In 5 gallons it will be very difficult and only provide minimal production. Yellow crookneck is a BIG plant, easily 4 feet or more in diameter and 3 feet tall. When in a container it has to drape over the sides. That causes broken stems at the very least.

I have grown 1 plant in a half whiskey barrel sized container and it does ok but you still get some breakage.

Dave

Dave has had better luck than I have. I definitely do not recommend growing this squash in a pot.

Thanks for the response. I kinda thought the same that I would need a larger 'spread' area. As far as production, it is just the wife and I and would be happy with a couple of servings per week.

Well.... off to home depot to buy some redwood for the raised bed I will need to build for my squash. I am thinking a 6X6 foot, what do you think?

Narrower and longer raised beds are much easier to work with plus you never have to walk on them like you would a 6x6. Go for 4' wide and as long as you have room for.

Dave

Will do Dave. Wife and I decided on a 4 X 10

I grow all types of squash in buckets, including yellow crook neck.
However, it does result in less production and I need many more plants then I would need if they were planted in a bed-I also need to do succession planting because I always lose some plants to heat, lack of water or pests due to the stressed conditions.
However, I eat squash almost every night during the summer and give some away.

@sjkly the wife and I have other vegetables growing, so just the two of us only need 1-2 servings of squash per week.

So if I were to find some pot that is bigger than 5 gallons, would that one plant provide 2 servings per week?

bksinaz - please note that sjkly doesn't indicate their location or zone while you are in AZ where summer gardening is a challenge at best.

Please also note he/she did point out always lose some plants to heat, lack of water or pests due to the stressed conditions. that trying to grow in pots/buckets causes.

in other words just because something might be done by a few doesn't mean it should be done or even encouraged for others.

Best results, especially when inexperienced, usually comes from following standard practices.

Dave

I'm in 7a, northern Virginia.
And yes, around late July or August I lose some plants.
I am okay with that because I don't have a lot of options-I am somewhat disabled, can't really do an inground garden but have tons of space on my huge deck to do some container gardening.
Seeds are cheap, it's easy to have replacement plants to replace the ones I lose so I do things that may not be ideal.

So, it depends on your goals-if your goal is to get a few servings of squash a week and you are willing to lose a few plants, have some back ups etc you can grow just about anything in containers.

I would rather plant a lot of plants and lose some then not have a garden at all so I do what I can.

The big rubbermaid-type storage containers make great garden pots. Get a drill bit that makes a hole at least 1/2" in diameter (1" is better). Or stab their bottoms with a strong knife and twist it, depending on what your disability allows :). You want holes you can put your finger through, maybe 6 in the bottom of each pot.

If you don't mind the look, get some kids' wading pools and put the pots in them (before you fill with soil). Bottom watering is much, much, much better for plants and productivity. Add some BT grains to keep mosquitoes from breeding, fill pots with half compost and half whatever (potting soil, peat, coir, coconut, sand....) and Bob's your uncle.

Bksinaz- how did your squash turn out?

sjkly- your responses has been informative, thank you. I am a beginner when it comes to gardening and I want to keep our newly seeded fruit and veg in containers primarily indoors. However we have the option to place them outside. I keep reading that crookneck is the way to go if using containers for squash. I'm glad that you find that to be true. I prefer containers because the possibility of moving is high and I want to bring our plants with. We don't need to produce a large scale of squash, just enough for a family of three. Thanks again!