Growing squash can be fun and relatively easy. It is a low-maintenance plant with plenty of nutritional benefits.
If you have ever grown a pumpkin, it will be much easier for you to grow a spaghetti squash. If you have not grown anything, spaghetti squash is the one you would want to start your gardening journey with.
Plant a seed, water it adequately, and watch it bloom with fruits. Spaghetti squash loves the sun; if given a suitable environment, it may be just the perfect plant for your garden.
Spaghetti can be grown in containers with varieties like ‘Tivoli,’ which can grow around 3 feet.
Planting from seed will take around 90 to 100 days for the spaghetti squash plant to be fully ripe.
Spaghetti squash is prone to a few pests and diseases; it will need insecticides to remain healthy, and surrounding spaghetti squash with good companion plants can prevent pest attacks and boost productivity.
This article will provide all information regarding the plantation of spaghetti squash, including its good and worst companion plants. Read along to know its growing requirements and the pests and diseases it is prone to, which will help you to take precautions.
Why Does Spaghetti Squash Need Companion Plants?
Spaghetti squash is generally prone to diseases and pests. While insecticides can be used to control their effects and attacks, good companion plants of spaghetti squash will prevent the plants from pest attacks.
Spaghetti squash will also need pollinators to pollinate the flower and the vegetable the plant will produce; planting good companion plants of spaghetti squash will attract beneficial flies and pollinators, increasing the vegetable’s flavor.
Companion plants will also help spaghetti squash by providing soil nutrients necessary for healthy growth. As plants grow, they take up vital nutrients from the soil, which helps in their healthy growth, and the soil is left with no nutrients.
Companion plants help in restoring those vital nutrients in the soil naturally, which plants then take up as they require.
6 Best Spaghetti Squash Companion Plants
Now that we know how much good companion plants help the spaghetti squash, it will be beneficial to know the best companion plants of spaghetti squash, which, if planted alongside, will benefit the entire garden bed.
Below are some good companion plants of spaghetti squash.
1. Beans
One of the oldest and best companion plants of spaghetti squash, beans, have been planted next to spaghetti squash for generations. Beans, corn, and spaghetti squash are also called the ‘three sisters.’
As mentioned earlier, good companion plants add to the soil nutrients, which are vital for a plant’s growth. Bean is a good companion plant, a soil fixator, fixing the soil’s nitrogen levels.
Spaghetti squash needs a lot of nitrogen for healthy and timely growth. Beans release the extra nitrogen into the soil, which spaghetti squash plants then take up to boost their growth.
Beans and spaghetti have similar moisture requirements, hence relieving you from the load of extra work.
2. Corn
The third partner of the ‘three sisters,’ corn after beans, is another good companion plant of spaghetti squash.
Corn provides shade to the spaghetti squash in the scorching heat, preventing the squash from wilting. It also provides support to withstand harsh winds.
Corn will also give your spaghetti squash a structure to grow upwards; in return, the spaghetti squash will try to keep away pests like rodents, which will feed on your corn plants.
The leaves of the spaghetti squash will act like a living mulch for the corn plants, preventing any weed formation.
3. Nasturtiums
Another good companion plant of spaghetti squash is nasturtiums, a flowering plant that brings vibrancy to the garden bed.
Adding a flowering plant to your garden, alongside spaghetti squash, will prevent your squashes from pest attacks and infections.
Nasturtiums are a trap crop besides spaghetti squash; pests like aphids, whiteflies, beetles, and squash bugs are attracted to the flowering plant, leaving your squashy vegetables alone and healthy.
However, trap crops should always be planted at a distance from the main crop so that pests from the trap crop won’t infect the main crops.
4. Dill
Herbs are always beneficial to the garden, and most of the herb plants are good companion plants.
Dill is another good companion plant of spaghetti squash; the aroma of dill plants helps provide a cover for pests and insects.
Dill is a beneficial plant that attracts predatory bugs and flies to the garden; lacewings and ladybugs like to feed on squash bugs, preventing damage to your spaghetti squashes.
Dill plants also help spaghetti squash increase its pollinating ratio. Dill is known to lure swallowtail butterflies to the garden, which also pollinates your vegetables.
5. Marigolds
Marigolds are another beautiful flower that makes it to the list of best companion plants of spaghetti squash.
Marigolds are loved by every gardener worldwide and can be planted on the side of spaghetti squash. Marigolds attract parasitic wasps, which feast on many harmful insects.
Marigolds, when planted for longer periods, are also known to reduce very small, slender worms called nematodes, which are present in your soil bed, harming the soil and roots of the plants.
6. Sunflowers
The ever-loved sunflower is also a very good companion plant for spaghetti squash. This plant is known to everyone, even kids, and has its own magic.
