Zucchini: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

How to Grow:

Sow seeds directly into the soil outdoors as early as immediately after your last spring frost in the spring and throughout the summer up to 13 weeks before your first fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App.

Sow 1 seed per square feet about 1 inch deep to try and ensure that you have enough space. You can can place a trellis by the squares for the vines to help to save space and grow vertically. Make sure to plant in a space that has full sun. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. It will take approximately 7-14 days for your seeds to sprout. Water your summer squash plant weekly, but be careful to try and keep the leaves dry.

Companion Plants:

Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these. Herbs are especially great companion plants because they help to repel pests from your other plants!

See companion plants for 70+ foods in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web app!

Pests:

Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common ones for acorn squash:

• Aphids
• Cucumber Beetles
• Groundhogs (Woodchucks)
• Harlequin Bugs
• Mexican Bean Beetles
• Squash Bugs
• Squash Vine Borer
• Squirrels
• Thrips

Learn more about pests and beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!

Harvesting:

You will begin to be able to harvest your acorn squash approximately 40-60 days from first sprout. Harvest when squash is approximately 6-8 inches long for the most flavor. Cut through the fruit stem, not the main vine or leaf stems. They grow fast, so it is easy for them to get out of control in a hurry. Not to worry, though; larger squash (baseball bats) can still be used in many ways.

How to Prepare:

Learn more about growing over 70 different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or new Universal Web App!