If you are growing butternut squash for the first time, you really need to know when to harvest it. Many first time gardeners make the mistake of treating butternut squash like zucchini, and pick them when they are full size and green.
But butternut squash is a winter squash while zucchini is a summer squash. There is a BIG difference.
[I need to tell you before I go any further that this year I grew honeynut squash for the first time. Honeynut is a close relative of the butternut and I found one in the grocery store last fall.
It was hands-down the best squash I have ever eaten!
Sweet and delicious with a deep orange flesh. I raced back to the store to get more. Not only were they sold out, but the produce manager told me that they received them as a one-time thing and he did not expect to ever get the back again. NOOOOOooooooo! So I did what any passionate home gardener would do. I order seeds – these seeds to be exact – and this spring I planted them. They have completely out performed any expectation I had. Each plant boasts 12-20 squash and they were resistant to every insect that plagued my 2020 garden. Will I plant them again next year? Absolutely no question! If you’d like to order these seeds and try them yourself, you can purchase them here.]
Okay, back to the harvest instructions. Summer squashes, like zucchini, need to be picked and eaten right away, or will last in your refrigerator for about a week or so. You’ll need to pick them when they are about 12″-18″ long and bright green (or yellow or striped depending on the variety). Don’t wait too long! Once they get really big, they lose flavor and become seedy and pithy.
Winter squashes, like pumpkins and butternuts, should remain in the garden long past the green stage.
They will set light green fruit at first, which will turn dark green and then fade to orange. The shell will grow tough and the vines will start to die back.
You’ll worry. You’ll look at those fat squash sitting on the ground, exposed to animals and insects and you’ll worry! Should I pick them now? Should I clip those stems and bring them in? Don’t do it! They will be happy in your garden until right before the first frost – and they will last in your pantry all winter long, hence the name winter squash.
So don’t pick those butternuts until the last minute. They need to be completely orange with a hard shell. I’ll post some wonderful recipes for them that will motivate you to expand your winter squash garden next year. Happy gardening!