Dibble

When to plant Winter Squash

Give winter squash and pumpkins room to roam. Sow 2 weeks after last frost and cure the mature fruit before storing.

Type: VegetablesSun: Full sunWater: Moderate waterDays to maturity: 100Spacing: 36"Hardiness: Tender

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When to plant Winter Squash by zone

ZoneStart seeds indoorsSow or transplantHarvest
Zone 3not neededMay 29September 6
Zone 4not neededMay 24September 1
Zone 5not neededMay 14August 22
Zone 6not neededMay 5August 13
Zone 7not neededApril 24August 2
Zone 8not neededApril 11July 20
Zone 9not neededMarch 15June 23
Zone 10not neededFebruary 14May 25
Zone 11not neededJanuary 15April 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:

Sweet CornBean (bush)Marigold

Better kept apart:

Potato

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 plant

Zucchini

When to plant

Cantaloupe

When to plant

Watermelon

When to plant

Pumpkin

When to plant

Tomato

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 winter squash take to grow?

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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