Squash, Pumpkins, Cantaloupe & Zucchini: Warm-Season Vines for Rich, Sunny Soil

Planting

Timing: Warm, settled weather.
Site: Full sun, rich fertile soil, good drainage. Rotate 3 years away from cucurbits.

Summer squash/zucchini: 6–8″ long, cut (don’t pull).
Winter squash: Before frost, cut with 2″ stem; cure 7–14 days warm/ventilated.
Cantaloupe: When fruit slips easily from vine.
Pumpkins: Before frost, ½+ orange, 4–5″ stem.
Storage: Winter squash/pumpkins 50–70 °F, dark.

About Garden: Squash Yellowing and Stink Bugs: Moisture Balance and Atomic Grow; Ripeness Tests for Cantaloupe and Watermelon: Stem Slip, Tendril, and Thump; When to Harvest Butternut and Acorn Squash for Best Flavor; When to Pick Eggplant and Butternut: Color Over Size; Zucchini Flowering but Not Fruiting: Pollination Solutions; When to Harvest Spaghetti Squash and Cantaloupe for Peak Flavor; Low Squash and Tomato Yields in Partial Shade; When to Harvest Butternut Squash: Size, Color, and Ripening Off‑Vine; Harvesting & Storing Squash, Pumpkins, and Gourds for Winter; Growing Squash and Zucchini: A Complete Guide to Planting, Care, and Harvest

Garden Articles

Plants