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Annual Vegetable · 50 varieties

Summer Squash

Cucurbita pepo

Cucurbitaceae — the same plant family as winter squash, cucumber, melon, watermelon and 7 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo) is an annual vegetable. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. It matures in about 45–75 days from sowing, or 50–65 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for squash bugs and powdery mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 16 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
Matures 50–65 days — from transplant from transplant
Mature size 1–3 ft
Spacing 24–36 in
Soil pH 6–6.5
Frost Tender
When to plant summer squashtypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Sow summer squash by soil temperature, not by the calendar. Wait until the soil at 4 inches reaches 60–70 °F — seed goes in cold ground and rots rather than sprouts. That is the rule the extension services give for this crop, and it beats a date: a warm April and a cold one are weeks apart. Check it with a soil thermometer, and use your local frost dates for the frost side of the question.

Growing summer squashevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–6.5
Soil texture
Sandy, Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Tender
Suffers in days above
90 °F
Suffers in nights above
70 °F

No published figure for the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
1–3 ft
Growth rate
Fastest
Spacing in row
24–36 in
Between rows
36–48 in
Planting depth
0.5–2 in
Container size
10 gal
Support
Self-supporting
Grown from
Direct sow, Transplant

There is no line here for how wide one plant gets, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wk
Critical water
Fruit set
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity
45–75 days from seed · 50–65 days from transplant
Start indoors before planting out
3 wk
Harvest cues
Fruit sizing
Chilling injury below
33 °F

There is no line here for how many weeks early to start it indoors and how long before or after the last frost to sow it, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Planted again for autumn

South Carolina — Piedmont
Jul 15 – Aug 15
South Carolina — Coastal Plain
Aug 1 – Aug 31

Published by the extension service for its own regions, and quoted here for those regions only — converting them would mean assuming a frost date somewhere else. The chart says when, not whether to sow seed or set out plants, so we do not either. Only South Carolina so far.

Set plants out by
early Sep typical · zone 6b

50 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsSquash bugsSquash vine borerStriped cucumber beetleSpotted cucumber beetleAphidsPicklewormSquash beetle
DiseasesPowdery mildewDowny mildewBacterial wiltAnthracnoseAngular leaf spotCucurbit virusChoanephora rotGummy stem blight

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

Featured varieties50 with their own page
Astia Zucchini Zucchini · 48d Benning's Green Tint Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 50–55d Black Beauty Zucchini Zucchini · 63d Bush Baby Zucchini Zucchini · 49d Caserta Zucchini Zucchini · 50–60d Cocozelle Zucchini Zucchini · 58d Costata Romanesco Zucchini Zucchini · 52d Cube of Butter Yellow Straightneck · 50d Dark Star Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Desert Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Dunja Zucchini Zucchini · 47d Early Prolific Straightneck Yellow Straightneck · 45d Early White Scallop Squash Patty Pan · 47d Early Yellow Crookneck Yellow Crookneck · 50d Eight Ball Round · 50d Fordhook Zucchini Zucchini · 57d G-Star Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 50d Gold Rush Zucchini Zucchini · 53d Golden Glory Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Golden Zucchini Zucchini · 50–55d Goldfinch Yellow Straightneck · 50d Green Griller Zucchini · 40d Green Lightning Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 45d Green Machine Zucchini Zucchini · 45d Grey Zucchini Zucchini · 48–50d Jaune et Verte Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 53d Kefren Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Lemon Sun Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 50d Magda Cousa Squash Cousa · 48d Maveric Zucchini Zucchini · 42d Multipik Yellow Straightneck · 50d Noche Zucchini Zucchini · 48d One Ball Round · 48d Pantheon Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Peter Pan Patty Pan · 52d Romanesco Italian Zucchini Zucchini · 48d Ronde de Nice Ronde · 45–50d Safari Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Sebring Zucchini Zucchini · 40d Sophy Zucchini Zucchini · 55d Spineless Perfection Zucchini Zucchini · 45d Success PM Yellow Straightneck · 50d Sunburst Patty Pan · 55d Sunny Delight Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 40d Tempest Yellow Crookneck · 54d Tromboncino Tromboncino · 70d Y-Star Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan · 50d Yellow Crookneck Yellow Crookneck · 58d Yellowfin Zucchini Zucchini · 50d Zephyr Yellow Straightneck · 54d

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 50 are in the full list below.

