Squash Q & A 

 Ask The Expert Column

 

Acorn Squash
I have a large acorn squash plant  from last year. It's very healthy, no flies or aphids. The problem is the blossoms are ready to open, but never do. They shrivel and die. Too much water?? I water every evening once a day. Days here in Sacramento are 85-100 degrees every day.
Kenneth

A: Once a day is certainly too often. Exactly how often is not up to me to answer since I don't know the maturity of your plants, the soil type, nor the exact climatic conditions.

What I would recommend, however, is for you to hold off on watering until you see the plants begin to wilt slightly. The idea is to figure out how many days you can go between watering and then wait that many days less one, before you water again. When you do water, provide enough to soak the plants deeply.  And use a mulch to maintain a more even water level. If the lower, oldest leaves are the ones turning yellow, yes, it sounds like
simply a case of too much water.

Acorn Squash

I have a large acorn squash plant from last year. I'ts very healthy, no flies or aphids. The problem is the blossoms are ready to open, but never do. They shrivel and die. Too much water?? I water every evening once a day. Days here in Sacramento are 85-100 degrees every day.
Kenneth

A: Once a day is certainly too often. Exactly how often is not up to me to answer since I don't know the maturity of your plants, the soil type, nor the exact climatic conditions. What I would recommend, however, is for you to hold off on watering until you see the plants begin to wilt slightly. The idea is to figure out how many days you can go between waterings and then wait that many days less one, before you water again. When you do water, provide enough to soak the plants deeply. And use a mulch to maintain a more even water level. If the lower, oldest leaves are the ones turning yellow, yes, it sounds like simply a case of too much water.

Question: I Would like to know if you have ever heard of anyone staking their squash plants, yes sort of like you would a tomato  plant. I have noticed that my squash plants look much like a vine, in as much they seem to grow very long and just run all over the place taking up a lot of my garden space, so this year I have decided to stake them and force them to " Go Vertical"  Do you think this will work?
David


Answer: Growing your squash on a trellis not only saves garden space, it increases the yield of your plants. Any wooden trellis will do; most nurseries carry them. Or you can use 1-inch-mesh chicken wire attached to a wooden or metal frame. Summer squash varieties that vine, such as 'Yellow Straightneck' will easily climb up the supports. You can tie the vines to the trellis at 1-foot intervals. Squash can also be grown in 3'-4'-high wire
cages. If any fruits grow so large they need support, you can tie old nylon stockings to the trellis to cradle them

Hello,
This is our first garden and we have a lot of squash. Can you tell me when they are ripe and ready for picking?

Mary

 

Hi Mary,

Summer squashes of all types and varieties should be harvested when they reach a size of four to six inches long and 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter. This ensures high-quality fruit and additional fruit production.

High-quality winter squashes and pumpkins are associated with maturity, so they should not be harvested until they are fully ripe.
Harvest winter squashes after they change to their expected color and after their skin is thick enough that a thumbnail doesn't puncture the fruit when you press on it.

If you plan on storing the squash, don't let them get hit by frost or they will rot. Also, leave 2 inches of the stem attached for best storing. Store only those fruit that are free of cuts, wounds, and insect or disease damage. Immediately after harvest, the fruit should undergo a ripening or curing process to harden the shell. A curing period of about two weeks at 75 to 85 degrees F with good circulation is desirable. Storage should then be at 50 to 70 degrees F with humidity between 50 and 70 percent.

Enjoy your squash!