Sunflowers provide shade to the spaghetti squash plants and prevent them from wilting in the extreme summer heat.
Trellising also becomes easy for smaller varieties of squash plants. Sunflowers also attract pollinators to the garden, increasing the pollinating ratio of the vegetable plant and boosting the taste and flavors of the veggies.
2 Worst Companion Plants for Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash plants are one plant that is very easygoing with other plants. But some plants should be avoided growing near them, or else they will stunt their own growth or the growth of spaghetti plants.
Let us know some of the worst companion plants of spaghetti squash.
1. Melons
Spaghetti squash plants need a lot of nitrogen for healthy growth and should be avoided plantations near melons as melons are bad companion plants of spaghetti squash.
Melons are heavy feeders of soil nutrients and will take up all the nitrogen and other nutrients of the soil, leaving spaghetti deprived of nutrients.
2. Fennel
Not many plants can do well alongside fennel. Fennel is known to excrete some harmful chemicals through their roots, which stunts and inhibits the growth of their nearby plants.
What are Spaghetti Squash’s Growing Requirements?
Spaghetti squash is an easy plant to grow. But still, it is very important to know the basic growing needs of the plants, which will help maintain their healthy growth.
Let us know some of the basic growing requirements of Spaghetti squash.
1. Light Requirements
Spaghetti squash loves the sun. They need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily, and the ideal growing need is a full, pleasant sun, which will prevent any fungal infections.
However, you can provide a bit of afternoon shade when the summer gets extremely hot just to prevent them from wilting.
2. Soil Requirements
Spaghetti squash is one of the most adaptable plants, but still, a plant has a preference. The ideal soil requirement of Spaghetti squash is well-drained, loamy soil, which has a pH level between 6.0 and 6.8.
3. Water Requirements
As mentioned before, Spaghetti squash loves moist soil, and frequent watering will help keep the soil moist for longer periods.
Make sure the soil is not waterlogged, or it will cause root rot; also, when there are dry spells and too much heat, water the plant to prevent it from wilting.
Watering at the base of the plant is recommended, as it will prevent fungal diseases.
4. Temperature Requirements
As said, Spaghetti Squash is a sun-loving plant that enjoys a mild summer day.
They like the sunlight and need it around 6 to 8 hours a day. Humidity is not an issue for spaghetti squash.
5. Fertilizer Requirements
Fertilize the plants with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer at planting and again when the vines start to develop.
Spaghetti squash plants are heavy feeders, so ensure they receive adequate nutrients throughout the growing season.
Grass Diseases and Pests
If you have read all the topics related to Spaghetti squash and are willing to grow one in your yard, then you should be aware of its pests and diseases, which can affect the health of your plants.
Effective management, prevention, and treatment can help your plant stay healthy and enhance its flavor.
Let us have a look at some of the common diseases and pests of Spaghetti squash.
1. Leaf Blight
Spaghetti squash is prone to leaf blight attacks. Leaf blights cause yellow and brown spots on the leaves of the squash.
The leaf blight attacks can be fatal, making the leaves fall and plants die. One way to control and treat these leaf blight attacks is by removing the infected areas and leaves and applying fungicide to the plant.
2. Powdery Mildew
Spaghetti squash is affected by white powdery type dew, which turns the leaves of the plant yellow and brown, eventually leading to death.
If your plant is affected by powdery mildew, you can start the treatment by applying chemical fungicides, and this disease usually occurs during mid-summer. Crop rotation and clearing all the plant debris is one way to treat this infection.
3. Squash Bugs
Squash bugs are the ones getting their name by feeding on squash plants. These insects are gray in color and flat-backed and are very irritating.
Once they are infested in the crops, it is very hard to eliminate them. One way to treat them is to spray or apply soapy water or neem oil. Hand-picking is another way to get rid of them.
4. Aphids
One very commonly known pet that affects plants is aphids. Aphids suck sap on the leaves of the plant, which lies on the underside of the squash plant leaves. If your plant is wilting without any reason, check for them, as they might be the one.
You can plant good companion plants of spaghetti squash, which feeds on aphids, which is a way to get rid of them. You can apply neem oil or other insecticides to eliminate them.
Conclusion
Spaghetti squash is one plant that needs minimum growing care and is very easy to grow. If you are considering planting one in your garden, plant it around its good companion plants like beans, marigolds, or corn to boost the growth and increase the productivity of the overall garden.
Also, avoid planting it with some of the bad companions of Spaghetti squash, like fennel and melons, which can stunt the plant’s growth.
Follow this article as a guide to understanding the growing requirements of spaghetti squash and what are the pests and diseases that can affect take preventive measures and appropriate actions to treat them.