Information on Squash Plant Seed Packets

About the Plant

• One of the first items on the back of your squash seed packet is the name, variety and information about the plant and its fruit. This section tells you whether the plant is a summer or winter squash, its general appearance and what the fruits look and taste like. On most seed packets, this is also the area where you will find how long it takes the plant to mature. This refers to how many growing days you will need for the plant to go from seedling to fruiting plant.

Sowing

• Your packets also tell you how to plant the squash seeds. Under "Sowing" you'll find information on whether to start the seeds indoors or directly in the garden (most squash can be started directly outside), when to start them and how deep to plant them. Some seed packets include germination time in this section, while others list germination time under a separate heading. Germination time is the number of days it typically takes for your seeds to sprout.

Spacing

• Each plant requires a certain amount of growing space for it to thrive. If planted too closely together, your squash plants will compete with one another for water and nutrients. This competition leads to less vigorous plants. Different seed companies use different terms for this, but the most common are spacing, thinning or culling. This tells you when to thin your plants and how much space to leave between each one. Squash plants generally need about 3 feet of space to grow well.

Care and Hints

• Not all seed packets carry this information, but the better seed companies want you to succeed with your garden and provide tips on the plant's care. These include the plant's preferred soil type and pH, the mount of sun they require, when to fertilize and when and how to harvest. Unfortunately, not all seed packets have this information, so check different seed packet if you want these helpful tidbits.

Year

• All seed packets should have the year they were sold on them. If not, you won't know how old the seeds are. Old seeds are less likely to germinate or may produce weak seedlings. The year will either be on the back of the packet or printed on one of the end flaps.