Summer Squash

Spring and early fall, the growing season…

Summer squash thrives in soil that is well drained, loose and high in organic matter, but it will grow in almost any soil that is well prepared. Soils in the New Orleans area are ideal.

Summer squash are harvested when they are young and tender. These warm-season vegetables can be grown in the spring and early fall. They are easy to grow, very productive and fit well into urban gardens. You'll need to plant only two plants for each person in your family.

Most summer squash plants are bushy. The yellow butter types come in straight neck or crookneck varieties. Recommended straight neck varieties include: Goldbar, Butterbar, Golden Girl and Slendergold. Patty Pans are shaped like tops and have scalloped edges.

Soil preparation important…

Summer squash thrives in soil that is well drained, loose and high in organic matter, but it will grow in almost any soil that is well prepared. Soils in the New Orleans area are ideal. The clay and sandy soils should have lots of leaves or compost worked into them to make them loose and able to hold on to the fertilizer you apply. Work the soil when it's moist, not wet or dry. Be sure to break all clumps.

Loosen soil with a shovel and go down 8 to 10 inches. Add a four-inch layer of leaves, and use the shovel to mix leaves with soil. Apply one cup or one handful of 8-8-8 fertilizer for every 10 feet of row. Rows should be three feet wide. Side dress the plants when they are about a foot tall for bushy types, or when they begin to lay down and run for vining types. Use one-half teaspoon of ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate per plant, and water it in well. Side dress again about a month later.

Plant seeds sparingly…

Plant a few seeds every three feet on rows three feet apart. When they come up, thin plants so there are only one or two plants every three feet.

Pick fruit regularly to keep plants producing well. Don't wait longer than two or three days between pickings.

Cultivate often and shallowly to control weeds.

Or, better still, use black plastic mulch in the spring and use leaves in the fall. Few weeds will emerge, and you'll have less work.

Summer squash are kin to cucumbers, watermelons and grounds. They produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. Honey bees carry pollen from the male flowers to pollinate the female flowers, so don't kill bees.

If you use Sevin to control chewing insects, use it late in the afternoon when bees have stopped flying. Sevin kills bees, too. You may want to switch to Thiodan. It kills fewer bees but is hard to find in small packages.

For more information on summer squash contact your local County Extension Office.