Spaghetti Squash

Description - The cylindrical fruit are four to five inches in diameter and eight to nine inches long with rounded ends. The rind is hard and ivory colored at maturity. The stringy flesh resembles spaghetti when scooped out of a cooked fruit, and has a nutty flavor.

Culture - The spaghetti squash is in the cucurbit family which include cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, gourds, pumpkins, and squash. It requires fertile, well-drained warm soil. Cultural requirements are basically the same as for all vine crops. Plant two seeds in groups about four feet apart in rows about eight feet apart or in groups of three, 8' X 8' (hills). Fruits will mature on vigorous vines about 90 days after seeding.

Selection - Purchase fruit with hard rind, free of bruises and heavy for their size. Mature fruit are uniformly ivory-yellow and weigh two to three pounds. Cure freshly harvested mature fruits at 80 to 86 degrees F. and 80 percent relative humidity for ten days. Store cured spaghetti squash at 50 to 60 degrees F. and at a humidity of near 60 percent. If the stem is loosely attached when fruit is purchased, it should be removed to allow the injured area to heal.


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