Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Patty Pan Squash (Cucurbita pepo 'Sunburst')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called patty pan squash, scallop squash, UFO squash.

More about patty pan squash

About Patty Pan Squash

Cucurbita pepo 'Sunburst' · also called patty pan squash, scallop squash · edible

Patty pan is a bushy summer squash grown for its small, scallop-edged fruits picked young at 5-8 cm. A fast, hungry, frost-tender annual, it crops heavily from a single plant given full sun, rich moist soil and regular picking. Harvest every few days to keep fruits tender and production rolling through summer.

Cold limit: USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) · RHS H2 (18-30°C)

What patty pan squash's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for patty pan squash: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for patty pan squash as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can patty pan squash go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when patty pan squash can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline patty pan squash

Patty Pan Squash is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Patty Pan Squash hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is patty pan squash cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for patty pan squash: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Patty Pan Squash is grown 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature patty pan squash can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is patty pan squash?

Patty Pan Squash is rated USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can patty pan squash survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect patty pan squash from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.