🎃 When to Plant Squash (Winter)

🥬 Vegetable
Warm Season

Needs long season; start early in short-season zones

📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone

Select your zone to highlight your exact planting dates. Dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates.

Find my zone
Zone Last Frost Start Indoors Transplant Direct Sow
Zone 2A May 30 May 2 May 30 Jun 13
Zone 3B May 15 Apr 17 May 15 May 29
Zone 4A May 8 Apr 10 May 8 May 22
Zone 4B May 1 Apr 3 May 1 May 15
Zone 5A Apr 25 Mar 28 Apr 25 May 9
Zone 5B Apr 18 Mar 21 Apr 18 May 2
Zone 6A Apr 21 Mar 24 Apr 21 May 5
Zone 6B Apr 10 Mar 13 Apr 10 Apr 24
Zone 7A Apr 5 Mar 8 Apr 5 Apr 19
Zone 7B Mar 28 Feb 28 Mar 28 Apr 11
Zone 8A Mar 20 Feb 20 Mar 20 Apr 3
Zone 8B Mar 12 Feb 12 Mar 12 Mar 26
Zone 9A Feb 28 Jan 31 Feb 28 Mar 14
Zone 9B Feb 15 Jan 18 Feb 15 Mar 1
Zone 10A Feb 1 Jan 4 Feb 1 Feb 15
Zone 10B Jan 15 Dec 18 Jan 15 Jan 29
Zone 11A Jan 1 Dec 4 Jan 1 Jan 15

Winter squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti) needs a long growing season but stores for months after harvest.

Top Growing Tips

  • Needs 80-110 days of warm weather to mature
  • Plant in hills with 4-6 feet between them
  • Cure in the sun for 10 days after harvest for long storage
  • Mulch to keep fruit off wet soil and prevent rot
  • Don’t harvest until the stem begins to dry and the skin is hard

Companion Planting

Good companions: corn, beans, radishes, marigolds

Avoid planting near: potatoes

Harvest Timeline

80-110 days from seed