavy feeders; apply lots of compost to the soil and they should do well. You can feed squash with compost tea every couple of weeks during the growing season.
Grow squash with celeriac, celery, corn, nasturtiums, melons, onions, radishes, peas, and beans. Avoid growing squash with potatoes. Sage Growing and Harvest Information. Rosemary Growing and Harvest Information. Parsley Growing and Harvest Information. Oregano Growing and Harvest Information. Gardening Calendars. Gardening Information. Vermicomposting in Worm Bins. Caring for the Vegetable Garden. Which tiller is best for you?
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Amaranth Growing and Harvest Information. Pea Growing and Harvest Information. Where to Grow Squash Squash is a warm-season crop, very tender to frost and light freezes. Soil for Growing Squash A light, fertile soil deeply enriched with well-rotted manure and compost to retain soil moisture, or with a well-balanced fertilizer before planting; squash are heavy feeders.
Planting Squash When — When the soil is warm and the air temperature settled. How The hill method is simplest since the soil can be deeply prepared for each hill before planting. How Squash Grows Squash are spreading, vine-like plants with wiry, curly tendrils.
Side-dressing Apply compost mid-season. Don't ever lift squash by the stem. Treat even those with hard skins gently to prevent bruising. Summer - cut before 8" long, when skin is still soft, and before seeds ripen.
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