Spaghetti Squash

DESCRIPTION

Spaghetti squash are large and hard skinned - when cooked whole, they yield many servings of a super fun alternative to wheat based pasta.

POT CARE AND PLANTING

Plants in the cucurbit family (squash, cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin) usually cannot be grown in a pot long term, as they have vigorous and extensive root systems and need a lot of water. They're best planted into a clear space in the garden that's at least 1m by 1m, or into a very large pot, leaving some room for the large stems to trail - transplant into a larger pot or a garden bed within 7 days. Soil level can be varied, but should be well below any actively growing leaves or flowers - planting a squash in the ground slightly deeper than it is in the pot causes more roots to sprout from that part of the stem, which can make the plant stronger. Squash in pots do best when set up on the grass or bare dirt so the roots can extend into the ground below.  

WATERING

Squash are heavy water consumers, and one of the few vegetables that you may want to water twice a day during very hot weather - water them a lot longer than other plants in your garden (early morning and/or late afternoon is best in summer). It's very hard to rot the roots of a squash plant, unless it's in a pot with a saucer or on a surface that doesn't allow drainage. Always point your hose or watering can at the base of the plant, avoiding getting the leaves wet - splashing water spreads diseases that squash are vulnerable to, like fungus. If any leaves start looking mottled yellow-grey, cut them off and throw them in the bin, trying not to touch any healthy parts of the plant while you do it. Be sure to wash your hands with soap when you're done, to stop the fungus spreading to any other plants you touch. Lower leaves often get fungus, which splashes up from the soil - so it's not a bad idea to keep the lower part of the plant clear of leaves all the time, to reduce the chances of infection moving up the plant. If the whole plant remains wet for a long period of time, the larger and healthier leaves may start to turn white or grey - you won't want to cut them all off, because they can be fixed. Make a cup of chamomile tea with 1/3 milk. Put this liquid into a spray bottle and dilute it to 1-2L. Spray this medicine onto the affected leaves - this is another type of fungus, and the chamomile and the milk both work to kill it off very effectively. If you don't have both, diluting one or the other in water and spraying that solution is also effective.

SUN EXPOSURE

Squash need as much sunlight as possible to flourish. I recommend planting this in an open and sunny area of the garden, on an easy to access edge of your plot, because you'll want to harvest from it frequently to encourage more fruit.  

COMPANION PLANTING

This squash gets about 1m wide, and prefers to climb a supporting structure like a fence or trellis. It can be used to shade other vegetables in the garden that need some shelter from the sun, and will grow well about 50cm away from most things, as long as they aren't going to be shaded too much by this rapidly expanding plant. Two plant families that can be planted close to squash are maize and legumes, an ancient combination invented by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and referred to as the 'Three Sisters'. In this tradition, squash (and other cucurbits) shade the soil underneath corn, while beans (and other legumes) climb the cornstalks. The three support each other to produce more food than each could on its own - sunflowers can also be added in place of some of the corn stalks. Avoid planting this gregarious plant too close to potatoes, as these vegetables compete strongly at the same level above and below the ground and don't play well together. Get the tastiest fruit by encouraging pollinators with any flowers, but especially yellow and orange flowers that resemble the cucurbit flowers, like nasturtium, tansy, and plants in the parsley family - apiums and asters are great companions.

HARVESTING AND EATING

There's a specific way you want to go about harvesting spaghetti squash to get the best results. You can pick a few flowers when they're young to encourage more fruiting, harvesting both male flowers and tiny squash with the female flowers still attached. These are delicious when stuffed with a cheesy filling, twisted closed, battered and fried or brushed with oil and roasted in the oven - just clear out the internal parts of the flower first because the pollen tastes bitter. When the fruits are developing beyond this stage, you shouldn't disturb them - leave them on the vine until it starts to get cold, and the frost kills the vine completely, leaving the squash sitting on their own, absorbing the last nutrients from the plant and maturing. At this point, alternating between frosty nights and sunny days converts the starches in the squash into sugars, improving the flavour and texture. You’ll want to make sure that the fruits are secured to the supporting structure as the vine dies off and loses the ability to hold the fruit up - wire, string, or small baskets may help. When the squash are beautifully yellow and have a skin too hard for you to mark with your fingernail, cut them off the plant, leaving at least an inch or two of stem attached to help them last longer. You can experiment with preparing this squash in a variety of ways, but the most popular recipe is very easy - simply slice the fruit in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and prick the skin with a fork, before roasting the halves cut side down with some oil, salt and pepper. After about 40 minutes, you can use a fork to fluff the flesh of the squash, turning it into a tender vegetable spaghetti. Serve with any pasta sauce or topping, or simply mix in some butter and parmesan and eat from the shell for a cheap, low mess meal.

SEED SAVING AND PROPAGATION

Spaghetti squash seeds are super easy to collect, just set them aside when you clean them out of any fruits that you're eating. They’re covered in a slippery gel, but you can remove this by fermenting the seeds - use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a jar, fill to the top with water, and put it on a shelf in your shed or somewhere that the smell won't bother you for 3 days, lid off. After that, dump the contents of the jar into an old strainer and rinse thoroughly to reveal the clean squash seeds. Air dry these laid out on paper before storing them in an airtight container - cucurbit seeds are some of the longest lasting vegetable seeds, good for up to 10 years.  Don't sow these seeds again until next year when the risk of frost has almost passed - you can start them inside in late October, but you'll need to wait until the very start of November to plant them outside, or the leaves will curl during the cold nights. Time your sowing carefully - they need to be moved out of seedling pots after no more than 3 weeks. Cover the seeds with 15mm of soil and keep moist and warm - squash will germinate after about a week. In Armidale, experienced gardeners know that frost tender veggies can't be planted until Melbourne Cup Day. Heavy frosts return here at Easter time, so your squash will be done by that time each year.  Note: if there are other cucurbits growing nearby, the seeds you'll collect here may result in fruits with a slightly different look, texture or taste. This isn't harmful, and it's safe to try them. If you want to prevent this, there are techniques you can learn for breeding cucurbits 'true to type'.