Got Squash Questions?
Do have any burning questions about growing squash that I haven’t answered here?
Are there any other aspects of squash gardening that I should have written about?
Leave a comment and let me know!
I’ll do my best to answer your question, and improve the site for anyone else who might want to know the same thing.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
We dried the seeds from an acorn squash on a paper plate. Can we plant these in our garden as they are, or do we need to do something else to them? How do we store them before we plant them? Thanks for your help
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admin Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@Nancy Pinter,
Thanks for your question!
I answered with a blog post here:
http://www.squashgrowingtips.com/how-to-save-squash-seeds-to-plant-later/
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Is it true that if you plant your squash and your cucumber rows side by side that your cucumbers may turn yellow?
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admin Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
@Mike,
No. Planting squash and cucumbers next to each other should have no effect.
In general, even if you plant two different varieties of the same plant next to each other, they won’t affect that generation.
It is possible that two types of cucumbers could cross pollinate though, and then the NEXT generation of cucumber that you grew with the seeds from those cucumbers would be some kind of a hybrid.
(I realize that’s a different issue than what you’re asking about, but it’s also a question that comes up now and then.)
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My garden is on the north side of my house. I have 18 inches of eave that has to much shade for any thing to grow well. I’m looking for something to plant close to the drip line of where the roof drains off. If I plant squash out from under the eave can it survive with half of the plant in full sunshine?
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I have 2 tomato plants I removed from some grow boxes I believe were infected with southern wilt disease. I used brand new potting mix this year, because I believe I had the same problem last year with the same variety of tomatos. I must have not cleaned the boxes thorough enough and left some of the spores from last year.
I hate to let the soil go to waste and was wondering if it would be ok to plant squash in them or if you know of any other vegetable that would not contract disease. I am pretty sure I could do corn, but didn’t really want to.
Thanks,
Jamie
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what temp can squash handle.
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The yellow squash are rotting from the flower end after the flower blooms. There are several flowers blooming on long stems, but there does not appear to be any squash on these stems.
The zucchini plant also has these blossoms on long stems. What should I do? Thanks!
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Peter Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
@Melinda, I have the same problem with some tomato plants and the local county extension in Sarasota Fl. said that it was bloom rot caused by inconsistent watering or not enough calcium in the soil…hope this might help.
Peter
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I have limited space to plant squash. I would like to grow one summer variety for eating this summer and two different winter squashes. Which ones can I plant in the same general area and which have to be separated quite a bit (so they don’t cross pollinate and make freak fruit). Also, if I also grow some melons, do I have to worry about them cross pollinating with squashes and making freak fruit?
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I have crook neck yellow squash and I need to know why they are not filling out. It is like the grow to small size and the stop growing and either rot from the end up toward the stem or they swrivel up and just stop growing any suggestions are welcome please before I loose them all. The plants are full of small squash and I don’t want to loose them.
Thank you,
Debbie
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It sounds like blossom end rot, which is a common problem for squash. It’s caused by a nutrient deficiency, specifically the lack of calcium. Either there is a lack of Ca in the soil, or the plant can’t absorb it. Try adding organic material to your soil and mulching around the squash plants so they do not dry out. Keep in mind that often over fertilizing can cause blossom end rot because excess nitrogen can keep the plant from absorbing calcium.
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my squash is starting to rot on vine what is this caused from?
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My squash plant has been flowering for approx. 2 weeks now, and I haven’t spotted a single female flower yet. Is this normal? How long will it take?
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Usually, it’s only a few days to a week later that you would see the female flowers. Double check, and look for the swollen stalk of the female flower to identify it.
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Samantha Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
@Judy, Thanks! I have finally spotted the female flowers!
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It would be nice if you had under your growing tips section a section on what cross polination is and what squash plants have to be separated from each other so you retain true fruit. I find this all very complicated and am not sure I will plant correctly thid year. Last year we had some freaky squashes, so something went wrong! I see there are different squash genuses and that must have something to do with cross polination I am thinking. deb
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lars Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:29 pm
@Debra
Cross pollination only affects the NEXT generation of the plant, and not the current generation.
So you can plant two different squash varieties next to each other, and they will grow into the variety that they are intended to be. It’s only if you then take the seeds from the squash that grew and plant them next year, then you’d have hybrid seeds where the two plants had cross pollinated.
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My yellow crock neck squash seems to be getting a very dark yellow and hard before it even finishes filling out. What can cause this? I live in central FL.
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It sounds like the squash is over mature. Try harvesting the squash a little earlier. Squash is ready when it is about one to two inches in diameter. It will taste much better when harvested early.
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My summer squash is growing like crazy, with plants reaching 3-4 ft. The limbs are long, about 18 “, and the leaves are 12 to 18″ across,they have put on lots and lots of blooms but haven’t really started to produce fruit yet. The meter man told me that I should cut-back the big leaves, is this good advice?
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lars Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:26 pm
@Carl
Yes, you can prune back some of the larger leaves. Just don’t prune too many.
Here’s a good resource that talks about zucchini, but is still helpful. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/pruning-zucchini-how-to-prune-zucchini-squash.htm
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