×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Growing Winter Squash from Seeds or Seedlings

Gardening Guide: Winning Winter Squash

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Growing Winter Squash from Seeds or Seedlings

By Norann Oleson

Squash seedling emerging out of the garden soil

Squash seedling emerging out of the garden soil

If your growing season permits it, direct sow your seeds outside; seedlings do not transplant as successfully as plants started outdoors. If you have a shorter growing season, you can get a jump on planting time and start your squash seeds indoors. You’ll just need to give those seedlings a little extra TLC.

Seed Planting Process

Squash seeds take a week or two to germinate, so plan ahead. If you live in a cooler area, you’ll want to get started early. Some people like to give their seeds a head start for germinating by soaking them in warm water overnight.

Indoors

Butternut squash seedlings growing indoors

Butternut squash seedlings growing indoors

Even though squash prefer direct sowing, you can get them started indoors. Sow your squash seeds indoors four to five weeks before you plan to plant them outside. The outside soil temperature needs to be warm—70 degrees F, and the inside temperature where you’re starting your seeds should be greenhouse warm—80 to 90 degrees F. Plant your seeds with the narrow edge facing up and keep them lightly watered. Plant your seeds in individual soil compartments so you disturb the seedlings’ root systems as little as possible when you transplant them.

Once your seedlings emerge, they are going to need plenty of light. A heated mat and grow lights will help; a cover will help keep the temperature warm. Leave the lights on for 16 hours, off for eight hours. Don’t leave the lights on 24/7 as most plants need a little darkness to grow.

Once your seedlings begin to grow, you’ll want to harden them off before you transplant them to your garden. So, about three to four weeks after you plant the seeds, give your new seedlings a little sheltered outside time, starting with an hour or two a day in indirect sunlight, progressing to a full day outside. Bring your seedlings in for the night after each outdoor foray—especially if there’s a threat of frost. This process helps strengthen the plant’s cells, giving them a better chance of thriving when you transplant them.

Your garden soil temperature should be at least 70 degrees F before you set your seedlings in the ground. When your seedlings are ready for outdoor garden time, have appropriately sized and spaced mounds for them, depending on the cultivar. Pop the seedlings out of their little containers and put them right into their outdoor home. Don’t disturb the soil or root ball; the less you fuss with them, the better.

Cover the roots and attached soil with fresh garden soil and give them a good drink of water. A row cover can help protect your seedlings from boring insects while they’re getting established. It can be something as simple as putting down row cover material and weighing the edges down with stones, bricks, or tucking the edges into a trench and weighing it down with soil. Just be sure to raise the level of the row cover as your seedlings are getting established.

Sowing directly in the garden

Winter squash really prefer to grow where they’re planted, so direct seeding is best. Squash seeds can go in the ground as soon as the soil temperature has reached at least 70 degrees F. Get a soil thermometer and check your garden bed to make sure the soil is not too cold. For spring planting, wait until after your last frost and the soil has warmed up.

For vining varieties, prepare hills 2 to 4 feet apart—or more, depending on your cultivar, with rows 3 to 8 feet apart—again, the exact distance will depend on the type of squash you’re growing. Your seed packets will have precise information. Plant five to six seeds in each hill.

Germination should occur in a week or two. Keep the soil moist but drained. When your plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin them to 3 inches apart.

Once your seedlings are established, thin them to just three plants per hill. Don’t disturb the root systems of the plants you’re leaving; just use garden snips to cut the stems of the seedlings you’re thinning.

Have you tried growing winter squash from seeds or seedlings? Which method do you prefer—and why? Please share your experiences with us.

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Tags

garden snips, garden soil, grow lights, growing winter squash, winter squash

Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Types of Winter Squash
  • Growing Winter Squash from Seeds or Seedlings
  • Sun and Soil Requirements for Growing Winter Squash
  • Planting Winter Squash in the Ground or in Raised Beds
  • Growing Winter Squash in Containers
  • Watering, Weeding, Fertilizing and Pollinating your Winter Squash Plants
  • Pruning and Supporting Winter Squash
  • Harvesting your Winter Squash
  • Storing and Preserving Your Winter Squash
  • Dealing with Winter Squash Diseases
  • Dealing with Winter Squash Pests
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing and Enjoying Winter Squash
  • Plant Profiles

  • Sunshine Squash (C. maxima)
  • Burgess Buttercup Squash (C. maxima)
  • Autumn Frost Hybrid Squash (C. moschata)
  • Waltham Butternut Squash (C. moschata)
  • Acorn Table Queen Squash (C. pepo)
  • Goldetti Spaghetti Squash (C. pepo)
  • Recipes

  • Roasted Stuffed Acorn Squash
  • Winter Squash Bread
  • Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
  • Roasted Winter Squash Seeds
  • Winter Squash Blossom Soup
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Winter Squash
  • Health Benefits and Home Remedies of Winter Squash
  • Resources about Winter Squash
  • Winter Squash Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • The Sweetest Winter Squash: From Acorn to Sunshine

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.