when do i harvest my cobnut squashes??

[Andrew in Cardiff]

UPDATE AT BOTTOM!


hello all. i have 9 cobnut squash plants all of which are currently fruiting, each plant seems to have a good yeild but it is hard to get to them to count at the moment as they are completely crammed together and are walled/sheltered by panels of glass to stop them spreading out any more. the largest fruits are 9'' in length and 4 to 5'' wide. should i pick these or leave them? they are very pale(greenish white) at present. should they change colour before picking? i've heard that you should pick them before they get too large as they lose their flavour.
can anyone help me out here, what do you think is the best thing to do? and once harvested how are they best stored?
thanks in advance,
Andrew.

[nick the grief]

Can't help with the picking Andrew as I've never grown them but I would guess they are best picked before they are fully ripe & stored somewhere dark & cool. If the rind(skin) is good & think they should keep a bit better.

If you've got loads you could pick one & try it I guess you've nothing to loose.

[Andrew in Cardiff]

thanks for your reply nick, i have picked one and will store as you've suggested, will see what happens. i have quite a number of squashes which are now getting to the large size as mentioned in the opening topic. does anyone else have any thoughts or experience with harvesting cob nut squash?

[Squirrel]

I have not harvested cobnut squash yet, but suspect that they need to be yellow before doing so. They are a type of butternut squash aren't they?

[Andrew in Cardiff]

I have not harvested cobnut squash yet, but suspect that they need to be yellow before doing so. They are a type of butternut squash aren't they?

they are a hybrid of butternut i believe, easier to grow in our climate.

[Shortie]

I've never heard about harvesting then this early but possibly you can.

Last year was my first year of growing and harvesting butternut squashes and I picked them in Octuber when they were light orange. They were not totally ripe even then and ripened further in storage.

That in mind I'd say they needed to be picked no earlier than october as they're not fully ripe even then, but you never know... I'd be interested to know how it works out with the one you picked?

[Andrew in Cardiff]

I've never heard about harvesting then this early but possibly you can.

Last year was my first year of growing and harvesting butternut squashes and I picked them in Octuber when they were light orange. They were not totally ripe even then and ripened further in storage.

That in mind I'd say they needed to be picked no earlier than october as they're not fully ripe even then, but you never know... I'd be interested to know how it works out with the one you picked?

no problem, will let you know.

i'm just worried about the squashes becoming too big if i leave them and losing flavour and becoming watery. they have grown exceptionally well by growing them in last years compost. i dug 1ft square and deep holes filled with compost and then made a 6'' mound on top, planted in the seedlings in early june and covered for a couple of weeks in plastic bottles until they out grew, and then sheltered them with glass throughout their growth, gave loads of water - every day at times as they got larger. quite a beast of a plant! but now i'm on tender hooks as what to do with the fruits as they are growing at an incredible rate.

[Saoirse]

Harvest as late as possible for storage

Hi Andrew!

I've grown squashes for a few years now, and most things I've read suggest that you leave them on the plant as long as possible. Towards the end of the season you can remove some of the sheltering leaves to expose the fruits to the sun, which will help to harden the skin, which will improve storage. I don't think that you will have problems with loss of flavour as they get bigger: I suspect that only applies to other stuff like courgettes.

I see no problem with harvesting one now for eating though, so long as it is a good size. I was tempted with my harlequin squash this year but have left them to ripen properly.

When you do harvest, cut the stalk so that you have a sort of handle to hold onto and certainly make sure that the stalk is intact otherwise they may not store properly. I think your storage area needs to be dry, not too cold and not too hot! They don't need special packing or anything. Along a shelf would probably do: looking gorgeous!

Nicky

[Shortie]

I stored mine under the stairs in an long, shallow cardboard box with straw in it.

Also, thinking about your concern over their eventual size.. I hope I don't ruin your crop here, but my last harvest saw an absolute whopper of a butternut, I mean easily 10 - 15 times the weight you'd find in tescos.. and it was the last one I opened, about a month ago and it was really tasty.

Possibly leaving it till last meant it ripened enough to sweeten it properly, but the only reason I left it that long was because it was so huge I didn't know what to do with it. That was until I found out you could freeze it, so that's what I did with what I hadn't used.

[Saoirse]

Hi Shortie!

On the freezing front, although I doubt that I'll get a squash big enough to need it (!) do you freeze as it is or do you need to do anything first? I've made squash curry and then frozen that, but I've never frozen the raw fruit.

Nicky

[Andrew in Cardiff]

thanks nick and thanks shortie, some really reassuring advice. i think i'll just keep watering them for now. and see what happens to the one i've already picked.

[Shortie]

Gald to be of help Andrew..

Nicky, I just cut it into cubes and froze as it was in bags. They defrosted a bit soggier than they went in but they tasted just as nice.

Really wish I'd weight the whopper, would have been interesting to know just hpw much it really did weigh. Never mind, too late now

[Andrew in Cardiff]

Gald to be of help Andrew..

Nicky, I just cut it into cubes and froze as it was in bags. They defrosted a bit soggier than they went in but they tasted just as nice.

Really wish I'd weight the whopper, would have been interesting to know just hpw much it really did weigh. Never mind, too late now

i've found out that the cobnut variety are early maturing for squashes, hence why they are fruiting already. i think i'll try for a whopper myself, maybe let you know what weight i get in a month or so..... watch this space and fingers crossed

[Andrew in Cardiff]

just thought i'd up date this old thread. from nine plants i got around 40 fruit. i left them to do their thing and did not restrict the fruiting, the plant itself seemed to do this at points anyway.
the cobnut squashes were better left to late in the season when they started to turned a pale orange rather than a pale yellow(which they were in july/august). i left most until late sept/early oct, but made the mistake of leaving a few til after the first frost which went a bit wrinkly and could not be stored. i picked some in late july/august and although of a supermarket size they lacked the sweetness and therefore were unripe. i left one or two at this time (once picked) to ripen but even after many weeks it did not seem to make a difference. so imho they are best left as late as possible. i've now got them stored in a big card board box and they seem to be fine.
as for leaving them on the earth late into the season they seemed to be fine as the skin is thick, although some became slightly darker coloured on the side in contact with the earth but are otherwise ok. next year maybe a bit of straw will come in handy as i suppose the dry summer was on my side this season. and as of late the longer they are stored the more orange they appear inside and the riper they taste.
overall, was fun to grow these immense plants, give shed loads of water, and don't panic when there seems to be loads of fruit on the ground, give them time to mature on the plant even until the leaaves dye right back. this will help ripen and harden the skin by letting sun light at them.