Acorn Squash-when to pick

[Dave_S]

My Acorn Squash (maybe Table Queen) look mature and size has stopped increasing. They are large, heavy, dark green with thick stems. They have been that color and size for weeks. When to remove from vine is my question. Vines still look healthy with large green leaves. No new blossoms. Can the squash continue to ripen by hanging on the healthy vines all summer long? I live in hot San Fernando Valley. Every day, near noon time (90F or hotter), these plants show extreme wilting leaves.

Thanks, Dave_s

[Val]

I was taught to leave them on the vines until the skin had hardened so you can't scratch it with a thumbnail and the bottom had turned yellow. By that time the vines were starting to die back. Leave 2-4 inches of vine when you cut them. If you are going to store them don't wash them and make sure they are bone dry. Probably where you live this isn't a problem. I kept mine on wood slat shelves in the basement pantry and most lasted for 6 months and sometimes more.

Val

[brooklyn1]

I pick winter squash mid season and then I get a second harvest... in your climate you can probably get a third. There is no point in leaving squash on the vine once it is obviously mature, even picked a bit early is fine, you'll have less mature seeds is all... once the seeds mature the plant will stop producing. Unless you're going to enter a contest for the largest acorn squash there is no reason to leave the fruit any longer past a size suitable for cooking... young squash are tastier and much easier to slice.

[Dan L.]

I look for the yellow heart shape spot on the acorn squash before picking.

Enjoy Life ... Dan

[Billy]

1) Wait for stems to shrivel and dry 2) The skin is so hard you can't cut it with your thumbnail. 3) Wait until after your first frost but before your first hard frost.