In your zone I don't know why you started so late, do you have late cold spells? Never had any good fortune in raising summer squash in the heat but winter squash always seemed to do very well.

I started late cause I had no idea what I was doing and thought that was the time to start. Then I just couldn't resist planting more varieties. Next year I will definately start earlier. We hardly ever have frost here and we have mild winters.

I was also looking at planting guides like the one attached that say sumer squash can be planted through August here.

It has been really hot here though. Maybe the plants are suffering in the heat. Will they recover when it gets cooler?

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting guide

You would be swimming in squash if it weren't for the zone you're in. It seems like you planted much too late for squash. Try a fall crop.

In ideal conditions you can expect at least 20 summer squashes from a single plant.

I have two yellow crooknecks growing and already have too much squash to deal with.

I may be mis-remembering but I think you mentioned somewhere that most of your plants are in containers? I planted butternut from seed april 15th in the ground, decided they were too crowded so I transplanted a few of the seedlings into pots mid may. I had never tried squash in pots before.

The in ground plants are doing much better then the potted ones, especially now that I relented my tough love stance and began to water them more often. The potted squash are doing just ok, but improved after I gave them some fish emulsion and more water(at least a gallon a day, usually given in the evening), but I wonder if in hot and dry areas(I am in Burbank)things in pots just don't produce as well.

Patience is probably the answer. I feel if I can keep them alive until the weather cools a bit they will produce well into fall. At least we don't have the Squash vine borer to fight here!

By the way, I don't believe you planted too late, it may be a bit easier if they have a chance to become established before it gets too hot however the references I use indicate that it is absolutely doable to plant at least through June and even July in So CA.

The fun of gardening is the experimentation, where else can we make mistakes with so few repercussions?

There are a few squash varieties specially bred for containers, but I'd be leery of growing any standard squash in anything smaller than a half barrel.

Even the ones I've got at one end of a raised bed aren't as happy as the ones in the ground despite that fact that the bed has far superior soil.

Squash roots don't go all that deep, but they spread widely and they also develop adventitious roots along the length of the vines.

Walkinggin,

Yes, you are correct, all my squash are in containers. All in 18 gallon containers with the exception of a couple of the earlier planted straightnecks that are in smaller containers. I fertilize them weekly with a very weak fertilizer. I alternate quail manure, kelp and fish emulsion. There is also well composted horse manure mixed into the potting mix of my later planted ones, which are the ones doing better.

I'm in Santa Clarita so just a tad warmer (couple of degrees) than you are in Burbank.

I hope they will survive and get going in the cooler weather. If I have to replant for fall, I probably won't have any room left for my fall veggies that I am planning so I may have to wait until next year to try again.

Are your potted butternuts vining all over the place? Between my butternut and tatume, I have to be very careful not to step on vines when tending to my container garden. They are everywhere! Next year, I will definately try to trellis them.

ania_ca, I'm over here in Glendale and I was just starting to wonder the same thing about my squash. I also planted crookedneck and butternuts in May. I've only gotten 3 squash from the crookedneck and the butternut has 4 developing but nothing mature. I did research about planting in SoCal before I started and pretty much all the sources I went to said you could plant squash in May so I don't get it. Maybe it is the heat or the crazy weather we've had with June Gloom and then insane heat. I'm just waiting it out and hoping that all turns out well.

Sorry to keep posting but...I looked at the planting guide you linked to, it looks like a good site however the planting guide itself indicates that it is for "typical" So Ca Sunset zones 23 and 24, but there is not really a typical climate in Ca. and so that guide may be a bit off for your zone. The Sunset Western Garden Book is quite useful. You can probably find it in the library or I can look up your sunset zone for you if that would be of help.

Coming from a person who market gardens and has 49 hills of summer squash and had 35-40 zucchini in a high tunnel and now has a fall crop growing, I think you are fertilizing too much. I put out some compost and some fertilizer when I plant and just water. I have harvested several thousand pounds of squash this year.

It seems to me that many first timers fertilize way to much. I think the mentality is once is good, ever week is awesome. I bet your plants are really big and dark green.

Just my two cents!

"Coming from a person who market gardens and has 49 hills of summer squash and had 35-40 zucchini in a high tunnel and now has a fall crop growing, I think you are fertilizing too much. I put out some compost and some fertilizer when I plant and just water. I have harvested several thousand pounds of squash this year."

****Is that true for containers too? I read on here to fertilize weekly, weakly since the nutrients get flushed out of the soil quickly in containers. I'm only using the fertilizers at about 1/5 to 1/10 strength. So, I'm using the recommended monthly amount or actually even less, but splitting the dose. There is no recommended dose that I know of on the quail manure so I just mix a handful in about 20-30 gal of water.

"It seems to me that many first timers fertilize way to much. I think the mentality is once is good, ever week is awesome. I bet your plants are really big and dark green."

*****No, actually, I'm finding that they yellow if I don't keep up with the fertilizer. The only one that is really big and dark green is my yellow zucchini and that is the one that is producing really well. The others green up if I give them a shot of fert. but will start to yellow if I don't fertilize for a while. I ease up on the fert. if I see the plants are more green and I use more on the plants that are yellowing. Most of my plants also matured very fast and started blooming before they got very big.

Ania

My squash in containers (two years worth) never worked our right no matter the size of the container or the soil I used. I got three squash total. Seri ously.

This year, same squash, same weather, same everything, but in 12 inch raised beds with access to the natural soil beneath and I got over 30 lbs out of two plants. The kicker is they also got 5 hours less sun in the ground than in the containers.

Get those suckers in the ground or at least in a raised bed.

"Get those suckers in the ground or at least in a raised bed"

Wish I could. My yard is mostly concrete with a retaining wall and a small hill that is way too steep to veggie garden on. I have to do my best with the containers.

Ania

My in ground butternut vines are rampant, the potted not so much. For me I limit things in containers because the watering is such a chore but I know for many people containers are the best option. I am not sure why you would replant the squash for fall but perhaps I misunderstood. It sounds like they are healthy and not far off schedule given the recent heat.

Are your containers resting on soil or concrete? With those long vines, keep any squash that sets off the concrete, the heat that builds up will be too much for it and it will likely rot.

Yes I guess they are on concrete!

Yep, they are on concrete. So far, the tatume has set 2 squash on the part of the vine that is on concrete but the squash is not hitting the actual concrete yet. I'm planning on placing cardboard or wood under the squash that sets on the concrete. I should do it for the tatume today before they tip over. I know this will be especially important when I get butternut squash setting since they take longer to ripen.

It's all about improvising....LOL.

I have a drip system set up so watering is not bad at all. I just turn it on and off every other day. When it gets into the 100's, then every day.