A person can be allergic to just about anything or any plant for that matter, so it is possible that you are allergic to them. I would check around for poison ivy, oak, or sumac though as well, just to rule that out. If you have sprayed them with anything, it could also be a reaction to that...

It is 'possible'. Not common but possible. A few people have a similar reaction to tomato plant leaves.

If you rule out the presence of any other poisonous plants in the bed or nearby, the more likely cause, then you can do a skin patch test on a small area with a leaf to see if that is the cause. If it's positive then it is long sleeve shirts and gloves when working with them.

Dave

I find zucchini leaves irritating. I don't get a rash, but I don't like handling them. I try to wear my gloves.

Poison Ivy is worse than just a rash. It's very itchy to the point of pain and usually spreads and oozes. We have it in our yard and I get exposed occasionally.

Agreed, not a rash but they definitely can leave my hands/arms itchy. I try and remember to harvest will gloves, otherwise just rinse your arms under water when done.

I get that after touching my zucchini plants too. I always notice it, but I never have to really do anything about it as it clears up in a day or two. I especially get it when I don't where gloves and one of the prickly spines stabs me...

I get a rash. It stings (doesn't itch so much) pretty badly for a few days or up to a week if it's really bad. It doesn't spread on me though, and it doesn't blister like Poison Ivy - it just stays a flat red blotchy rash. I find wearing long sleeves and gloves helps a lot.

I get a rash from handling many plants. Most often my tomatos but i think I have gotten rashy from my squash and cukes. It is not bad though just red rash slighly morbilliform looking but not itchy ... or only mildy itchy. Only lasts for a few hours.

I noticed it the other day too! Every time I go and pick a courgette my right wrist and arm tends to sting and actually swells slightly but within an hour it's back to normal.

I think mine must be poison ivy then. It's incredibly itchy and has small clusters of blisters

Ooh, sounds like it. I get irritation from the zukes but I planted a crookneck from the nursery this year and that thing has SPINES! Thinking of pulling it out anyway - it's shading my eggplant too much.

Yes! I get it from zucchini plants, bean plants, and strawberry plants.
Solutions: if the leaves touch you, spread baking soda on the area with some water to form a film. Leave on a minute, then rinse off. takes the itch away.

Long sleeves -- if it's hot, I use a poly-pro shirt (thin polyester fabric) and wet it down well. Keeps me cool. If it dries, I go in a soak the arms again.

So sorry if it's poison ivy. You could order Rhus tox from homeopathic pharmacy -- works well on it.

Don't assume it's poison ivy. I've only recently realized that I'm incredibly sensitive to squash and cucumber leaves and very quickly develop poison-ivy -like pustules.(had blamed a different plant) If I rub or scratch the affected area even the slightest bit, the rash spreads and itching intensifies. Sometimes, I have to resort to prescription strength topical ointment. Good luck.

When I have been out and close to the zucchini if my legs get up against the leaves while I am weeding or doing anything else that causes me to get that close, I get something, either feels like itchy bug bites or something, irritating my skin. I have taken to coming in and rubbing clear hand sanitizer on my legs right after, the alcohol in this product seems to cut through and take the itches right away (OK sometimes it takes two applications)

Mine just started about 3 weeks ago. Anytime I work around my cukes or summer squash my hands and arms break out in welts and itch like crazy. Have to be sure to wear long sleeves and rubber gloves to pick or care for them.

Humm, I didn't realise that could happen. I just work around the squash and zucchini, no problems.

I have a particularly "spikey" variety of zucchini that does the same to me.
If you can find some or grow some Jewel weed, try rubbing it on the affected area after working in the garden, it has a natural chemical that neutralizes plant toxin especially poison ivy. It's just a good plant to have around in case you need it, plus it has really pretty little pitcher flowers.

I have a few with some very spike leaf vines, and I do itch after handling them, though no rash.

I get itchy from many of the summer veggie plants: squash/zucchini, melons, beans, okra. But it usually clears up pretty fast.

I just searched for rash/vegetables. I thought I might have mosquito bites but it itches terribly and when I rub the places it spreads. Looks a lot like poison ivy but I know I did not get exposed to it. This is the first year. I have tomato, cucumber and squash plants. I guess it might be the cucumber and squash plants. I will try the leaf test to find out which one or all of them cause this rash. I will protect myself though from now on - long sleeves, long pants and gloves even at 90+ degrees.

It spreads, It's very itchy and creates clusters of blisters?? Wow, that's worse than any "contact rash" I've ever experienced... even with fire coral when I was scuba diving! I go out and thin out the leaves of my zucchini once in a while, and yeah I mean they have some pokey hairs and spines, but nothing I can't handle if I watch what I'm doing. I carry a bouquet of large zuke leaves to the garbage bin and as long as I'm not trying to give myself leave splinters, I'm usually ok. IF you have poison ivy in your vegetables, wow I mean find a way to pull those suckers out! Put on a suit and gloves and get them outta there. Poison ivy is nasty, nasty stuff. If there's no PI, then perhaps you're allergic to the plants? If it's spreading, that's the red flag for me.

I break out into hives where my skin has come in contact with the squash leaves and I itch like crazy! soap and water seems to take care of it.

I get a tiny rash from cucurbits when handling them but my skin overreacts to most things so it doesn't surprise me. Someone told me the little spines are a defensive mechanism to deter birds. My skin freaked out with stinging nettles. I know everyone's skin does but mine lasted for 24 hours. Someone had grown the nettles in the plot I inherited this year and I didn't see them at first but I definitely felt them lol.

I get bad rashes from squash plants and have to go on Prednisone at least once per summer. Recently I forgot my gloves when in the field and thought I might as well just pick anyway. I have a small but very painful rash on my hand where everything touches. I am trying to find something natural to actually heal it. It itched before it blew up but now it just hurts. I have an ointment from the dr but want something to cure it faster.

