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Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources • Oklahoma State University
F-6026
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheetsare also available on our website at:
http://www.osuextra.com
Squash and PumpkinProduction
Jim Motes
Extension Vegetable Specialist
Warren Roberts
Extension Vegetable Specialist
John Damicone
Extension Plant Pathologist
Jonathan Edelson
Entomology Specialist
Jim Duthie
Extension Plant Pathologist
Productions Requirements
Squash and pumpkin can be grown over the entire state.Low humidity is avorable or production due to lower incidenceo ruit and oliar disease. Squash is grown in Oklahoma orboth resh and processing markets. Light sandy loam soilsare best or early squash production. High labor requirementsor harvesting summer squash and diculty in controlling virusdiseases can limit both squash and pumpkin production.A good summer squash yield under irrigation in Oklahomais eight tons per acre or about 400 bushel cartons. Wintersquash and pumpkin should yield 12 tons per acre or morewith good management and growing conditions. Yields o 15to 20 tons are possible.
Varieties
Squash 
 
(summer, yellow straightneck) Lemon Drop L, Gold Bar,Multipik(summer, yellow crookneck) Dixie, Goldie, Paro, Tara(summer, zucchini) Neptune, President,Senator, Zucchini Elite(summer, scallop) Benning’s Green Tint,Peter Pan, White BushScallop(winter, acorn) Ebony, Royal Acorn,Table Ace, Table King(winter, buttercup) Buttercup(winter, butternut) Ponca, Waltham Butternut
Pumpkin 
(eld) Aspen, Big Max,Connecticut Field, Howden,Jackpot, Lumina (white)(pie) Jack O’Lantern,Small Sugar, Spookie(ornamental) Baby Boo (white),Jack-Be-Little, Munchkin
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 
Soil pH and Fertilizer
Apply lime to maintain a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8 ipH is too low. Based on OSU soil test results, the ollowingquantities o P
2
O
5
and K
2
O are recommended.
Phosphorus per acre
When test shows 0 to 19 20 to 39 40 to 69 70 to 99 100+Add lbs P
2
O
5
 /A 100 75 50 25 0
Potassium per acre
When test shows 0 to 99 100 to 149 150 to 199 200 to 249 250+Add lbs K
2
O/A 200 100 50 25 0
Nitrogen.
Apply 50 lbs/A N preplant in a band along withrecommended P
2
O
5
and up to 50 lbs/A K
2
O. Broadcastand incorporate any additional K
2
O to avoid seedling injury.Three weeks ater plants have emerged, sidedress with anadditional 30 to 40 lbs N/A. For extended harvest o sum-mer squash an additional 25 lbs N/A may be needed to keepplants growing vigorously.
Spacing and Planting
Bush type squash and pumpkin are usually seeded insingle rows at the rate o 2 to 3 pounds per acre.Vine type squash and pumpkin require1 to 2 pounds o seed per acre. Rowspacings vary rom 3 to 6 eet orbush type varieties and 6 to 15eet or vine type squash andpumpkin varieties. In-rowplant spacing will vary rom1 to 3 eet or bush types and3 to 5 eet or vine types.Plant seeds at a depth o
3/4
 to 1 inch. Thin seedlingsto desired in-row spacingwhen plants have three orour leaves.Squash and pumpkinseed will not germinate atsoil temperatures below60°F, and the most rapid
 
6026-2
germination occurs at 90°F, so delay planting until ater thedate o the last spring rost. Pumpkins grown or Halloweenshould be planted in mid-June or late September and earlyOctober harvesting and marketing.
Cultivation and Chemical Weed Control
Shallow mechanical cultivation and hand hoeing areneeded to control weeds beore plants have vined. Pruningroots and vines with cultivating equipment slows plant develop-ment and reduces yield. Several pre-emergence herbicidesare available that will control germinating weeds and grassesin seeded and transplanted squash and pumpkin. Consultthe most recent revision o OSU Extension Facts No. F-6008,
Weed Control in Vegetables,
or the latest edition o CircularE-832,
Extension Agent’s Handbook o Insects, Plant Disease,and Weed Control.
