Summer Squash
Cucurbita pepo
Sow outdoors 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Space plants 24 in (61 cm) apart.
Photo: Eunice "Sleepyneko", CC BY-SA 1.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Direct Sow
From seedRecommended- Sow outdoors2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 50 days after sowing
Optimal Fall Direct Sow
From seed- Sow outdoorsabout 12 weeks before your first fall frost
- First harvestabout 50 days after sowing
Growing summer squash
- Spacing in the row
- 24 in (61 cm)
- Between rows
- 48 in (122 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/2-1 inch
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Life cycle
- Annual
Feeding
- How often
- At planting, then once at midseason. Side-dress with nitrogen when the first female flowers appear or fruit set begins; over-feeding grows vine at the expense of fruit.
Your summer squash, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.