DibbleGrowing winter squash: from seed to harvest
Give winter squash and pumpkins room to roam. Sow 2 weeks after last frost and cure the mature fruit before storing.
Planting dates for winter squash by zone
| Zone | Start seeds indoors | Sow or transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | not needed | May 29 | September 6 |
| Zone 4 | not needed | May 24 | September 1 |
| Zone 5 | not needed | May 14 | August 22 |
| Zone 6 | not needed | May 5 | August 13 |
| Zone 7 | not needed | April 24 | August 2 |
| Zone 8 | not needed | April 11 | July 20 |
| Zone 9 | not needed | March 15 | June 23 |
| Zone 10 | not needed | February 14 | May 25 |
| Zone 11 | not needed | January 15 | April 25 |
These dates use typical frost dates for each zone. Dibble tunes them to your exact ZIP and lets you adjust frost dates for your own yard.
Companion plants
Good neighbors for Winter Squash:
Better kept apart:
Family and rotation
Winter Squash is in the cucurbits family. Sprawling heavy feeders. Rotate away from where squash family grew last year. Learn about crop rotation.
Related crops
Cucumber
When to plantZucchini
When to plantCantaloupe
When to plantWatermelon
When to plantPumpkin
When to plantTomato
When to plant
Questions
When should I plant winter squash?
It depends on your zone. Winter Squash is a tender crop, so the timing follows your last spring frost. Look up your zone in the table below for exact start, sow, and harvest dates, or open Dibble and enter your ZIP to get your own calendar.
How long does it take to grow winter squash?
About 100 days from sowing to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 21 days after that.
What grows well with winter squash?
Good companions include Sweet Corn, Bean (bush), Marigold. Keep it away from Potato.
Plant at the right time this season
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