I have a few varieties of winter squash and am confronted by my perennial problem: how to tell if they are ripe, other than by picking them and deciding they were not. Are there any "Rules of thumb"? By far my most productive plant is the volunteer growing adjacent to the horse manure pile, looking like an Orange Kabocha squash, that are up to 12" diameter x 4" high. I also have acorn, delicata and some others including pumpkins (which I can judge well enough). Any suggestions? Ralph
I have had a little experience growing squash and pumpkins. I usually determine ripeness by colour and when the stem dies back. I think generally squash are good to eat even when not fully ripe. When the rains start to come, you have to go ahead and harvest everything you can, fully ripe on not.
