Growing winter squashGrowing winter squash requires a little knowledge but it’s worth the hassle when you start harvesting the squash at the end of the season. As you watch the food scan through the checkout line, you begin to understand that your grandparents had it right, grow your own. Unfortunately, many of the skills passed from parents to children stopped a few generations back. You can grow winter squash to offset the cost at the grocery, have a much tastier vegetable and you know everything put on the plant.
How Do I Grow Squash Winter squash was the staple for the winter in the early days of the nation. It stores well in a cool area. Unlike summer squash, such as zucchini, it doesn’t need to be used immediately and therefore the difference in the two names. Before the freezer became a normal item in the kitchen, everyone knew that you ate only certain squash from the garden in the summer and saved those that kept well for the winter. The growing season for winter squash starts after the last frost and the squash ripens anywhere from the end of summer to mid fall. There are several different varieties of winter squash, which is why the growing season varies. The various types of winter squash include acorn squash, butternut, delicata, hubbard, spaghetti and turban. Each one has different uses and flavors. The spaghetti squash actually is a substitute for spaghetti and delicata, also called sweet potato squash because of the taste. You need a sunny area away from high winds for growing winter squash. Start the seeds after the last frost since they don’t germinate in cold soil. The soil preparation requires a well-turned soil rich in organic material. If you add additional fertilizer, do this at least a week before planting. winter squash 
The various types of subclasses of winter squash have three different methods of growing. Some of the plants are vining plants and require more area. For the plants that vine, you need to make a mound or hill that is at least 50 square feet but preferably 100 square feet. Put five plants per hill, space the hills five to six feet apart in the row and keep the rows seven to ten feet apart. Once the plants come in you need to thin them down to two or three per hill. Plant the seeds one inch deep. For those that are semi-vining, follow the same procedure but only leave six to eight feet between the rows. Bush winter squash don’t require as much space. You plant a seed or two per foot in the row and keep the rows five feet apart. When the squash plants are large enough, thin the plants to one plant every three feet. In order to get the plants to flower sooner, it is important to place straw, plastic or mulch around the plant. This not only helps maintain the ground moisture but also warms to soil. Growing winter squash doesn’t have to be a mystery; in fact, it’s quite easy and provides a great bounty to keep the cost of groceries low.
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