Field Scouting for Plant and Pest Devel-opment
Fields should be scouted at minimum once per weekater planting by walking across the entire eld in a V-shape orX-shape pattern, and recording plant development and weedand insect occurrence and numbers. Results o surveys willbe needed to make decisions regarding projection o harvestdate, need to bring in honeybees or pollination, and pestcontrol.I known, scout or diseases in areas o a eld in whichdiseases tend to appear rst. Otherwise, use the V-shape orX-shape sampling pattern outlined or insects. Some oliardiseases will appear where air circulation is reduced andleaves remain wet, such as in low areas and along borderssheltered by trees. Foliar diseases typically appear rst oncrown leaves close to the base o the main stem. Root dis-eases tend to appear where soil remains wettest, such as inlow areas and in heavier soils.
Insects
Fields previously in sod or having heavy inestations oweeds in the prior year should be treated with a soil appliedinsecticide at planting to control soil insect pests, includingcutworms. Small seedlings are extremely susceptible to eed-ing damage rom adult striped and spotted cucumber beetlesand may need to be treated with a oliar applied insecticideto prevent complete deoliation and/or inection by bacterialwilt which is transmitted by cucumber beetles.Squash bug is the key pest o squash and pumpkins andwill destroy the crop i not controlled. The squash bugs mustbe controlled early in the growing season and can best belocated by examining the undersides o leaves or eggs whichare laid in groups. Young nymphs are the easiest lie stageto control and should be targeted or insecticide applications.The nymphs are most easily located in close proximity to eggclusters just ater hatching. Aphids and mites can cause dam-age to leaves and leave deposits on ruit reducing marketableyield. Low numbers can be tolerated throughout most o theseason, and scouting results will indicate whether populationsare increasing and should be controlled.Good ruit set and development on squash and pump-kins are dependent upon insects, primarily honeybees andbumblebees, to adequately pollinate the emale fowers.Flowers are most receptive to pollination during the morninghours. Flowers should be examined to determine activity obees. I ewer than one bee per ten fowers is noted duringthe morning hours, the producer should bring beehives intothe eld to ensure adequate pollination.
Diseases
Squash and pumpkin are susceptible to several diseasesthat attack the roots, oliage, and ruit. The most commondiseases in Oklahoma have been powdery mildew and virusdiseases. Angular lea spot, downy mildew, Phytophthorarot, other ruit rots, bacterial wilt, root rots/vine declines, androot-knot nematode also have been problems. Consult OSUExtension Circulars E-853 or E-929 to help identiy thesediseases.Disease control is essential in the production o high qualitysquash and pumpkin. A preventive program that combinesthe use o cultural practices, genetic resistance, and chemicalcontrol as needed, usually provides the best results.Cultural practices are useul or limiting the establish-ment, spread, and survival o pathogen that cause squashand pumpkin diseases. Many o the ungal, bacterial, andnematode pathogens survive in old crop debris and in soil.Fields should be rotated with non-cucurbit crops or at leastthree years to reduce pathogen levels. Grass crops are idealor rotations where nematodes are a problem. Fields with theproper soil characteristics should be selected. Avoid acid soilsor elds with a history o Phytophthora rot or root rots/vinedeclines. The selection o well drained soils is essential orminimizing ruit rots. Late plantings should not be situatednearby and downwind o early planted cucurbit elds whereoliar or virus diseases already exist. Avoid the movement ocontaminated soil or plant debris into clean elds on workersor arm equipment. Diseases such as angular lea spot areknown to be carried on seed. This can lead to the introductiono disease into elds. Purchase seed rom reputable sourcesand apply a ungicide seed treatment prior to planting. Mostoliar diseases are spread by water-splash or avored by longperiods o lea wetness. Utilize drip irrigation or avoid requentsprinkler irrigation with small amounts o water. Finally, usetillage practices that promote the rapid decomposition o oldvines and ruit soon ater harvest.The use o disease-resistant varieties is an economicalmeans o managing diseases. Unortunately, only a ew dis-ease-resistant varieties are available or squash and pumpkin.Varieties have been recently developed and released witheither virus or powdery mildew resistance. These shouldbe tested or local adaptation until trial results become avail-able.Management o oliar diseases such as powdery mildewmay require ungicide sprays. Fields should be monitored atleast weekly or early disease detection. Late planted elds aremost vulnerable to powdery mildew. Spray programs shouldbe initiated shortly ater the rst appearance o disease, orbeginning at fowering to prevent disease in late plantings. A14-day schedule has been eective in most instances, althougha 7-day schedule may be required where powdery mildew issevere. Management o bacterial wilt may require the useo insecticide to control cucumber beetles which spread thedisease. Consult OSU Extension Circular E-832 or a listingo ungicides approved or use on squash and pumpkin.
