Squash (Cucurbita moschata)
10 sources cited · Verified
The short answer
- Plant
- Early February to late February
- Ready in
- 60–100 days
- Site
- 6+ hours of sun, soil pH 5.5–7.5
- Biggest risk
- Powdery mildew
In the UK, squash go in the ground early February to late February, and are ready to harvest 60–100 days after planting.
Squash (Cucurbita moschata) — very tender warm-season annual.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the USA: there are 7 separate regional sowing windows, ranging from early February in Deep South & Gulf Coast to early May in Intermountain West.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.
Regional Planting Calendar
| Region | Sow |
|---|---|
| Deep South & Gulf Coast derived | early February to late February |
| Pacific Northwest derived | early March to late March |
| Mid-Atlantic & Upper South derived | early April to late April |
| Northeast & New England derived | early April to late April |
| Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley derived | mid April to early May |
| N. Plains & Upper Midwest derived | late April to mid May |
| Intermountain West derived | early May to late May |
Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.
Deep South & Gulf Coast - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 2 February (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 2 February to 23 February. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Pacific Northwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 8 March (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 8 March to 29 March. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Mid-Atlantic & Upper South - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 4 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 4 April to 25 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Northeast & New England - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 6 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 April to 27 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 16 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 16 April to 7 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
N. Plains & Upper Midwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 25 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 25 April to 16 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Intermountain West - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Applied to a mean last frost of 6 May (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 May to 27 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 5.5 - 7.5 |
| Sunlight | 6-10 hours direct sun |
| Germination temp | 18C |
| Optimal growing temp | 20-30C |
| Minimum survivable temp | 10C |
| Time to harvest | 60-100 days |
| Soil texture | RHS: "rich, moisture-retentive but not waterlogged soil". |
| Drainage | RHS: moisture-retentive but not waterlogged, in "full sun". |
| Lifecycle | very tender warm-season annual; frost will injure top growth |
| Edible parts | fruits |
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: RHS: "water regularly in dry spells" and "water directly onto the soil". Univ. of Maryland: "Water deeply and regularly at the base of each plant, especially during hot, dry weather and once the first fruits start to form".
Soil pH range
Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing and germination | 0 | PLANTING DEPTH AND SPACING. Sow direct once soil reaches 65°F (18°C) or after all frost danger has passed — whichever is later. Seed goes 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) deep, 4–6 seeds to a mound with mounds 4 ft (1.2 m) apart; thin to two plants per mound after emergence. Transplants go 2 ft apart in rows 4–6 ft apart. Utah State notes that with mulch and row covers seed or plants can be set out 2–3 weeks BEFORE the last frost, which is what lets a long-season squash finish where the season is short. Do not lay organic mulch until soil has reached 75°F — mulching cold ground keeps it cold. |
| Seedling establishment | 1 | Thin each mound to the two strongest seedlings. This is the stage cucumber beetles do disproportionate damage at, and where bacterial wilt infection takes hold, so if row cover is going on at all it goes on now — and must come off at flowering for pollination. |
| Vine growth | 3 | The plant builds the leaf area that will fund the fruit. Give it the room the spacing implies rather than crowding: airflow between plants is the main defence against the powdery and downy mildews that dominate this family, and Clemson notes powdery mildew favours dry weather with high humidity between 50 and 90°F — conditions growers often assume are safe. |
| Flowering | 6 | Utah State: "The first flowers are almost always male. Female flowers will have small fruits behind the flowers." That sequence alarms first-time growers every season and is entirely normal — there is nothing wrong with a plant producing only male flowers for the first week or two. Squash needs insects to move pollen between the two, so where bee activity is poor, hand pollination with a soft brush is the fix. |
| Fruit development | 7 | Winter squash takes 45–55 days to mature from flowering. Keep the fruit off wet soil where you can — a board or a bed of straw under a developing squash prevents the rot that follows prolonged ground contact. |
| Maturity and harvest | 8 | Utah State's test for winter squash is physical rather than visual: harvest "when the rind is hard and impervious to scratching from a fingernail". A squash cut before that point will not cure and will not store. Leave a few inches of stem attached — a squash snapped off at the shoulder rots from the wound. |
| Curing and storage | 9 | Cure, then store cool and dry at 50–55°F (10–13°C). This is the crop's whole point in a kitchen garden: properly cured and stored, it is one of the few vegetables that carries a garden through winter without a freezer. |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: RHS: summer squashes are picked "small and tasty, with a soft skin", while winter squashes should "fully ripen on the plant". Univ. of Maryland: "The rinds need to be hard and firm for the squash to store well", and fruit should be harvested "before heavy frosts arrive".
Storage
RHS: harden the skin by laying fruits "in the sun for an additional week or two", then store "in a well-ventilated place at 10-15°C (50-60°F)", where they "should keep for three months or more". Univ. of Maryland independently gives a storage temperature "between 50⁰ F. and 55⁰ F" (10-12.8C), which sits inside the RHS range.
Diseases
Pests
Companion Planting
Pollination
Honeybees Apis mellifera
RHS: insect pollination, mainly by honeybees; cold or poor weather reduces their activity and causes fruitlets to abort or rot at the flower end. Hand-pollination method as for courgette.
Winter Squash, Seed to Store
References
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country=USA
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Tier 1. Bacterial wilt (no chemical control once infected; control cucumber beetles at first sign); powdery mildew at 50-90F in dry weather with high humidity; downy mildew in moist conditions; gummy stem blight surviving on debris year to year, no resistant varieties, rotate to non-hosts such as corn for two or more years; anthracnose needing rainy cool weather for several days, overwintering on old vines, rotate three years; Alternaria leaf spot with bull's-eye rings at 60-90F; Cercospora leaf spot at 79-90F reinfecting new leaves every 7-10 days, rotate away from cucurbits 2-3 years; Fusarium wilt surviving in soil for many years with no chemical treatment.
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country=INTL
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country=UK
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country=International
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country=UK
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country=UK
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country=UK
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country=USA
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Tier 1. Plant when soils are 65F or after all frost danger has passed, sowing 4-6 seeds 1-2 in deep in mounds 4 ft apart and thinning to two plants; transplants 2 ft apart in rows 4-6 ft apart. With mulch and row covers, seeds or plants can be set out 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Do not apply organic mulch until soils reach 75F. Summer squash takes 35-45 days to flowering; winter squash 45-55 days to mature from flowering. The first flowers are almost always male; female flowers carry a small fruit behind the flower. Harvest summer squash immature, 3-5 days after the flower opens, and winter squash once the rind resists a fingernail. Summer squash stores 2-4 days at 45-55F; winter squash in cool dry conditions at 50-55F.
10 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I sow squash in the USA?
In Deep South & Gulf Coast, from early February. In Intermountain West, wait until early May. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow squash?
Sow early February to late May, at around 18°C for germination.
How long do squash take to grow?
Typically 60–100 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH do squash need?
A pH of about 5.5–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect squash?
Our data links 9 diseases and 10 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
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Last verified 2026-08-06
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