🎃When to Plant Summer Squash (2026)
Prolific producer. Wait until frost danger has fully passed.
- Type: Warm-season
- Method: Direct sow or transplant
- Days to harvest: 50
- Spacing: 24" apart
- Sun: Full sun
- Companions: corn, beans, nasturtium
Is Summer Squash right for your USDA zone?
Summer Squash is a warm-season crop that needs frost-free weather and warm soil to thrive. Gardeners in zones 5b through 10b have the longest summer squash season. In cooler zones (3a-5a), choose fast-maturing varieties (40 days or less) and start seeds indoors to extend your window. In hot zones (9a-10b), summer squash may struggle in peak summer — consider planting in February-March for a spring crop before the heat.
Summer Squash needs about 50 days from sowing to harvest, so any zone with at least 64frost-free days can grow it successfully. Check your zone's specific dates in the table below.
Summer Squash planting dates by zone (2026)
| Zone | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Harvest From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 24 | May 22 | Jul 11 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 24 | May 22 | Jul 11 |
| Zone 4a | Apr 19 | May 17 | Jul 6 |
| Zone 4b | Apr 14 | May 12 | Jul 1 |
| Zone 5a | Apr 9 | May 7 | Jun 26 |
| Zone 5b | Apr 4 | May 2 | Jun 21 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 30 | Apr 27 | Jun 16 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 25 | Apr 22 | Jun 11 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 20 | Apr 17 | Jun 6 |
| Zone 7b | Mar 15 | Apr 12 | Jun 1 |
| Zone 8a | Mar 4 | Apr 1 | May 21 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 22 | Mar 22 | May 11 |
| Zone 9a | Feb 4 | Mar 4 | Apr 23 |
| Zone 9b | Jan 20 | Feb 17 | Apr 8 |
| Zone 10a | Jan 10 | Feb 7 | Mar 29 |
| Zone 10b | Dec 25 | Jan 22 | Mar 13 |