skip to main content

Volunteer acorn squash in my compost

10 years ago

I have volunteer acorn squash in my compost, both green and yellow in color. We've never grown them before and my question is, when do you know they are ready to harvest? I have never even seen yellow ones before. Do they have to "cure" before you can use them? And, would you cook them any differently than ones you buy at the market?

I might should have posted on the Harvest Forum but I still want to know about cooking them.

TIA.

jude

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

Teresa_MN
10 years ago
The vines on winter squash will start to dry and wither. And the skin on the squash will harden. Harvest before the first hard frost.

I've never grown acorn but I have grown Sunshine and Carnival squash.

Teresa
annie1992
10 years ago
Jude, old fashioned acorn squash like Table King will turn dark green and the color becomes dull. When the rind resists pressure from a fingernail, they are ready. It's hard to tell sometimes, but green squash will usually have a white spot where it sits on the ground, that spot will turn a creamy darker color.

I've never grown the orange variety, but I'm guessing that the way to gauge ripeness would be similar, when the color darkens and dulls.

Don't twist them off the vine, that usually results in the stem coming off the squash and then they don't keep very well. Cut the stem from the vine, leaving a couple of inches if you can.

I'd cook them just like acorn squash from the market. For me that's just peeling and roasting, but for Amanda it's cutting them in half, removing the seeds, filling the cavity with butter and brown sugar and baking them. Dad liked them stuffed with sausage.

I hope they're yummy!

Annie
Related Discussions
Question about growing winter and acorn squash
Q
Comments (3)
Acorn squashes mature much earlier and have much shorter vines that most winter squashes. The acorn squashes I have grown have been more like zucchini plants than real vines. They don't keep for as long as other winter squashes like hubbard, butternut, buttercup, pink banana, etc, etc, etc. They all have different vine lengths and you'll have to research to find them out. Ten feet or more in each direction is not unusual. Squashes, melons and cucumbers send down a deep tap root, and have extensive roots off of that. Dig quite a large hole, like 2 or three feet wide and 18 or 24 inches deep for each plant. Refill the hole with the excavated soil, compost and other slow organic fertilizers. Let the roots grow throughout this zone of fertility. Water deeply to encourage those roots to explore. If your plants are happy below ground, it will pay dividends above.
...See More
What kind of volunteer squash is this?
Q
Comments (10)
Yep, looks like a pattypan, but it kind of looks like it has brighter yellow stripes on it, which is neat. Hack that baby off and have a taste, then let us know how it was! Scarletdaisies, I'm growing a white pattypan this year too, and I can't wait to see what it tastes like. I've actually read that this one can taste good and still be tender when it's like 8" or 9" in diameter, so it'll be interesting to see if that's true or not. I can already see the tiny green female flowers with little baby scalloped edge pattypans in the making at the base of the plant, even though they're like 1/2 an inch right now, and they're really, really cute.
...See More
Acorn squash stopped growing, help!?!
Q
Comments (7)
Hoodat~I hope I'm up to my arms in acorn squash! I love it, and it'd be great to have high yields from only 1-2 plants... But guess who's making a comeback? That sickly lil plant was able to push out a flower this morning, along with a few baby leaves! I checked for bugs in the soil, and saw none. Sprayed off the small amount of aphids, and this morning I added some compost (soil amendment) along with a conservative amount of slow-release fertilizer. Cross your fingers that the plant will stick around...
...See More
volunteer squash, winter or summer
Q
Comments (1)
1. Summer squashes have been selected from the same species of Cucurbita as many of our winter squash -- C. pepo. The horticultural distinction between the two is that summer squash are "bush-type" and most winter squash are vining (a few, newer cultivars are "bush"). 2. Summer squash, when allowed to mature fully, develop an orange hard rind, pumpkin-like seeds, and dense-starchy interior. 3. Winter squash can be picked early, without a hard rind or orangey (or other) color and lighter interior texture. 4. Volunteers in the garden are often hybrids of any of a number of Cucurbitas, including between summer squash and winter squash and exhibit intermediate characteristics. Joe
...See More

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Squash

By Marianne Lipanovich

Almost foolproof and with cheerful flowers, squash comes in a wide range of varieties to plant in spring

GARDENING GUIDES Get on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)

By Matt Kilburn

Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load

REGIONAL GARDEN GUIDES Mid-Atlantic Gardener's September Checklist

Squash, anyone? Cool-season veggies are suiting up for the garden, while summer's last blooms are winding down

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Pumpkins

By Marianne Lipanovich

Start in spring to grow your own fall decorations and have plenty left for pies

HOLIDAYS Your Easiest Fall Decorating Ever

By Sheila Schmitz

Create a nearly effortless tabletop with the naturally beautiful colors and shapes of fall

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Sweet Summer Crops

By Marianne Lipanovich

This guide will help any gardener get started on growing the freshest warm-season veggies and berries for summer

EDIBLE GARDENS Houzz Call: Where Are the Craziest Places You Grow Edibles?

By Annie Thornton

Basil in a bathtub, spinach stacked up a wall ... If your edibles occupy an odd spot, we’d like to know

GARDENING GUIDES How to Switch to an Organic Landscape Plan

By Falon Mihalic

Ditch the chemicals for a naturally beautiful lawn and garden, using living fertilizers and other nontoxic treatments

FEEL-GOOD HOME 21 Ways to Waste Less at Home

Whether it's herbs rotting in the fridge or clothes that never get worn, most of us waste too much. Here are ways to make a change

FRONT YARD IDEAS Before and After: Front Lawn to Prairie Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

How they did it: Homeowners create a plan, stick to it and keep the neighbors (and wildlife) in mind

Sponsored

More Discussions

What's for Dinner #410 Spring 2024

98

Do you make actual shortcake?

37

What would you make with a bunch of chard?

34

Premade Frozen Crab Cakes

20

Shrimp Creole with okra, for two

14