How to Plant Squash in Hills

Co-authored by Olivia Choong

Last Updated: January 11, 2023 References Approved

Are you wondering how people get those nice, thick squash plants that produce heavily? Planting squash in hills can give your squash first rate drainage, helping them to grow well. Here are a few easy tricks to getting your squash patch up and rivaling your neighbors.

Note: Most squash are planted in hills instead of rows. This provides some dryness on top, since squash seed can more easily succumb to rot than other vegetable seed.

Steps

1
Till your garden deeply by hand or by rototiller. See wikiHow's article on how to double dig a garden for instructions.^{[1]
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2
Mark the placement of the hills. Hills of bushy summer squashes can be placed 2–3 feet (0.6–0.9 m) apart, while hills of vine squashes (Acorn, Hubbard, Buttercup, Pumpkin, etc.) will need to be placed 8–10 feet (2.4–3.0 m) apart to allow for spreading and to prevent hybridization when vines cross and meld.^{[2]
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3
Dig a hole at each hill location. One or two good scrapes of the hoe should do the trick.
4
Sprinkle slow release fertilizer into the hole.
5
Add a two hands amount of well rotted compost or manure. This will absorb and hold water, keeping the roots evenly supplied and hedging against extra dry weather.^{[3]
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6
Cover the mound of fertilizer and manure with dirt to form a mound approximately 2 feet (0.6 m) in diameter and 6–8 inches (15.2–20.3 cm) high.
7
Smooth the top of the hill.
8
Lay out your seeds.^{[4]
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9
Poke the seeds down into the hill approximately one inch (down close to the compost).
10
Cover the seeds with dirt.
11
Pat the dirt down.
12
Water gently at least every other day.^{[5]
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- Thin out seedlings to three per hill once they are established.^{[6]
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- Reapply fertilizer every 10 days.

Community Q&A

Question

My zucchini plant has one stem with two flowers on it. Is this unusual?

Community Answer

No, this sounds normal.
Question

Should I plant three siblings together on a hill?

Community Answer

Yes, the root systems of the plants are designed to work together, so three plants will work great.
Question

What do I do if my squash plants have a lot of blooms, but no squash?

Community Answer

Wait. Male blossoms appear first to attract bees and get that area on their daily "rounds". Female blossoms appear later, and it's the females that give you squash. (Melons and cucumbers work the same way--male flowers first, a delay, then female flowers that have fruit.)