Squash

Nope, I plant mine close like that. They are vining plants and will trail away from each other.

I normally space mine further apart by 2-3" around the top of the hill but that will work. Each vine will grow down the mound in a different dirrection. Just keep the soil mounded up around the base of the plants.

Dave

Great, thanks guys!

If they are sacrificed to SVB, you can plant bush zucchini or summer squash closer than the packet indicates. They will never achieve full size.

Interesting. Mine don't start "vining" until very late in the season, in fact at the end of the season if at all! Maybe I have a bush type???? But in 15 years of growing it, I don't get vining til very late. Nancy

Mine don't start "vining" until very late in the season, in fact at the end of the season if at all! Maybe I have a bush type????

Then I'd guess that yes you have bush types.

Dave

yes, bush types are like that. Mine don't vine because they croak around July 15.

Generally zukes are bush types. They do stretch out some, but it's a paltry length compared to true vining.

I wouldn't keep zukes as close together as shown in the photo.

Agreed, zukes will establish large bushy plants with large "bushy" root systems. Putting them together like that only makes them overcrowded and stressed, lesser versions of their real selves. I put mine at the very least four feet apart and they still expand into each other. If you don't have the room for that sort of spacing, then just grown one plant.

The varieties are Dark Green Zucchini and Dixie Squash. After looking online, it seems both are "Bush" types. So would it be best to snip two of the three and allow just one to grow? I dont want to affect production by them being crowded. Thanks

Do you have more room to start other plants further away? That would be best. As it is, the production of each plant will be reduced, but not necessarily the production of the area, with two plants in it.

One advantage of more plants is that if borers get one, they might not get the other. The disadvantage is that with two plants crowded together, you'd never find the borers.

I could transplant some to another spot. Do you think they would live if I pulled them up and replanted to a different spot?

They grow so fast from seed, the plant would be healthier and more vigorous than transplanting one of those.

rbreed - could I make a suggestion for you to try? Leave those as is since you clearly have plenty of room around them for expansion. And if you want more plants then plant singles in other places. Compare the production from the two different methods and see which works best for you.

As I said above, when the space is available I have planted various varieties of zucchini and both vining and bush type squash just as you have in your pictures for many years with no problems. That is the seed pack instructions for planting. In limited space single plants work best.

I find that not only are many more male and female blooms available at the same time so pollination and production are more than doubled by the close planting but damage from squash bugs and SVB is reduced.

It is a comparative experiment worth trying.

Dave

Dave that is a good idea. I actually have two more hills in a different spot that I planted the same way a little later and they are just now coming up. I will thin those to one plant and compare the results. Thanks!

I've always done as Dave mentioned with all cucurbits but I did have numerous requests at my market stand that I seperate zucchini and cucumber plants to one per pot. I complied with the requests but the more important issues IMO are in harvesting technique and plant handling. Don't step on plants and cut rather than just twisting off when harvesting. in many cases you'll need to harvest daily or even twice daily to achieve the desired fruit size but try to avoid hottest time of day.

I find that successive plantings are usually a better option when it comes to these crops. Pests and disease are also easier to control if you locate successive plantings at distant locations. Planting through black plastic and providing abundant water will also help to not only make plants more productive but will result in higher quality fruits.

If I were cramped for space my tendency would be to lean harder to 3-4 seeds per hill and then you'll have one hill rather than 3. Five ft. between hills works well but more importantly, allow much more room between rows if you have multiples to navigate and carry the harvest out.

I usually plant 5 per hill...just a bit further apart than that. Then thin to three. When a bit larger. Just for insurance in case some bunny comes along for a meal. One per hill would make me a bit nervous. The experiment is a good idea.
I also try a few different varieties that seem to have different growing rates and some less likely to get hit with disease.

I'm with Dave. I've always planted that close, and every year, I've got more zucchini than I know what to do with. I would not mess with what you've got going. Experimenting in another area was a very good alternative suggestion.

I also agree with the person who suggested successive plantings. Zucchini gets "tired" after a while and in my area, at least, aphids and fungus take hold while there's still plenty of growing season left. It's nice to have fresh new plants that I started a couple months after, so I can just pull the old ones instead of trying to battle the elements.

3 squash and 3 zucchini? If I were you, I'd be HOPING they never reach their full potential lol. The year I grew that many we had squash coming out of our ears. We were sick of squash, the neighbors were sick of squash, friends and relatives were sick of squash even the dam chickens were sick of squash! I still have bags of it shredded in the freezer.