It's not unusual to see winter squash taking off slower than summer squash or other curcurbits. I wouldn't worry. If you had the same cold wet spring we did that might have delayed it another week or two also.

Thanks lily! I'll try to be patient! :)

Where I live in SE WI we are 3 weeks behind normal growth. The issue for me was cold soil temperatures and not enough heat units. I planted cukes and 3 varieties of winter squash on Memorial day. Some came up 14 days later! No the seed did not rot as I checked. Some did not come up so I replanted. In late June had a few more seeds come up!

Those that came up mid-June are now looking good but way behind in size from normal season. We were so behind on accumulated heat units in my area in May and June that all the plants around here are 3 weeks behind where they would be normally. Lets hope for a long and warm fall season so all the squash mature and ripen fully.

Thanks spartanapples.........that all sounds about where I am too, in terms of cold spring and slow growth. I guess we can just all hope summer lasts longer than usual!. Good luck to you. Thanks again.

We had a colder spring than usual, but our squash seem to love this year (granted we are using black plastic, which does warm the soil quite a bit). Usually if we plant squash very late, they get stunted from the heat, or eaten by squash bugs.

If you want a squash that thrives in cool temperatires, though, try Cucurbita ficifolia. It stops growing in the heat, and then starts again later, fruiting pretty late. It grows really fast whenever it's cool (including early in the season). It's a really fun squash to grow, and the squash bugs don't seem to bother it much. Unripe fruits of this species can ripen in storage, seeds and all. They can store for potentially years. The ripe flesh is stringy and white. It reminds me of rice noodles. It has good flavor and texture for squash greens, too.

Well, I'm back. It's been about 6 weeks since I posted initially. I now have 2 medium-sized squash growing and a couple tiny ones. My question now is: Why are there so few female blossoms and so many males? Is this normal? Yes, we're behind about a month, but with the high temps and sunshine, you'd think more females would step up. We haven't had rain in weeks....but I do water very often........Although I know all plants prefer water from the sky, this is at least keeping things alive.

Anyway to encourage more females? Although, unless we have a summer that is longer than usual, I don't think there's time for a baby squash to become a grown-up. Thanks!

Squash and the cucurbit family did so well for me last year even when I planted late. This year planted on time and they are doing terrible, the whole family. Had a late winter, late spring, too much rain and then too much heat followed by another round of month's worth of rain in 24 hours.

As far as flowers go, I have some squash that put out female flowers first which is frustrating when you are already behind to begin with. The flowers are just so random. I have never found a way to aid in flower production. One gardener said he always moved the male flower pollen around to encourage the plant to produce more female flowers. Who knows if it works. Been a frustrating year for sure. If you do get pollinated female flowers, there is always the option of curing them indoors. They don't last as long but are still very tasty. In my experience, once they start thickening their skins, you can bring them in put them on a shelf with a little sunlight give them a few weeks to cure and get a stronger color. Turn them every so often.

@springtogarden

It could be that the late time is actually a better time to plant them. Watermelons do better in my garden if I wait about three weeks after I can transplant tomatoes to transplant them. Otherwise, they may get stunted or such. Direct-seeding hasn't historically worked out well here, though, unless you count volunteers (which can do excellently). Direct-seeded plants have sprouted fine, where it's been warm enough, but they don't get much growth on before the heat really sets in.

Well, the female blossoms have picked up. I have a couple squash that are about 2" big. But it's hard to believe that they will have time to grow and ripen. Oh well....there's always next year (if climate change doesn't keep getting worse).

My Patisson Golden Marbre squash is struggling, too. No fruit of a size to eat, yet, but flowers of both kinds, and a big plant. But Cushaw White is doing great!

@Mokinu I have such a short growing season I can't wait. Last year I planted them the same time and I had so many I had to give them away. It was a weird year for growing in my area.