Planting Winter Squash in Trios

Hi all,

Can winter squash (Buttercup) be planted in small groups as shown below? My transplants are in 3.5" peat pots, three seedlings to a pot, and I'm not sure if they should be planted and then thinned down to one once established or left as a group?

Would greatly appreciate any advice!

Squash naturally grow in clumps.

They are very susceptible to root damage transplant shock while transplanting, so the less you fuss with them the better. I recommend direct seeding.

The traditional way to grow squash in this area was 5 to 10 seeds direct seeded in a clump.

For these reasons, I highly recommend planting them as a clump, and not separating them.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Squash naturally grow in clumps.

They are very susceptible to root damage transplant shock while transplanting, so the less you fuss with them the better.

The traditional way to grow squash in this area was 5 to 10 seeds direct seeded in a clump.

For these reasons, I highly recommend planting them as a clump, and not separating them.

Thanks Joseph! I'll try that out in a couple of weeks once the risk of frost has passed.

Just this year I tried re-potting a watermelon seedling deeper into the soil (as you would with a tomato) and it didn't seem to bother it - is this something you've experimented with?