Any winter squash (or hard shelled) can be picked when the skin is thick enough for your fingernail NOT to puncture. They do not 'ripen', but just get harder. You want to leave them on the stem til the stem is dead or the squash's skin is toughened.

Sorry about your critters. Personally I think the critters have a 'critter facebook' that they tell each other where the food is ready.

Given the critters the choice is ultimately yours but leaving them on the vine as long as possible is best for maturing - even on an almost dead looking vine. Yes it is being on the vine that matures them.

As mentioned, ideally the stem should be dry and brown and the skin really hard.

That will give you the ideal storing condition for them assuming long term storage is your goal. If planning to cook and freeze then they can be picked earlier.

Dave

Thank you for the follow ups. Yes, long term storage is quite important to me. Last year a great many of my squash were not ideal even when not stored long (as stated in the OP, I picked the bulk of the crop on August 15). I resolved to leave 2013 squash on the vine until well into October come hell, high water or an army of critters (in my yard that means squirrels). Some years ago, IIRC, squirrels weren't a problem, but for around 4 years running now, they are a huge problem every year, that in spite of my having deposited two of them in the park ~6 miles away and killing one with a rat trap. I stopped setting rat traps, I've found the squirrels trip them and generally seem unfazed. One time, however, one did die.

This year a squirrel (I assume it's only one, but who knows?), has tripped my trap but somehow not been caged. I figure sooner or later I will get him/her, or else the beast will wise up and stop hitting the trap. They do seem clever at times. I'm seriously contemplating buying a pellet gun.

I'm curious, is there a way I can configure things so I get emails when someone responds in this thread? I have not seen that in these forums yet, and I did look today when I registered and posted this. I only see something about allowing people to post me directly through email, which I'm not sure about.

Since you're looking for long term storage, wash those squash (after picking) with a bleach/water 1:10 to kill off some of the bacteria that will encourage rot. Keep them in a place where you would be able to store potatoes and lay them on a rack, not touching each other, and move them around every week or so. You don't want to lay them on the same side each week.

For keeping the mildew away, I've heard that a simple mixture of Equisetum (horsetail) and water sprayed on the plants as soon as you see the mildew starting. I was hoping to give this remedy a try this summer, but to date, I have yet to have any mildew on any of my squash plants.

Now, for the critters, you could try putting a few stakes around the plants, and then get some deer or bird netting up over the plants. Again, this is untested for me, but I would expect the squirrls would hopefully be distracted long enough for the squash to ripen on the vine.

Good luck.

You have to enable the "allow other members to send email" in your preferences and then check off the "post replies emailed" box at the bottom of your query when you start a thread or respond to one. Then copies will be sent.

I think your best bet with squash predators is to find ways to deflect them. A trellis is a beginning but a cage covered with bird netting might be better.

Another option is pepper spray. Squirrels don't like that at all. Once they nibble a "hot squash" they'll remember. You may need to re-apply a time or two but squirrels are smart enough to remember negative experiences and any residual spray will remove easily when you prep the squash for storage.

Carol

Squirrels are crafty critters and figure things out much faster than us humans realize. Shooting a gun (even a pop gun) deters for awhile, make sure that you are not aiming at the same point each shot. Also make sure that it's legal for you to do so, and nobody is near.