All 50 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety TypeHabit DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Astia Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 48 Green Renee's Garden describes this ashappy in a pot
Benning's Green Tint Patty Pan Squash Heirloom Patty Pan Bush 50–55 Green Small
Black Beauty Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 63 Green Medium
Bush Baby Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 49 Green Reimer Seeds describes this ashappy in a pot
Caserta Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 50–60 Green
Cocozelle Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 58 Striped Medium
Costata Romanesco Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Semi Vining 52 Green Large
Cube of Butter F1 Yellow Straightneck Bush 50 Yellow
Dark Star Zucchini Zucchini Bush 50 Green Medium
Desert Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Green CUCUMBER_MOSAIC_VIRUS POWDERY_MILDEW PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Dunja Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 47 Green Medium POWDERY_MILDEW PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Early Prolific Straightneck Heirloom Yellow Straightneck Bush 45 Yellow Medium
Early White Scallop Squash Heirloom Patty Pan Bush 47 White Small
Early Yellow Crookneck Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Bush 50 Yellow Medium
Eight Ball F1 Round Bush 50 Green Small POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Fordhook Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 57 Green
G-Star Patty Pan Squash F1 Patty Pan Bush 50 Green
Gold Rush Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 53 Yellow Medium
Golden Glory Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Yellow POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Golden Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 50–55 Yellow Medium
Goldfinch F1 Yellow Straightneck Bush 50 Yellow POWDERY_MILDEW
Green Griller F1 Zucchini Bush 40 Green ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Green Lightning Patty Pan Squash Patty Pan Bush 45 Green Small
Green Machine Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 45 Green Medium CUCUMBER_MOSAIC_VIRUS POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Grey Zucchini Heirloom Zucchini Bush 48–50 Green Medium
Jaune et Verte Patty Pan Squash Heirloom Patty Pan Bush 53 Bicolor Small
Kefren Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Green Medium POWDERY_MILDEW PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Lemon Sun Patty Pan Squash F1 Patty Pan Bush 50 Yellow Small
Magda Cousa Squash F1 Cousa Bush 48 Green Small
Maveric Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 42 Green Medium POWDERY_MILDEW
Multipik F1 Yellow Straightneck Bush 50 Yellow Medium
Noche Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 48 Green Medium WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
One Ball F1 Round Bush 48 Yellow Small WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Pantheon Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Green Medium
Peter Pan F1 Patty Pan Bush 52 Green Small
Romanesco Italian Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 48 Striped Medium
Ronde de Nice Heirloom Ronde Bush 45–50 Green Small
Safari Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Green
Sebring Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 40 Yellow POWDERY_MILDEW
Sophy Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 55 Green PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Spineless Perfection Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 45 Green POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Success PM Yellow Straightneck Bush 50 Yellow POWDERY_MILDEW
Sunburst F1 Patty Pan Bush 55 Yellow Small
Sunny Delight Patty Pan Squash F1 Patty Pan Bush 40 Yellow
Tempest F1 Yellow Crookneck Bush 54 Yellow
Tromboncino Heirloom Tromboncino Vining 70 Green
Y-Star Patty Pan Squash F1 Patty Pan Bush 50 Yellow Small
Yellow Crookneck Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Bush 58 Yellow Medium
Yellowfin Zucchini F1 Zucchini Bush 50 Yellow CUCUMBER_MOSAIC_VIRUS POWDERY_MILDEW
Zephyr F1 Yellow Straightneck Bush 54 Bicolor Medium
Sources16 cited · 12 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • Colorado State University Extension (Colorado Master Gardener)
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • Penn State Extension
  • South Dakota State University Extension
  • University of Georgia Extension (CAES)
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 21 of the 22 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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