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Summer squashes, including young vegetable marrows (such as zucchini (also known as courgette), pattypan and yellow crookneck ) are harvested during the summer, while the skin is still tender and the fruit relatively small. They are consumed almost immediately and require little or no cooking.

Winter squashes (such as hubbard , acorn or Cucurbita pepo, vegetable spaghetti and pumpkin) are harvested at the end of summer, generally cured to further harden the skin, and stored in a cool place for eating later. They generally require longer cooking time than summer squashes.

Squash is native to North America and was one of the " Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main indigenous plants used for agriculture: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and shade for the squash. The squash vines provided groundcover to limit weeds.

Squash has historically been pollinated by the native North American squash bee Peponapis pruinosa, but this bee has declined, probably due to pesticide sensitivity, and most commercial plantings are pollinated by honeybeeThe honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. Honeybees are a subset of bees which fall into the Order Hymenoptera and Suborder Apocrita. There are about 20,000 species of bees which exist all around the worls today. One hive per acre (4,000 m² per hive) is recommended by the US Department of Agriculture. Gardeners with a shortage of bees often have to hand pollinate . Inadequately pollinated squash usually start growing but abort before full development. Often there is an opportunistic fungus that the gardener blames for the abortion, but the fix proves to be better pollination not fungicide.

Squash Images

Longtitudinal section of female flower of squash (courgette), showing ovaryOvaries are a part of a female organism that produces eggs. Mammalian ovaries Ovaries are part of the vertebrate female reproductive system. Normally, a female will have two ovaries, each performing two major functions: producing eggs and secreting hormon, ovuleStructure found in seed plants that develops into a seed after fertilization. It consists of an embryo sac containing the female gamete (ovum or egg cell), surrounded by nutritive tissue, the nucellus. Outside this there are one or two coverings that provs, pistil, and petalFor the petals of chakras, see Petal (chakra). A petal is one member or part of the corolla of a flower. It is the inner part of the perianth that comprises the sterile parts of a flower and consists of inner and outer tepals . These tepals are usually dis