This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
Friday, September 29, 2017
butternut squash portrait
All my butternuts got together for a family portrait. It's been a good year. Eleven big squash from four plants.
so pretty! i just harvested one of mine yesterday but have several more till on the vine. i'm new too growing these though and a bit confused about when they are ready to pick. the skin color seems right on all of them but they do still have a little green striping near the stems. most stems are no longer green in color but instead really hard and brown. i was planning to give them a little extra time on the vine. does that seem right to you? not sure how much longer the vines will hold out but i figured it couldn't hurt....
Yes. It usually can't hurt to leave them on the vine. I was afraid of chipmunks taking a nibble, so I picked mine as they ripened. I grow my butternuts on a trellis and the vine can always support the squash, even if it's hanging. (Not so with other winter squash varieties.) A hard stem is a good indication of ripeness. But I go by the tendril. Each fruit has a leaf and tendril at the same node. When the tendril dies, the squash is ripe. I go by that rather than the squash color. I find color can vary and it doesn't necessarily predict taste or how long the squash will keep. It's great if you have no critters and can leave the squash on the vine until just before the frost.
4 comments:
We have 10 and I don't care for it!
There's always the Food Pantry!
so pretty! i just harvested one of mine yesterday but have several more till on the vine. i'm new too growing these though and a bit confused about when they are ready to pick. the skin color seems right on all of them but they do still have a little green striping near the stems. most stems are no longer green in color but instead really hard and brown. i was planning to give them a little extra time on the vine. does that seem right to you? not sure how much longer the vines will hold out but i figured it couldn't hurt....
Yes. It usually can't hurt to leave them on the vine. I was afraid of chipmunks taking a nibble, so I picked mine as they ripened. I grow my butternuts on a trellis and the vine can always support the squash, even if it's hanging. (Not so with other winter squash varieties.) A hard stem is a good indication of ripeness. But I go by the tendril. Each fruit has a leaf and tendril at the same node. When the tendril dies, the squash is ripe. I go by that rather than the squash color. I find color can vary and it doesn't necessarily predict taste or how long the squash will keep. It's great if you have no critters and can leave the squash on the vine until just before the frost.
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