Summer Squash and Zucchini Yield per Acre

Summer squash and zucchini are the fastest cash crop most Southeast farms grow — 45 days to first pick, 30 days of harvest, and a market window that reopens twice a year (spring and fall). But per-acre yield varies more than any other crop we track, and the difference is almost never variety. It's harvest cadence.

Plants per acre

• Bare ground, single row: 5-ft rows × 24-in in-row → ~4,350 plants/acre.
• Plastic, single row: 5-ft rows × 18-in in-row → ~5,800 plants/acre.
• Plastic, twin row: 6-ft centers × 18-in staggered → ~9,600 plants/acre.

Marketable yield ranges

• Bare ground: 400–700 bu/acre (½-bu carton).
• Plastic single row: 600–900 bu/acre.
• Plastic twin row: 900–1,300 bu/acre.

Where 20–30% of the crop disappears

• Overripe fruit. Yellow squash and zucchini go from #1 grade to overripe in 24–36 hours in the heat. Every other day is too slow — you need daily picking for 3 weeks in the middle of the run.
• Skinning. Rough handling in the field bin drops pack-out by 15–20%. Use foam-lined bins during peak.
• Powdery mildew. Untreated, it shortens the run by 7–10 days. Preventive spray program adds 2–3 pickings.

Where the money actually is

Two shorter plantings, staggered 3 weeks apart, out-earn a single big planting on almost every farm we see. You avoid the mid-run price crash and never carry more field than your crew can pick daily.