Yellow squash comes in two varieties: bush and vining. The bush varieties take up less space, while vining varieties spread out over the garden bed. Choose the one that best suits your needs. [2] X Research source If you don’t want to buy seeds, you can wait until the weather has warmed and your local garden store has yellow squash seedlings available. These have already germinated and sprouted, and are ready to be planted directly in the garden.
You can plant squash in rows or on hills, with three to five seeds per hill. If you’re planting a vining variety, make sure the planting spot is large enough to accommodate a plant that will spread out over six feet or so in all directions. To check whether a planting site has good drainage, dig a hole and fill it with water. If it drains quickly, the spot will work well. If the water stands in a puddle, look for a place with better drainage or mix in extra compost to amend the soil. Make sure you have good soil for growing squash. If you have grown vegetables in that location in the past, all you need to do is add a little compost. Otherwise, conduct a soil test.
If you are planting seedlings, plant them 18 inches (45. 7 cm) apart to give them plenty of room to grow. Make sure you wait until after all chance of the last frost has passed, or your squash seeds may have trouble germinating.
On days when it rains or when the soil feels moist in the morning, skip your daily watering. You don’t want the plants to become waterlogged. Avoid watering later in the day or at night, since the water won’t get the chance to evaporate in the sun. Water left on the plant can lead to mold growth.
If you plant on a hill, thin to the strongest two or three plants per hill.
Before mulching, use a hoe to break up any newly sprouted weeds.
Squash vine borers are 1/2-inch long gray insects. Cucumber beetles are 1 inch (2. 5 cm) long with black heads and yellow or green wings. They feed on the plant and cause the leaves to wilt and turn black. If you have a large bed of squash, you might want to consider installing row protectors to keep damaging insects away from your plants. Install when the plants are young and remove them once they begin to bloom to allow for pollination.
