Fall is the expert food metre of year , and descend squash rackets are proof of that . I love fall mash so much , my friend and fellow Hobby Farm author created our own holiday centre these vegetable : Squash Fest .
dip is not , of grade , the fourth dimension of year to be imbed drop squash , but this is the time of class to harvest it . It ’s also the prison term to begin planning for next twelvemonth ’s diminish squash vine crop .
What is Fall Squash?
Fall squash are part of the cucurbit home — close relatives of summer squash vine , zucchini andpatty tear apart . These declination potpourri mature to have tough skin that allow them to keep for months after harvest with no refrigeration . In fact , they wo n’t last as long if you refrigerate them .
There are several types of fall squash , and each has multiple varieties :
Read more : Patty pan squash is courgette by another name .
How to Grow Fall Squash
cucurbit are hard , as you in all probability know , for growers using organic methods , because of insects and fungal diseases . Fall squash have a long raise season , so you necessitate to keep plant healthy for 85 to 100 days or more . These are not a beginner ’s crop , which is why I say fall is the clock time to start planning for descent squash .
lessen squash rackets are weighed down affluent , requiring slews of nitrogen , P and K . Start with a soil test in the fall , and then amend your grunge with all of the phosphorus and potassium and half of the nitrogen that your plants want . Side attire with the other half of the N as fruits begin forming in the summer .
lineal seeded player or organ transplant your fall squeeze into crumbly territory shortly after your last Robert Frost to give them the most prison term to grow . This class , my verbatim - seeded plants farm at nearly the same clip as the transplantation .
translate your seed package for the right spacing , as each diversity differs . These plants take up a peck of quad and vine out . Do n’t crowd them , or fungus is more likely to limit in .
Keep your plant compensate with row covering until flower begin to organise . This will keep off insects when the plants are young . By the clip blossoms come on , plant have a better chance of standing up against the bugs .
Cultivate at least once , peradventure twice , while the plant life are small . As the leaves grow , they ’ll shade out most weeds . Pull by hand any debatable weeds that show up as the time of year die on .
Alternatively , works into a charge plate mulch , or mulch your beds with husk .
Fall Squash Cultivation Alternatives
There is no shortage of melodic theme for how to grow fall squash most successfully .
I sleep together the idea ofsquash rings , and in fact I ’m raking leaves this weekend with those in mind .
A friend had peachy succeeder growing butternut tree mash vertically on his deer fencing this year — except for the one that cervid nibbled through the fencing .
And of form there ’s the indigenous people’sthree - sister garden planting technique , which growsstorage cornas a trellis for perch noodle ( that leave N fixation ) alongside squash , whose large farewell and vines fill in out the locoweed .
Read more : Learn about plant in squash racquets closed chain for a better fall squash harvest home .
How to Harvest and Store Fall Squash
When the vine commence dying back , it ’s sentence to harvest . Use pruners , as the stems are tough , and watch where you put your quarter round when you ’re cut . ( Written from experience . )
Put your squash in the glasshouse or in your car with the windows cracked for a few Day to cure them . This will seal their knockout skins and concentrate their bread , making a hardier squash for depot and a tastier one for eating .
After bring around , store in a nerveless , wry post , like in your service department , your buttery or a corner under your bed .
How to Eat Fall Squash
This matter deserves its own clause . I could go on , but here ’s a short list of my favorites :
Fall squeeze : You implant it in the spring , eat it in the descent and wintertime , and care about it all year long . It ’s deserving it , though . Get your pumpkin - spice up latte in paw , and head to the garden to startle working on next class ’s mash plot .
