When to plant squash in Texas

Planting dates

For spring, wait until frost danger has passed and the garden is no longer cool. For fall, start with the regional averages below, then compare the packet maturity period with your local first killing frost. Squash is frost-susceptible.

Summer or winter squash?

Zucchini, yellow squash and other tender-skinned types belong in the summer-squash branch. Acorn, butternut and other hard-rind types belong in the winter branch. The names describe harvest stage, not the season when you plant them. Texas A&M places summer squash in its 30-to-60-day fall category and winter squash in its 80-day-plus category.

Your region

Use the San Antonio rows only for the Bexar County spring model and its stated north-south adjustments. For fall, select the Texas A&M gardening region for your location. The fall table calls these average planting dates but does not specify one planting method for every squash row, so check your seed packet or county guidance before deciding between direct seed and a transplant.

How to plant squash seed

The Texas A&M crop guide uses hills 18 to 48 inches apart in rows 3 to 8 feet apart. Sow five or six seeds about 1 inch deep in each hill, water them, then thin to three plants after emergence. This is the crop guide method; a local calendar date does not change the amount of space a vining variety needs.

Leave room for the variety

Read the packet before laying out the bed. Vining winter types such as Hubbard or acorn need more room than bush types. If the mature spread will not fit, choose a compact variety or move the crop instead of reducing the spacing without evidence.

Too late for fall?

Find the variety maturity period and your local first-killing-frost reference. Winter squash needs the larger margin because Texas A&M classifies it as an 80-day-plus fall crop, while summer squash sits in the 30-to-60-day group. If the packet does not say whether its timing starts at sowing or transplanting, ask the supplier or county Extension office before using it as a countdown.

Choose your next step

Planting questions