Spaghetti squash ( Cucurbita pepo ) — Mother Nature ’s reply to homemade alimentary paste , minus the work and calories — does n’t mature off the vine . Any spaghetti mash that has n’t mature completely before the first frost is n’t comestible , and harvesting and curing wo n’t help . To get the biggest yield from your spaghetti squash vines , found them with enough clock time to mature beforeyour earliest nightfall hoar date . This may mean giving the seeds an indoor head start .
Days to Harvest
Days to harvestmeans the sentence required for spaghetti squash to mature from when the seeds germinate or start raise , not from when the source are planted . Most spaghetti mash varieties mature in90 to 110 days . So for a safe estimate of when to plant your cum , adda five- to 14 - sidereal day germination period of time to the days - to - harvest time number prove on your seed packet andsubtractor enumeration back the totality from theaverage first fall frost datein your U.S. Department of Agricultureplant hardiness zona .
When Time Is Short
If yourgrowing time of year — the interim between the engagement of the intermediate last give frost appointment and the first fall frost date — is less than 90 days , start your spaghetti squash seeds indoors at least one calendar month before your ordinary last leaping frost date .
Things Needed
Step 1
Fill each peat pot with seed starter mix and level off its surface .
Step 2
campaign three or four squash seeds into each mass to the depth recommended on the seed packet .
Step 3
Filla pan with enough water to cover the bottom two - thirds of the peat pots . Set the sens in it to absorb water supply overnight .
Step 4
Coverthe top of the pan with light methamphetamine hydrochloride or charge plate wrapper .
Step 5
Set the genus Pan out of unmediated sunlight , where the temperature ranges from 65 to 75 degree Fahrenheit .
Step 6
Checkthe plants daily and addwaterto the pan whenever the surface of the seed - stater intermixture feel wry .
Step 7
Removethe ice or credit card wrap when the seedlings have germinated or germinate , and move the pan to a smart area , such as a spot near a south - facing window .
Step 8
Fertilizethe seedlings every two weeks with liquid houseplant food at one - half the label ’s recommend pace by pouring off the urine in the genus Pan and replacing it with the plant food and water result .
Tip
Step 9
Pinch offthe two pocket-sized seedlings in each batch after all of them have their first set oftrue leaves . These are the leaves they ’ll keep , and they depend dissimilar from the temporary leaves , orcotyledons , that pop open when the come sprout .
Step 10
Move the remaining seedling to a sheltered outdoor location when they have three sets of straight leaf . Let the seedlings temper off for at least three days , but do n’t plant them until the soil temperature is at least 65 F. To downplay transplantation shock , coiffure the plants out in their peat hatful , covering the pots completely , and water them well .
Maximizing Your Harvest
Your seedling will grow the most fruit if you institute them in organically rich , well - drain soil where they ’ll get six hours of day-to-day sun . When weekly rain measures less than 1 column inch , water to make up the dispute . Side - dresseach vine with a handful of organic compost just before the vine starts to fan out and again as presently as it begins blooming .
employ an inexpensiverain gaugeto keep track of your hebdomadary rainfall amounts .
Harvesting and Storing
harvest home spaghetti squash when its rind is too tough to puncture with your thumbnail . To keep disease from spreading , snip the squash from the vine with white , sharp pruning shears disinfect with rub intoxicant between cuts . Leave a 2- to 3 - in stemon each squash .
Handle the squash vine gently so they do n’t wound , and clean them with a soft , damp material . Curethem — agree them in open air at 70 to 80 fluorine for two weeks — so they slowly release moisture . This concentrates their flavor and extends their storehouse life . If it ’s fond enough to cure them in the garden , keep them off the land to protect them from soil fungi , spacethem for good air circulation andturnthem frequently so they release wet equally . Thenstorethem for up to five week in a cool , ironic spot — such as an unwarmed cellar or garage — at 50 to 55 F.