 
6026-3
Pesticide Applications
Insecticide applications should be made only whennecessary as determined using results o eld surveys. Forcontrol o diseases, ungicides are most eective when ap-plied beore disease begins to increase. The potential orvery rapid increase is greatest shortly beore harvest whenthe canopy is most dense or anytime during prolonged periodso rainall. Eective squash bug control is dependent uponsucient penetration o the lea canopy by the insecticidesto contact and kill the bugs. Insecticides and ungicidesshould be selected based on proven eectiveness. Groundapplications should be made in a minimum spray volumeo 20 gallons per acre at 40 psi to ensure adequate canopypenetration and oliar coverage. Aerial applications shouldbe in a minimum o 5 gallons per acre. Chemigation is aneective method or applying some ungicides.Beehives maintained near elds or pollination must beprotected rom spray drit by removing the hives or coveringthem. Additionally, the bees working the elds must be pro-tected by using insecticides with a low toxicity to bees andby withholding applications until late in the day when beesare less active.
Irrigation
Irrigate summer squash with moderate amounts o watersince they root only three to our eet deep but have manyshallow roots. Winter squash and pumpkin root deeper andrequire less requent irrigation. Moisture stress during summersquash harvest can seriously reduce yield. When overheadirrigation is used, water should be applied early in the dayso leaves can dry beore nightall to reduce the incidence oruit-rotting and oliar diseases.
Harvesting and Handling
Summer squash are harvested over several weeks andmust be harvested every other day during the peak productionseason. They are harvested as soon as ruit is o edible size,but beore the skin begins to harden. Varieties with long ruitsare harvested when less than 3 inches in diameter and up to6 to 8 inches long. Scallop squash are harvested when 3 to4 inches in diameter. Summer squash are very tender andmust be handled with great care to prevent mechanical dam-age. Deective and large summer squash ruits should notbe allowed to remain on the plant as this reduces additionalruit set. Summer squash should be cooled beore shipmentto maintain quality.Winter squash and pumpkin are harvested when mature,and are normally harvested in one or two pickings. The skin ishard and resists denting by thumbnail pressure when mature.Winter squash and pumpkin can remain in the eld through alight vine-killing rost but should not remain in the eld duringa hard reeze. When harvesting, the stem is cut, leaving astub attached to the ruit. They should be handled careullyto avoid breaking the skin and bruising the ruit. Summersquash is usually packed in
1/2
or
5/9
bushel crates orcartons weighing 21 pounds or in 1
1/9
bushel crates weighing42 to 45 pounds. Winter squash are commonly packed in1
1/2
bushel crates weighing 40 to 45 pounds.
Curing and Storage
Summer squash are perishable and should not be stored.They can be held up to one week beore marketing at 45° to50° F and 90 to 95 percent relative humidity. Winter squashand pumpkin can be stored or later marketing. I stored, theyshould be cured to harden the shell, insure maturity, and toheal any cuts and scratches. To cure, winter squash andpumpkin are held or 10 days at 80° to 85°F and 80 percentrelative humidity. Winter squash and pumpkins are storedat 50° to 55°F and 50 to 75 percent relative humidity. Acornsquash can be stored up to two months and butternut squashand pumpkin or two to three months.
Related Extension Publications
E-832
OSU Extension Agent’s Handbook o Insect, Plant Disease, and Weed Control 
E-853
Cucurbit Production and Pest Management 
E-929
Guide or Identifcation and Management o Diseases o Cucurbit Vegetable Crops 
 
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