Did I pick my spaghetti squash too soon?

16 years ago

I planted everything too close because I had low expectations so now my vines are all over the place. I had a spaghetti squash growing thru the tomato cages and the squash was growing several feet off the ground. When it looked huge, I decided to harvest it. It is over 6 lbs and 11" long - I thought this would be big enough but after reading the forums on when to harvest, I believe I harvested too soon. I didn't know if I could leave it hanging much longer and it was too high to brace. Can we still eat it?

I also have a pumpkin growing thru the tomato cages. The pumpkin started growing 3' off the ground. Last week, I braced it with 2 X 4's so it won't snap off too early but it's only 9" off the ground now. This one and the spaghetti squash are much bigger than the ones growing on the ground. Does anyone else have pumpkins and squash hanging from their tomato cages?

Cheryl

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

belindach
16 years ago
Make a sling to support your squash until it ripens.
dgkritch
16 years ago
Yep. Make supports somehow.
You need to wait until the first tendril up the vine from the fruit begins to dry up.

You can still eat the one you picked. It won't have the same flavor as a ripe one, but then spaghetti squash don't have that much flavor anyway. Make a good sauce, split the squash the long way, scoop out seeds and fill the cavity with sauce, sprinkle your favorite cheese on top and bake until the squash is tender (I'm guessing close to an hour if it's big).

Sort of shred the squash pulp as you eat it to make the "noodles".

Deanna
Related Discussions
When to pick spaghetti squash
Q
Comments (2)
You can pick for immediate use as soon as the skin is hard enough that you can't puncture it with your fingernail. At this point, most varieties are white-ish with a hint of green or yellow. To store, they need to fully ripen on the vine, roughly 4 more weeks, in my experience, beyond the stage above, although longer is better on the vine if not in danger from pests, disease, or weather. By then, the basic S.S. is yellow-ish in color, as the yellow deepens as it ripens.
...See More
butternut squash 'accidentally' picked too soon
Q
Comments (29)
Glad to see this discussion as I've been wondering as well. I did have a thread going about my 'volunteer' butternut squash plants. They have produced about 10 all together over the summer. I already picked 3 of the first fruits and I think they were not ready so I've left the rest. I read somewhere that the stem should have turned brown, which mine were still green, but ALL the squash still have green stems. They had already truned tan color, but I did a fingernail test on those I've picked and it did penetrate the skin and a little sap leaked out. So I've left them on the DR table for a couple of weeks. Maybe I should just cook them up. I'm afraid all the squash are not going to ripen because I heard we may get a frost next week. But I thought they could go through a frost and be sweeter? Is it just a freeze that you have to pick them before you get one? My property is situated in such a way that in the Fall the angle of the sun reduces the amount of sun over a day on my bed which normally is full sun. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact they are not ripe yet.
...See More
did I start too soon?
Q
Comments (3)
Dave, Once again, thanks for your attentive responses. Everyday I am learning something new. I really do appreciate it and would buy you a drink if I could. 1) What's the worse that will happen because I planted too soon? Won't I just start with larger than normal transplants in the garden? 2) What types of containers would you have recommended instead of those kits? Obviously that would mean I would plant fewer items so they could all fit under the same 2-foot growing light. My garage space is limited so expanding my makeshift nursery at this point is not something I am considering (maybe next year depending on the yield I get this year) 3) Understood, but would a good rule of thumb be basically whenever the top of the soil appears dry? 4) So in my case, the cool temps in my garage work out in my favor since I planted a bit too early, right? Or are you implying long-term growth will be stunted? 5) I guess I'll cross that bridge if I ever get to it. I'll regularly post pics in this forum to show my progress. 6) When do you know its time? And is transplanting as simple as using a larger container with the same soil? Why do garden centers sell ready-to-plant seedlings in the same size 6-pack containers that I am using? SusanZone5, thanks for the link to that guide. I will check it out.
...See More
Did I harvest my butternut squash too early?
Q
Comments (16)
I have had my butternut squash plant growing since the 28th of March but at the beginning, all of the tiny squash sort of turned dark and died and I thought it was a goner. A few days or maybe a week or two, I can't remember, I saw that I had 1 little squash hanging under a beautiful dark yellow blossom and I have been watching the vine closely ever since. Now, it is September, that squash appears to be ready to pick according to all that I have read. It is a nice golden tan all over, it is hard, no squishiness at all, it's stem is really dry and dark brown but, it is only 3 and a half inches from the stem to the bottom. Is it ready or not, I am not sure. Also, the vine, even though it has been planted in my backyard in a container for about 6 months, has started to produce some other babies. I never planted things before and I am 75 years old and I have tomatoes, the squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, strawberries, soon, potatoes and onions since I live in Florida (Citrus County) and that it the only time they will grow here for the most part since they do not like out hot humid days and nights of which, this year was the worst. It was so bad here for so much of the late Spring and summer, that even the bees were nowhere to be found so most things just didn't produce anything much. I am new to all this so any advice that anyone can share will be greatly appreciated! Carol
...See More
candiecane
15 years ago
I have had trouble with my vines as well. I have been
advised just as you have to make slings. I think the
tomato cage arbor I have made is not going to help much!
I am planning the slings when the squash get bigger. Now
that I have read how big yours got I am really in a panic
over how big they will get. How long did it take yours
to mature to that size? I am wondering how long I have
before I will harvest.
ksrogers
15 years ago
candiecane,
Was wondering why your
text is so bunched
together? Is it WEB
TV? or do you use
a browser that doesn't
allow you to type longer
lines of text? MOst
web browser today, will
automatically word wrap
.
carolync1
15 years ago
I like spaghetti squash before it is ripe. But I steam it, then flake the strands out of the skin with a fork. Forecast is for over 100 degrees here today. Hard to think about heating up the oven.

