Whether you're an avid gardener or just starting out, learn everything you need to know about vine vegetables like zucchini and cucumbers, and how to take nutritious legumes from seed to your table.
Featured Expert: Dr. Frank Williams, BYU Professor of Plant and Animal Science.
Click on a topic below to view additional information.
Squash
Summer and winter squash are some of the most popular vegetables in the home garden. Summer squash can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried, steamed, or cooked in various dishes. Winter squash can be baked, steamed, or boiled.
See this site for recommendations on the best varieties of summer squash to plant. Click here for recommendations on the best varieties of winter squash to plant.
In cold climates seeds must be sown after the last frost. Click here to see the US Hardiness Zones.
In hot climates—seeds are sown in the fall.
When trying to decide what types to grow ask yourself:
Will you eat them?
How much of this vegetable will you use?
How much space do you have? Garden size is important in relation to the quantity of plants that can be planted.
See what is growing in your area. Try some samples.
How much time do you have? Some vegetables take more or less time to care for.
Thin squash plants, when seedlings have 1 or 2 true leaves. There should be 2 to 3 vigorous, well-spaced plants per hill when seedlings have 1 or 2 true leaves.
Fertilize
Sow fertilizer in the garden in the early spring or late fall.
Work it into the soil.
Side dress with fertilizer throughout the summer. Side dress is adding additional fertilizer on the side of the plant, bury it then water it in.
How much Water
Keep them moist until they germinate and develop their first true leaves.
Then water them every 2-3 days when they are young.
The fully mature plants can be watered once a week.
Cross pollination
Any variety of squash or pumpkin in the same species can cross-pollinate. Cross-pollination does not affect the current crop, but the seed does not come true the following year.
Pests
With squash pests can attack the small seedlings, vines and both immature and mature fruits.
Aphids are sucking insects which draw great quantities of sap, causing leaves and stems to become distorted. Aphids can be washed off of the plants with water.
The three most common virus diseases are zucchini yellows caused by the Zucchini yellows mosaic virus, watermelon mosaic caused by Watermelon mosaic virus, and curly top caused by the Beet curly top virus. See this site to learn more about these viruses.
To view a table that shows the varieties that are the most disease resistant click here.
See this site for information about powdery mildew and other diseases that affect squash.
Cucumber beetles attack seedlings, vines and both immature and mature fruits.
The squash bug damages crops by sucking plant sap from leaves of squash, pumpkin, and related crops.
Winter squash
Winter squash is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown in most of the country. It differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage
Harvest
Winter squash differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage, when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind.
Winter squash is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown in most of the country.
Summer squash is a tender, warm-season vegetable that can be grown throughout the United States anytime during the warm, frost-free season.
Harvest
Summer squash should be harvested when small and tender for best quality. Most elongated varieties are picked when they are 2 inches or less in diameter and 6 to 8 inches long. Patty Pan types are harvested when they are 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
Examples of summer squash: zucchini, crookneck, straightneck, scallopini.
Tips on growing squash from Frank Williams
Harvest summer squash at a very immature age because as they get bigger the quality goes down very rapidly.
Squash like soil that is well drained with lots of organic matter.
Squash like a lot of fertilizer, in the spring put the 1 pound, then side dress them several times during the summer with 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer.
Spread your squash plants out because they like lots of room. Plant in a hill about 3 feet apart. Plant 3 or 4 seeds in a hill to help them break through the soil. They will act as one plant.
You will need 8-10 hours of good sunlight for squash.
Water deeply by soaking or flooding. If the leaves start to wilt they need to be watered.
Harvest winter squash after a little frost, then store in a place where the temperature is between 65-75. This will allow the skin to harden up and they will store well through the winter.
A square of cardboard underneath the vine vegetable will protect it from insects and disease.
Cucumbers
Pickling
Pickling cucumbers are lighter and are short and blocky. If you intend to put up pickles, then grow pickling types. Pickling cucumbers were developed to go through the brining process and will generally produce a higher quality product. Pickling cucumbers have black spines.
Slicing
Slicing cucumbers are dark green and are from 6-8 inches in length. If you intend to use cucumbers mainly in salads then rely on slicing types. Slicing cucumbers have white spines. Six inches is a good size for slicing cucumbers.
Visit this site for tips on choosing which cucumber variety will be best for you.
Click here to see results comparing 11 different varieties of cucumber. This site includes a table comparing the taste of these varieties.
Planting
You can start from seeds or transplants.
Some people use transplants because then they can put exactly how many vines they want in their garden.
One single vine will produce many cucumbers
Cucumbers are usually started by planting seeds directly in the garden. Plant after the danger of frost has passed.
Water
Cucumbers will need to stay moist until the seed germinates.
If you are putting in a transplant, water it every 2-3 days
Then water just once a week.
Harvesting
Pick cucumbers at any stage of development before the seeds become hard. Cucumbers usually are eaten when immature. The best size depends upon the use and variety
They will begin fruiting in 45-60 days and will continue to do so until the first frost.
Cucumbers can only be planted after the last frost, whether you use seeds or transplants.
Cucumbers like a soil with lots of silt and loam.
Use a light fertilizer which can be worked into the soil early in the spring or late in the fall.
Cucumbers need a full 6-8 hours of sunlight every day.
Cucumber vines grow to a length of 20’, so you must prepare to give them adequate space.
The first seven flowers are all male flowers so be patient and after that the plant will produce fruit.
The Romanian cucumber is seedless and has a skin that is not bitter.
Cucumbers need a lot of fertilizer like squash, because they produce a lot of vine and a lot of fruit.
Plants should be spaced three feet apart.
Keep harvesting the cucumbers to keep the plants producing.
