I have grown spaghetti squash in NC. They are prolific producers and get rather large. My squashes averaged about 3.5 lbs. I let mine sprawl out on the ground and the squash sat on straw mulch. I hope you have a very strong trellis. How many plants? When the leaves begin to die, the squash will turn yellow. They can be kept for a few months if they are kept cool and dry. I cure mine by keeping in a warm(70), dark place for about a week after I dip it in a weak bleach solution to kill any fungus that may promote rot. I also keep it away from other ripening fruit or veggie, because the ethylene gas given off by the ripening process will affect storage for the worse. Good luck and enjoy. .

You can pick for immediate use as soon as the skin is hard enough that you can't puncture it with your fingernail. At this point, most varieties are white-ish with a hint of green or yellow. To store, they need to fully ripen on the vine, roughly 4 more weeks, in my experience, beyond the stage above, although longer is better on the vine if not in danger from pests, disease, or weather. By then, the basic S.S. is yellow-ish in color, as the yellow deepens as it ripens.

There may be some variation on shell color or markings. My guess is that the ivory colored ones are more mature. But the way one tells if it is ready is actually by trying to pierce the squash's skin with a fingernail. If you can't, then it's ripe. Generally, if one leaves the squash after this point, for a couple of weeks, the quality improves. But I'm not so sure with spaghetti squash. The worm which made the holes in the fruit was probably a pickle worm. Great name there! Bogturtle! I love turtles: even had a small collection years ago. The spaghetti squash will probably only store for about two months. I'd use it by then, though it might last a little longer. George Tahlequah, OK (but native to NJ)

I've gotten them to last 10+ months in the basement. This year I am storing them in an area with better circulation. Hopefully that should help them last a little longer since I have even more this year than last.