I’m going to be direct seeding my squash soon. I thought it would be interesting to have a spacing for squash thread to discuss what we are doing and why we did it that way.
I’m wondering how the spacing can impact which ones survive. I have a ton of seed and would like to put several seed per spot. Originally I planned for one row down the center, 3 feet apart. With 3 seed per spot. (51 seed) The lower row in pic. 17 spaces in 50ft row.
Then I thought what if I do more spaces and can have more opportunity for selection? The upper row in pic is an offset, double row, spacing 2ft apart in row, with 2 seeds per space. (100 seeds) 100 spaces in 50ft row.
The squash rows are centered between offset double corn rows. 4 to 5 ft “aisles” for the squash rows if that makes sense. Then they can grow under the corn too.
I’m leaning towards the offset double row. Get more seeds down for more opportunities. Only pulling obvious stragglers or pest magnets, etc.
What spacing are you using? What conditions or reasons led to that?
I’ve planted two separate three sisters beds the last few years and here’s what I’m trying this year:
A single row of squash down the center, about 18-24 inches apart, with a row of corn and beans alternating spots on either side, with ~8-10 seeds per final spot, mostly planted in familial groups (so all seeds from the same squash in each spot). This will allow for selection of the most vigorous plants from each line I chose to save last year or to introduce this year. I intend to select down to one or at most two squash per spot & 2-4 corn/beans per spot. There’s already significant variation in vigor from the same maternal seeds.
This year I seed squash in holes about 25 cm apart and out 2-3 seeds in each hole. Between rows about 1 meter. My reasoning is similar to yours. I have sowed them way closer than I need to so I can allow for more selection. I do this with most of my crops when I have enough seed actually.
I scatter-sowed about five pounds of saved squash seed on a city lot-sized plot. No soil prep; the soil was excavated and bulldozed bare late last summer in an unrelated project. Some seeds have germinated and some have not. Rains are on pause while an omega blocking high sits over the Great Plains. When rain resumes, more seeds will likely germinate.
Even if not, I have plenty of seedlings to work with already. No irrigation. I did the same thing last year. Yields were not high, but were sufficient to obtain plenty of saved seeds. I mixed those in with other seeds I saved from squashes i have eaten.
These mass selections should yield very hardy plants. Next year I will begin to focus more intently on specific selected plants, and higher yields.
To me spacing has been relative to grex/selection stage:
when I created my grexes in 2022, and in the following year I did not care about assessing plants, and neither size fruits, etc. I wanted crosses. so I went for close spacings 2 squash per square meter (0.5m²/squash), i.e. 1 squash per 5 square feet
from then on I distanced more and more my squash, until 2025 I decided to give each 3 square meters (30 square feet), because I started getting very intentional about breeding (wanted to see and document if there were correlations between health, taste and shelf life… so I needed clear identification of the fruits, the plants, to be able to take pics and simple data harvest, notably at harvest), so was willing to be able to do proper assesment of each plant. Corollarily I interplanted those with other projects : eggplants, tomatoes, physalis, melon, watermelon, etc. That pattern helped me to do those assesments without losing space, even if wider would have been better, because there was still some intertwinning… My biggest plant had 30meters of vines! 300 feet!
This year is different : I didn’t sow in pockets - i.e. in predetermined points - but in line and relatively regularly with that type of tool, each row is distant from the next of 1.5meters (15feet), and my definitive spacing on each row will be dependant on my early growth selection which I do every fortnight or so (taking 1hour for doing it on the 1km/0.6mile or sow walking along the rows). Definitive spacing will be known at third or fourth selection, i.e. 45-60 days post sowing (and so just before flowering: to get the best crossing with the best only)… so it should be something like 3 to 6 square meters per plant: enough for them not to get too much intertwinned. I got intermediary rows of sorghum, sunflower, beans, etc.
My recap : The wider the less intertwinned the vines are, so that can be handy at some points in our projects. We can fill the gaps made with other projects not to lose space.
As i have a low surface i started my plants in pot, The advantage is to seeing his comportement before to plant in fullground and combinated together the plants who will be the better heterosis effect.
I try to respected a density between 1 to 1,5m2 by plant.
The first year I select one line who started by male flowers and giving fruits lately.(Thoses plants started generaly with a low vigor)
and one line who started by fruits and give male flowers during the maturity of his fruit ( Thoses plants started with a strong vigor.
The second year i grow one plant of each line together.
The line who started by fruits is pollinisated by the late line who started by male flowers.When the plants of the late line give fruits the plants of the early line give male flowers during the maturity of Their fruits and pollinisate the lates plants.I have a scale harvest on all the season and if the weather is bad at a moment i can have differents periods for the set fruit.
If i have a good synchronisation the yield can be high but the weather is often irregular.
I grow around my plants a mix of borago and radish for attracted the pollinisators.For the radish its easy after the harverst i leave some radish up to seeds in bonus i renew my radish seeds.
I think to add some legume who will fix it the nitrogen of the air in their roots.
Alfafla can also fix it the nitrogen to stay at soil.
