The very first vegetable I ever grew on my own was summer squash. I was around 10, and the site of my garden was incredibly impractical. I planted broccoli, corn, strawberries, brussel sprouts, zucchini, and crookneck squash. The zucchini and crookneck squash fed my family all summer. Nothing else had any yield at all.
Ever since then, every garden I’ve ever planted has had squashes in a place of pride. Whatever goes wrong with the rest of my garden, I know I can get some kind of yield from the squash. And I always have. But can you grow good squash in a container garden? Absolutely! In fact, the nature of summer squashes makes them ideal for container growing. Preparing Before you get started, you’ll need to make sure you have the following items:
Planting Squash are very easy to grow from seed, but if you want to start from seedlings you can save some time. Plant 4-5 seeds per container, sowing them around an inch deep. The potting mix shouldn’t be heavily packed above them. Water that day and every 2-3 days after that if there’s no rain. In around a week, you should see vines popping up, and then leaves will form shortly afterward. Thin the seedlings, keeping the best 2-3 plants. Also Read: Hand-Pollinating Your Squash Growing Summer squash are hungry plants. They love fertilizer, sun, and water. Weeding and watering regularly will help the squash plant to thrive. Container garden squash can take two forms. If you choose bush plants, the leaves will spread to tumble out of the container in time. If you choose vining plants, you can train them to climb trellises or posts. Tip: Vining squash can root all along their vines. If you bury a few inches of vine in the soil, you will wind up with a much healthier and sturdier root system. Harvesting It takes summer squashes 45-60 days to reach maturity, depending on the variety. The first few flowers you see on the plant will probably be male. You can recognize female flowers by a swelling at the base, which male flowers will not have. Male flowers will never produce fruit, but male zucchini flowers can be harvested for eating. They can be fried or served fresh with salads. Summer squashes will grow very large, but they are at their best if you harvest them smaller: around 8-10 inches long. Pick them right before preparing for best flavor.
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