Just to add to the info on this thread here's what Jeannine advised in a thread last year, which is basically the way I'm going to try growing mine. Hope the extra info helps :)
Hi, the best thing to do is completely forget about last year. I normally grow 30 or 40 types of squash each year.. it is my passion as many of you know.. but last year was the worst year I have ever tried to grow in and was a dead loss in this area, some areas were OK but many suffered the same problem.Enjpy this year, my gut feeling is it will be a good year.
Tips. don't start them too early unless you can keep them in a warm greenhouse,pot them on frequently until you are in bucket size containers. I did that with many of the hard to mature ones and also with melons but it takes up a lot of space.
My personal preference is well rotted manure, then black plastic about a month before planting out, it warms the soil a few degrees and helps a lot.Don't overcrowd them, they will be puny plants if you do and will struggle, really give them the space they need, it is better to plant less plants and get good yeilds
Plant good strong healthy plants at the right time into warm fertile soil with lots of room and you should be just fine.
XX Jeannine