You don't HAVE to plant them that way. It's usually done when sowing seeds, not transplanting seedlings.

No need to hill when transplanting.
How many in your family? DH and I eat a lot of it and we have 1 zuk and 1 yellow squash and still give it away!
Good luck and have fun! Nancy

I gardened in northern CA for 45 years and might have said something similar to nancyjane. However, I now know that squash can not necessarily be grown as easily in some other locations. And there is nothing to stop you from using the hill approach. It does help in creating a loose soil. You will probably also appreciate some variety and should add some yellow squash. You don't need plants. They grow easily from seed and you can save seed for a couple of years at least.

Agree with above but you asked "How many should I put on a hill?"

Please understand the number you plant, hill or no, is determined by if it is a vine or a bush variety and how much space you leave around the hill for it to grow.

If you bought a bush-type, I plant 1 or 2 right next to each other in a 3' sq. area. If it is a vine type then I plant 3 in a hill in the middle of a 5-6' sq. area.

Dave

Thanks everyone. I read last night that they should be on hills to keep drainage off the leaves so they don't rot. I know that 4 is a lot especially since I'm the only one eating it! lol Hopefully I can share with friends. Last year my 2 plants did not produce that great and when they did, they got huge very fast. We have Amish nurseries in the area and they sell them cheap as little plants. I do not know the variety...but I don't believe it is vine. It is "Elite", is all I know.

You are correct, true zucchini are bush plants. Elite is a cylindrical medium green hybrid. I like to have two plants a group, with about 18 inches to two feet between groups. They are fairly large plants.
{{gwi:46520}}

I say don't worry about it. There's nothing you can do to hurt a zucchini, short of sitting on it. Your neighbors know to lock their car doors in summertime, right?