If you think "spaghetti sauce" when you hear "spaghetti squash", immature fruit is a far better match. I prefer uses for the ripe squash which bring out its "squashiness".
jimbstars
15 years ago
I wanted to see how my first crop of Spaghetti Squash was doing so I did pick the biggest one i had (yes still on the white side). It microwaved up just fine (I have done this before with storebot ones), but it was harder to get it to flake out the strands -- they were not all yet formed up and had higher water content. It made a good pile if a little slushy -- mostly broken strands. One good thing: it seems that the part that was NOT yet ripe enough to flake into strands can still be eaten in chunks just like a regular squash -- just slice it away from the skin and eat like regular squash or zuchhini. So, if you do not want to get backed way up with a lot of ripe squash, you can pick some early but with a few 'issues'
bp_farmgal
15 years ago
Great advice. I'm growing my first crop of spaghetti squash. I'm letting the vines crawl on the ground tho. But I think a few are heading towards the garden fence. I really enjoy spaghetti squash with butter and a little salt or with alfredo sauce. As for zucchini I love it sliced thin and baked in the oven with riccota cheese and mozz cheese with just a hint of spaghetti suace. It's low carb and ohhhhhhhhh so good.
ksrogers
15 years ago
The squash LOVE to be resting on a nice black plastic fabric cloth. It helps keep bugs away and injuries to any skins. If you habe any that rest on bare soil, place a small piece between them and the soil. Also, carefully rotate a little, the squash (if round) to get the yellow underside a little more exposed to sunlight.
idanut_aol_com
12 years ago
I planted my spaghetti squash on may 14 and it is a week into july. I have about 40 squashes so far. the biggest ones are about 8 inches long and pretty fat. Can they get too big. They are not near ripe yet. I just did not know if you are suppose to only let them get so big?
springthyme
9 years ago
Some of my spaghetti squash is still dark green, some is turning lighter. Should I pick it now? the stems are pretty dead, some more than others. (Does anyone else have green spaghetti squash?) I have one very small one that went from dark green to yellow very quickly. Then how do let it harden?

Did I pick my spaghetti squash too soon?

Comments (10)

belindach

dgkritch

Related Discussions

candiecane

ksrogers

carolync1

jimbstars

bp_farmgal

ksrogers

idanut_aol_com

springthyme

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US