Son of gun! I've had a rash that blisters and oozes for the last week. but it hasn't spread. I thought it was poison ivy but I know I haven't come in contact with it. Then I remembered that I picked some summer squash in a friend's garden and knelt on the plant. How does one get rid of the rash? HELP!

You could try anything meant for allergic reactions. On the spectrum from most natural to "see your doctor", you could try "Sting Stop" (homeopathic) or baking soda, or move on to topical benadryl (in Caladryl) or cortisone, or if you're still suffering and willing to take meds, there are oral meds with antihistamines or steroids. I wish you the best in finding relief!

Thanks Elisa - I'll try the baking soda first.

My wife get this rash, peeling skin, and a tingling sensation when she gets the juice from the stems of squash on her hands and arms. I use (you won't believe this) WD-40 on the infected areas. She leaves it on a few minutes rubs off the peeling skin and then washes her hands with soap and water. All the symptoms are gone after that in a couple of minutes.

allwaysr, this is not the skin is peeling, it is juice from zucchini creates a cover over the skin. But your idea about WD-40 is brilliant! I was looking for solution for years!

I thought I was crazy. I have a bad rash from Zucchini and summer squash plants. At first it was mild and I did not think they were the cause. Then I was out and I trimmed many plants and by night my hand was quite bad. About a week out now and it is just starting to heal.

I get this too. I find it is much worse if I am sweating when I come in contact with them. It goes away in a couple of hours, especially if I wash well directly after contact.

Ive been useing witch hazel on the rash with tea tree oil seems to help

The exact same thing happens to me! Every time I go to pick cucumbers from my garden, my forearms it’s from touching against the stems of the cucumber plants. I have to immediately come in the house and wash my arms with soap and water.

Yea, me too -- the squash plants irritate my skin. If I have a lot of pattypan to slice, I wear nitrile gloves or else the skin on my fingers starts peeling -- one or two squash are fine, but anything more than a handful and I've got to glove up to prep for cooking. Weird.

I think it's called "garden rash", and the explanation is that cucurbits have fine, mildly abrasive hairs that can irritate skin. I would assume that if you wipe them carefully before handling, you won't have any trouble. That being said, some people are actually allergic to these hairs.

^^ Agree about the plants, but not the fruit -- pattypan are smooth as can be. Plus, I can peel other squash like butternut with no problem, it's just the pattypan that makes my skin peel when I'm slicing them.

I think it is understood that cucumbers, at least, have these very tiny abrasive hairs. But yes, they are common on cucurbit leaves and stems.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/magazine/17FOB-Diagnosis-t.html

You may just have an allergy. Contact dermatitis is something that is seen pretty often with butternut and acorn squash (the latter, which, like Pattypan, is a Cuurbita pepo) protein.

You are not alone. If I don't wash as soon as I get back in the rash becomes painful instead of just itching and gets on other areas that I touch, ie face and neck. I have no idea what they have on/in the leaves that causes it. If they didn't taste do good....

Gosh are we still wondering about this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritant_contact_dermatitis

Scroll down to where it talks about squash. That's what the NYT article was about.

I've been researching on-line, and it appears that some people can be allergic to oils or sap from vegetable leaves, including zuch and squash-family (also tomato and carrot). The rash or irritation tends to be worse where your skin actually comes in contact with the plant because the little spiky bristles on the plant break the skin and the toxins get in, but apparently it is possible to also spread it when you get particles on your hands and touch other places on your body, like with poison ivy. Long sleeves/pants, gloves, and a bandana around your neck help, and the "wash gently afterwards" is good too. I still get some irritation even through long sleeves and pants, but I'm not wearing super thick material in the summer heat. But what we're experiencing is worse that what other people (who aren't allergic/sensitive to the plants) experience from the bristles scraping them.

I thought I was getting lots of bug bites on my lower legs and arms when I was in my garden. Turns out, I'm allergic to many of the plants!

I got a rash with raised bumps, almost like blisters from my Zucchino Rampicante Squash plants today. They itch and do burn when I get overheated.

I was pull red roots and then moved on to my acorn, and spaghetti squash, and cucumbers. Some gnats were flying around my eyes and used my hand to brush them away. Woke up the next morning with oozing rash around my eyes, ear, and neck. Must go to Dr for relief.

I got a terrible itchy rash the first two times I weeded the Butternut patch. On my third visit, I felt the itch and thought it was mosquitos. I rubbed down with a papertowels soaked in ammonia. The itch immediately stopped, and did not create this ugly rash again.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/magazine/17FOB-Diagnosis-t.html

Aslo, butternut and acorn squash can provoke serious allergic reactions. This is well known.

https://www.thekitchn.com/red-itchy-peeling-hands-could-be-butternut-squash-dermatitis-179545

I do get a short-lived itchy rash when I work with squash plants, but yesterday it turned into full-body hives! Benadryl, Prednisone are helping. I think the plants are natural irritants, but anyone can become truly allergic.

same thing happened to me. itching like crazy.

Wow glad im not the only one who itch whwhen touchtouching the zuchinni leaves. i wou notice it right after i touched the leaves.poispoison ivy is way different. i had it 3 timedhaf to get steriod shots

Any spot on my skin that gets scratched from the zucchini’s thorns turns red and feels like it’s burning. It’s not itchy at all, just a non-stop stinging feeling. I just put some topical Benedryl anti-itch cream on my arms and they’re still stinging. I thought it would help with the allergy aspect but I guess I need more of a anti-sting cream. I wonder if a bee-sting type of medication might help more. I was simply trimming off some excess stalks to add more air flow and I guess I need to wear gloves and long sleeves.