Squash
Introduction
Squash can be a very rewarding crop to grow on an allotment. They have a lovely sweet nutty taste, and are vigorous plants capable of producing many large fruit.
Squash can be used as the main ingredient in soups, pies, and casseroles, contributing its soft and delicious flavour. Roast squash is my favourite way of eating it, an excellent alternative to potato chips. The seeds are edible, and are yummy toasted in a dry frying pan.
Planting
- Planting depth: 2.5 cm
- Planting spacing: 90 cm between plants, 90 cm between rows (minimum distances)
Harvesting
- Eat summer squash fresh
- Store winter squash in a cool dry environment
- When picking winter squash, retain 10 cm of stalk (this helps the fruit store better)
(inside)
(outside)
(fresh)
(stored)
= jar, 
= freeze, = store
Varieties
There is a wide range of squash varieties to grow including summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkin. Shops often stock just one type, butternut squash, which is a winter variety. Growing your own squash provides the opportunity to try all the other types.
Summer Squash
Summer squash can be eaten young when the skin is soft, or left to mature like winter squash (to store). If eaten young, the skin is easy to peel and the seeds are small. Summer squash comes in a range of interesting shapes and colours. The plants generally form a bush shape, with the fruit setting once the large flowers have been pollinated. Summer squash is the best option where space is limited.
Winter Squash
Winter squash varieties are often much larger than summer squash types. Winter squash is harvested in late summer and early autumn and eaten throughout the winter. Squash keeps well, provided that five centimetres or two inches of stalk is kept on the fruit, and that the skin has had an opportunity to harden (and dry) in summer sunshine. The squash needs to be kept in a cool (not cold) dry place. Winter squash is well suited to large gardens or an allotment, as the plants have a spreading habit capable of covering many square metres of space.
Pumpkin
Perhaps the most famous squash of all, pumpkin is grown for carving at Halloween, and eating. For the competitive grower, there is also the opportunity to attempt to grow massive pumpkins, with pumpkin varieties specially bred for this purpose.
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Growing
All types of squash are sensitive to frost and need protection before warm weather finally arrives for summer. I usually sow squash into pots in late March or April, covering the pots with transparent film to help germination, before placing on a sunny windowsill.
After germination, protect the delicate heat loving plants from late spring cold and frosts by growing on in a plastic greenhouse or polytunnel, before transplanting to their final position after the last frosts. If growing without a growhouse or cold frame, my suggestion would be to sow seed in late April.
Squash grows big and can end up rampaging over your plot. They will spread vigorously. I like to plant them about 1.5 metres apart. Squash are hungry plants that grow best in enriched soil. I prepare their position by digging a planting hole and filling it with well rotted manure mixed with rich compost. It is helpful to mark the position of the plant with a cane or pole. That way, in mid summer when the plant has spread all over a plot, it is still possible to identify the plant’s centre for watering.
For big squash, water frequently and never allow the soil to dry out. By mid summer, with luck there will be many baby squashes forming from behind the flowers. With plenty of water and sunshine these will rapidly grow large and ripen to their light golden or burnt orange colour. In soil which is quite heavy or damp, it may be worth placing straw or board underneath the squashes to keep them clean.
I have found growing squash over biodegradable weed control fabric particularly effective. The fabric helps to stop the soil drying out, whilst keeping the fruits clean.
If storing winter squash, following picking the fruit should be left for a day or two in the sun to dry out their skin. Afterwards, they are best placed in a cool and dry environment where they will stay good for many months.