Question
When and how do I harvest my butternut and buttercup squash?
Answer(s)
Winter squash and pumpkins are best harvested when ripened completely on the vine, The squash will turn a deep solid color and the skin will be hard. A rough estimate is to try and scratch the skin with your fingernail. The skin should be hard and impervious to sctratching. If it scratches easily and if the scratch fills with beads of liquid, the squash is not ripe. Be sure to harvest before the first hard frost. With a sharp knife or loppers, separate the squash from the vine, leaving at least 1" of stem attached. For longer storage, it is important to cure your squash in a warm, (75-85 degree) dry area for about 10 days, then store it in a dry area around 50-55 degrees.
If you have further questions, you can call us at 851-8462.
Other Questions In This Topic
- We have a scrub oak that has been growing between a pine and an aspen, which has made the oak very lop-sided. The aspen is gone now. How much purning can we do to the oak to try and even it's growth?
- We would like to plant a pasture (about 2 acres). We would like one that creates sod, like a lawn, rather than a bunch grass. It will be used to hold a hillside and eventually to graze a few animals. We could cut it for grass hay also. What would be the best varieties of seed to use for a pasture like this?
- I want to plant raspberries in my garden next spring but am confused. Which does better in Cache Valley: summer- or fall-bearing? The USU pub on raspberry production (HG/2004-16) says plant only Haida or Malling Joy, but I haven't found anything about these species on the web. Is this statement still valid? If so, are they fall- or summer-bearing? If not, what is your species suggestion?
- We created square foot gardens last year and have discovered the cat has used them for a litter box over the winter and spring. There isn't a large amount of feces,which we remove, but we are concerned that it may have contaminated the soil. Should we dig it out and start over?
- Two Questions: 1. When do Gooseberries flower? 2. When is the best time to plant tulips?
- We want to grow aspen and scrub oak on our property. Can we transplant, if so how and when? Or do we need to grow from seeds? How often to water if we grow from seeds?
- This year we planted our first home garden. It was a lot of fun, but we need to know what to do to make it better next year. Specifically: our plants grew VERY large, but did not yield much fruit. What fruit we did get was typically small and misshapen. We did not fertilize, except some nitrogen along with dead lawn clippings last fall. What should we do this fall to get the soils ready for more fruit and less leaves next year?
- I planted a Chanticleer pear tree about two weeks ago (mid June) in Perry. I watered it everyday for about 5-6 days and have since cut back to 1-2 times per week. Many of the leaves are very dry and crumble when squeezed. Have I been over watering or under watering my tree? How often should I water it or is it already too late for my tree?
