How To Grow Squash ?

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Most people love the taste of squash but often wonder whether to call it a fruit or a vegetable! Some like to argue that since squash is sold at the vegetable section of grocery stores then undoubtedly it is a vegetable, while others argue that the seeds inside a squash make it a fruit. The second group is right, since squash is indeed a fruit, and just like a tomato which is also a fruit, is used in cooking. More..

How To Grow Squash ?

Squash plants belong to the same vegetable family as pumpkins, namely the cucurbita family. You can grow different types of squash easily in your garden, though the size of your garden would determine the varieties you will be able to grow. There are the smaller kinds like bush squash that needs little space, while the vining varieties require considerably larger gardening spaces.

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The exact number of varieties of squash that you can grow is difficult to list, since apart from the ‘pure bred’ types, there is also a lot of cross breeding, which adds to the various kinds already available. Squash is not a hardy kind of plant, which means it is quite susceptible to diseases and insects, while spring and fall are bad for these plants because of the frost.

It is important that you know the type of squash you are planting before you get started. There are two broad categories that squash can be divided into -- the summer and the winter varieties. Squash grown in winter bears thick skinned fruits and can be stored for long periods of time, provided correct storing instructions are followed. Summer squash, on the other hand, gives frits with thin skins and cannot be stored for long.

Winter squash includes butternut, acorn, golden Hubbard, buttercup, Hubbard, cushaw, blue Hubbard and spaghetti squash, while the summer squash family comprises of crookneck summer squash, zucchini and straightneck summer squash. Winter squash usually matures between 70 to 110 days, and summer squash needs about 45 to 50 days only.