How to grow winter squash
Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, and C. pepo
Get your exact dates
The windows below are relative to your frost dates. Enter your ZIP for the calendar dates.
Open the planting calendarWhen to plant winter squash
Direct sowat your last spring frost to 2 weeks after your last spring frost
Growing conditions
- Spacing
- 36 to 60 in apart, rows 72 in
- Planting depth
- 1 in
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.2 to 6.5
Common problems
- squash vine borer
- squash bug
- striped cucumber beetle
- spotted cucumber beetle
- pickleworm
- aphids
- seed corn maggot
- bacterial wilt
- powdery mildew
- downy mildew
- anthracnose
- fruit rot
Winter Squash by hardiness zone
Planting dates for a typical location in each zone:
Sources
Last updated 2026-06-11.