Squash and Pumpkins
One of the more popular types of plants in my garden is squash. Pumpkins, squash, and zucchini all belong to this plant group. Of all the varied types of squash out there they fall into two basic categories; summer squash and winter squash. Winter squash or squash which ripens later in the season and they are meant for storage into the cool fall/winter months. They will be showing up in the future Plant of the week articles.
The summer squash is a fast-growing squash that is meant for consumption during the summer months when the vegetable is tender and fresh. A popular and easy to grow summer squash is the zucchini.
The Endeavor squash is a zucchini which grows quickly and produces a lot of fruit from a central bush — maturing after only 45 days with an abundance of 4-inch zucchinis. The small fruit are great for salads, stir fry and even barbecued.
Zucchini’s, when left to the end of the season can grow very large, and the skin toughens enough for them to be considered a winter squash.
Squash require warm soils to germinate, and it is recommended to start them indoors approximately four weeks before the last frost. A single zucchini plant can produce a lot of fruit, so one or two plants will be more than enough for most.
Preservation
Winter squash need to be cured before storage – simply letting them sit out in the sun for a week to help thicken that skin. Then store in a cool dark spot in the basement. They can last 5 to 6 months just stored this way.
They can also bee cooked and frozen for pies/pumpkin loaf/muffins or just reheated to have with a meal.
Days to Grow: 60 to 110 days
Spacing: one per two square foot (with vining room)
Effort: Minimal
Plant: 2 to 3 weeks after last frost
Yield: Varies
Will not survive light frost!
Gardening Shortcut Links
Square Foot Gardening
Information and resources for square foot gardening here in NW Ontario.
Excel Garden Planner
An excel worksheet I developed to help plan and track my square foot gardening.
North Hardy Plants
Not all plants will grow here, but a lot will.
Useful Resources
The following are additional resources and information as well as basic information for growing this and many other garden plants here in NW Ontario.
Square Foot Gardening Basics
Preserving methods
High productivity, small area
About Garden Planning
Laying out your garden and pre-planning what to plant is best accomplished over the winter months. It gives you escape from the north winds, allows for ordering of seeds and allows you to put some time and effort into laying out your garden.
Since I use the square foot gardening method, I have created a garden planner using Microsoft excel. It allows you layout your garden using the cells in excel, then based on what plants you choose it will calculate planting/harvest times, potential yields, how many seeds you will need and more.
The Garden planner is provided as is, I can and will answer questions on using it and I have made videos on using it. I am hoping to have a full updated version ready for 2019 planning season.
