I haven't ever grown them.
They usually show up in stores in the fall. They are a cream color. I wouldn't pick them until they show that color.

Thanks. I guess my question is whether these squash are genetically programmed to get ripe and turn tan in color in the fall (as in, when the weather turns cool and the plants die) or a certain number of days after they appear on the plant. Summer squash are certainly the latter.

Gardening life would be pretty different if tomatoes waited until the fall to get ripe.

If you plant tomatoes in July , they will be ripe in Fall. The winter squashes are not as vulnerable to squash bore. I plant my other squash early before that cursed moth develops. I am having a gang buster squash year.I also pick varieties that are resistant to the squash bore.

It is my first year growing them too. A friend of mine gave me a squash before frost but definitely in the fall. I am going to sneak one in a bit as an experiment. Many winter squashes can be eaten as summer squash, like the patty pan squash. Right now I am getting pretty sick of squash. That is all I have. We have eaten squash the last 4 dinners. I think I saw some eggplant out there for tonight. Never get sick of tomatoes. We have been eating them every night also.

Well, I think I may have answered my own question. Said butternut squash that was light green with thin white stripes a week or two ago is now off-white with virtually no stripes. I'm guessing it will be store-bought butternut beige in a few more weeks. The smaller ones are still greenish with white stripes.

So I think the answer is that they ripen on their own schedule, just like summer squash, and don't need any cooling of the weather to do so.

I guess I should post some gardening advice about tomatoes ripening in May. That should freak out posters in Minnesota who are telling me that butternut squash is "ripe at first frost".

Do not harvest early before they are without any green or you will not like the way they might taste.

The question wasn't whether to pick them when they aren't ripe, but how to determine when they are ripe. As I said, the green stripes are long gone. They are now beige.

OK, here's the answer. I harvested my large butternut squash today. The one I was asking about when to harvest. It was ... fabulous. Thin but rim rind, perfectly uniform orange color inside. Seeds were very small, and quite edible. Delicious.

The steps to a ripe butternut go thusly ...

(1) white rind with bright green stripes
(2) green stripes fade
(3) squash becomes uniformly white or off-white
(4) squash becomes distinctly tan
Pick it!

In 8b in April-June, each of these steps are separated by a few weeks. DO NOT wait until the first frost!!! (That's the advice you'll find in some discussions ...)

I have the same thing butternut shape and light with green stripes. But huge!

But do they keep growing when light. Seems to big.