Plant winter squash in rows or hills, planting seeds one inch deep. In hills, plant two to three seeds per hill. After they have germinated, keep the best two winter squash plants and pull out the 3rd. Cover very lightly with soil. Water the first day and if there is no rain, every two to three days until they germinate.
You can also plant seeds 3 weeks ahead of time in a small container and transplant them to the garden after they have their first full set of regular leaves and you are past your last frost date.
Winter squashes can take up a lot of space in the garden and they need a long growing season of 90-110 days to ripen. They should not be grown in containers as they really sprawl and may end up growing into your living room. Allow at least 4-6 feet diameter per plant or plant in rows that are that wide and space plants about 4 feet apart.
Sometimes, if the weather is very moist and cool, you may see some white powdery substance on the leaves of the plant. This is called Powdery Mildew which is a fungus. While it is not good for the overall health of the plant, there is very little that you can do except wait for warm sunny weather. The good news is that it is not likely to damage the fruit. Always water low to the ground and never use sprinklers to water your vegetable garden. Over the season, winter squash will require at least 15 inches of water and infrequent slow deep watering is ideal. Leaves often wilt in the middle of the day during hot spells, but check the soil for moisture below the surface.
Ten weeks after planting, the first flowers appear. Each flower blooms for only one day. They start to open just before dawn, and during a four hour period, they open wide. By mid-day, they are on a slow course of folding in on themselves; and by dusk, they are sealed forever. Every winter squash plant has two kinds of flowers -- male and female. The male flowers, which appear first, sit on long thin stems and are more plentiful than females. The females sit closer to the vine and have small baby winter squash under them. Bees gather pollen from the center of the male flowers and deposit it inside the female flower. Because of lack of bees in some areas, it may be a good idea to hand pollinate the winter squash manually in order produce more fruits. The process is quite simple: use a small artist's brush or Q-tip, gather pollen from the males; carefully carry it to a chosen female and deposit the pollen in the center.
Winter squash also require heat to produce sweet fruits so using black plastic mulch on top of the soil can help speed up warmer soil conditions. Pick fruits when they turn color completely
