How to Grow Long Summer Squash

Summer squashes are part of the cucumber family. Fruits can be round or long and cylindrical in shape. Gardeners grow them on vines or in bush form, and pick and eat them when they are young, because this is when their skins are thin and soft. Summer squash need heat, water and fertilizer to grow long. They are tender to frost and cannot grow well in cooler weather.

Compost or manure
Rototiller or hand tools
Squash seeds
Shovel
Scissors or pruning shears
Nitrogen fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Collect a soil sample from a garden spot that is in the full sun. Squash grow best in a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6 to 6.5. Amend the soil according to the test results.
- 2
  Apply 2 to 3 inches of compost or well-rotted manure on top of the soil. Combine well with a rototiller or hand tools.
- 3
  Sow squash seeds at least three weeks after the chance of frost passes in the spring. The soil should be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 4
  Build raised hills for the seeds. Each hill should be at least 4 inches tall and 6 to 8 feet from the next hill.
- 5
  Press the seeds into the soil until they are 2 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 4 inches apart. As the seedlings grow, thin out the weakest plants by cutting them at the soil line.
- 6
  Spread nitrogen fertilizer around the base of each plant halfway through the season. Give the squash 1/2 cup of 46-0-0 fertilizer or 1 cup of 27-3-3 of fertilizer per 25-foot rows. The fertilizer promotes a vibrant color and longer growth.
- 7
  Water the plants to keep the soil consistently moist. Summer squash especially need the moisture in the warm weather. If the leaves are wilted in the morning, add water right away.
- 8
  Harvest summer squash 50 to 65 days after sowing the seeds. They are ready to pick when the rinds are tender. Pick before seeds form. Break the vegetable off at the stem.

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