It is just as easy to plant from seed as to transplant plants.
Maintain insect control. Do not let insects build up in your garden.
Melons
Visit this site to see melon trial ratings from Master Gardeners who took on the challenge and proved that using a combination of special varieties and growing techniques can indeed result in a successful melon harvest for cool weather climates.
Click here for tips and help growing melons and general melon culture.
Cantaloupe or Muskmelon
Muskmelon, also known as cantaloupe, is a tender, heat-loving plant.
Harvesting
When muskmelons are ripe, the rind changes from a green to tan or yellow between the netting. They should be picked when the stem separates easily from the vine near the point of attachment.
For answers to commonly asked questions about cantaloupe visit this site.
Watermelons
Watermelon is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Watermelons can be grown in all parts of the country, but the warmer temperatures and longer growing season of southern areas especially favor this plant.
Click here for information on growing Watermelon in the home garden.
Harvesting
Some experience is required to harvest a watermelon at its peak of perfection. As a watermelon ripens, the ground spot changes from pale green or white to cream or yellow. The tendrils near the fruit stem will dry and turn brown. The sound of a watermelon, when thumped with a finger, is a muffled, dull tone if it is ripe. An immature fruit will thump with a clear, metallic ringing tone.
Tips on growing melons from Frank Williams
Place aluminum foil reflectors under melons to concentrate heat and speed ripening.
Melons keep 2-3 weeks if stored outdoors in shade.
Harvest cantaloupe at the half-slip stage. When you pick up the melon and tug on the stem and it halfway breaks away from the melon then it is ready.
When the tendril, or curly cue vine near the stem, is dry the watermelon is ready to pick.
Legumes
BeansThe bean is a tender, warm season vegetable that ranks second to tomato in popularity in home gardens.
There are two basic types of beans.
Pole bean
Climb supports and are easily harvested.
Pole beans are indeterminate, which means that the plant will keep growing and producing beans throughout the summer.
Bush bean
Stand erect without support. They yield well and require the least amount of work.
Bush beans are determinant, which means the plant grows and then stops growing and then produces beans.
For answers to commonly asked questions about growing beans see this site.
Tips for growing beans from Frank Williams
Choose a variety that is adapted to the space you have.
Plant rows about 12 inches apart with seeds 1-2 inches apart within each row.
Can be planted in dry soil.
Beans like a lot of fertilizer but not a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Legumes have little symbiotic bacteria that grow on the roots and produces their own nitrogen.
Beans need lots of sunshine.
For a home gardener the pole bean is the best if you have a place to trellis them. Because they continue to grow and produce throughout the summer.
Beans are too late to harvest if you start to see the bumps from the seeds. If you pick them to late the beans will be tough and stringy.
Once beans begin to ripen, they can take a large amount of time picking and preparing them.
Peas
Peas are a frost-hardy, cool-season vegetable that can be grown throughout most of the United States, wherever a cool season of sufficient duration exists.
For answers to commonly asked questions about growing peas see this site.
Tips on growing peas from Frank Williams
Peas seeds are shriveled when you plant them but they need to absorb water so they are nice and round before they will germinate.
They need to be planted in the spring when the soil is very moist or you can soak the seeds for 4-8 hours before planting. Do not remove the seed coat while soaking peas, or it may inhibit seed growth.
Peas are a cool season crop.
Peas must flower and set fruit before temperatures reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Corn
Sweet corn is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown easily in any garden with sufficient light, fertility, growing season and space.
Check with local Agriculture University to see what variety will work best for you. Check out this site to learn about different varieties.
Water
Although corn is a warm-weather crop, lack of water at critical periods can seriously reduce quality and yield. If rainfall is deficient, irrigate thoroughly during emergence of the tassels, silking and maturation of the ears.
Planting
Plant the kernels (seeds) 1/2 inch deep in cool, moist soils and 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in warm, dry soils. Space the kernels 9 to 12 inches apart in the row.
Corn earworms are a problem in sweet corn every year.
Corn rootworm beetles may cause extensive silk damage that interferes with pollination.
European corn borers damage stalks, tassels and ears. As their name indicates, corn borers bore into the plant; and the stalks break over when damage is severe.
There are several pests to be concerned about in corn, click here to read about them.
Harvest
Sweet corn ears should be picked during the "milk stage" when the kernels are fully formed but not fully mature.
For answers to commonly asked questions about growing corn visit this site.
Tips on growing corn from Frank Williams
Corn is not a legume.
Sweet corn has a soft starch and field corn has a hard starch. When sweet corn dries it shrivels up but field corn stays nice and plump. Sweet corn has a much higher quality than field corn.
Corn is sensitive to day length. Check with your local agricultural university to find out which variety will grow in your location.
Corn takes a lot of space. For proper pollination you need at least 4 rows that are 25 feet long. Plant the rows so the wind can blow through them this will help them pollinate. You can plant corn in a circle with each seed 6 inches apart and one in the middle.
Snap off suckers, (small stalks that begin to grow up from the root area of the main stalk) when they are small. You do not have to remove suckers, but if you are getting them it means your corn is planted too far apart. Corn should be planted in a 10” X 10” spacing this gives them space to grow but keeps them close enough for good pollination.
Corn needs lots of Fertilizer. Fertilize in the spring and then side dress a couple times through the growing season.
Apply 1 inch of water a week. Corn shows water stress when the leaves roll inward. To make sure you have seed clear to the end of the cob keep watering your corn adequately.
You can spray pesticide on the edges of the silk to protect against corn earworm.
To protect against pests cover ears with panty hose.
It is ready to harvest when the silk has just started turn brown and dry down.
Eat corn as soon after picking as possible for best flavor and sweetness.
