It’s squash and zucchini time y’all! We’re all stocked up with our favorite varieties and now’s the time to get them planted so you can make all kinds of delicious dishes later this spring and summer. If you want amazing production, there are a few key steps to take and things to watch out for. Check out our simple tips + video guide now!
Start with Good Soil
If you’re growing squash and zucchini in containers or raised beds, we highly recommend Gardener’s Magic from Landscaper’s Pride. It’s a nice, loose mix specially formulated for raised beds and it doesn’t need any amendment. Just pour and plant. If you’re growing in the ground in heavy clay or sandy soil, use our beloved Nature’s Blend compost to add nutrients and better structure to your native soil. About 1 bag of compost per 12 square feet of bed space, or the rough equivalent if you’re making your own compost.
Summer Squash Varieties Don’t Need a Trellis
We carry yellow crookneck squash, yellow straightneck squash, 8-ball zucchini, and regular zucchini. All of these are summer bush-type squash varieties that don’t need a trellis to climb on like some other winter squash varieties and cucumbers do. Just plant them about 3 feet apart so they have plenty of space to grow to their mature size and produce more fruit.
Feed, Feed, Feed!
Squashes are very heavy feeders. If you don’t fertilize regularly, you won’t get a good harvest. Use our tried and true method: Medina Growin Green on the 1st of the month, then liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th. Set these reminders/alarms in your phone!
Encourage Cross-Pollination
Fertilizing regularly also ensures that you’ll get plenty of flowers. Squashes produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers are just a flower on a stem, while the female flowers have a tiny squash right behind the flower. In order for that fruit to set (grow), the male and female flowers must cross-pollinate. If you plant other bee-attracting plants around your garden, the bees will take care of this cross-pollination for you. If you don’t have many bees, you can take a small paintbrush or Q-tip and move pollen between the male and female flowers yourself.
Watch Out for 3 Main Problems
Keep organic spinosad soap handy to take care of all 3 of the main issues you might see on your squashes: Borer insects (pictured), aphids, and powdery mildew fungus. Spray the stems of the plants to prevent borers from getting in, spray the underside of the leaves for aphids, and spray the tops of the leaves for powdery mildew.
Harvest Often
This goes for squashes and all veggies – once your plants start producing, harvest often! This helps redirect energy back into the plant, which helps it produce more fruit. Also, you get the fruit before any birds or other critters do!
Watch Wyatt’s Video Guide!
Buck Schade says
Great article. I have an issue where the plant produces abundant foliage, but not much vegetable, and the sqush oriduced often suffer end rot. Any suggestions as to what my problem is? I do feed with Medina Hasta Gro soil drench.
Jesse Jenkins says
Sounds like you’re not getting good cross-pollination. Be sure to fertilize with a good granular early on to encourage more male and female flowers. And make sure you either have some good bee-attracting plants near your veggie garden so the bees can do their thing, or move pollen between the male and female flowers yourself with a small paintbrush. Then continue to feed with a granular (like Medina Growin’ Green) once a month, followed by the Hasta Gro in between feedings.