More Squash queries

[Colin Miles]

I am growing Orange Dawn and this is the first year that I have grown squashes. They are supposed to be grapefruit size and each of the plants have 2 or 3 of this size. They are supposed to crop in 120 days according to T&M which I just looked up, and lo and behold today is the 121st day since sowing! Well - nothing in gardening is that precise but how do I tell if the fruit is ripe, and if I remove the ripe ones will any other smaller ones grow and ripen before the first frost - whenever that may be?

[vivie veg]

I'd harvest the full grown ones now, as and when you want them. If you want to store them over winter they need to develope a thick skin, but this will take about 3 weeks.

I have never known frosts in this neck of the woods before the beginning of October, (if you are really lucky you won't get frosts until February) so you have plenty of time before you need to lift the last ones for storage. Also you are slightly to the south of me and therefore slightly warmer...I have know a temp difference of 4 degrees C between me and Llanelli...it depends whether your land slopes South or North. If the frost do catch you out, then the pumpkins can be ripened in a greenhouse or polytunnel, so long as they are not damp. You may find that the damp gets the plants before the frost as they get Grey mould on the leaves, don't worry the fruits should be OK and more light will get to the fruit to help mature them.

Last year I rescued some marrows in October (should have been courgettes, but I had not visited the field for 3 weeks...persistant rain) The frost had got the plants, but the marrows were OK and I kept them in my bottom shed and had them for Christmas.

[Colin Miles]

Thanks Viv. When I looked more closely at them on Sunday it was plain that 2 of the plants had completely finished. So I harvested all those of reasonable size - 17 in all from 6 plants and they certainly seemed ripe. They are now sitting in the garage. I have left 4 plants which have 1 or more small fruits on, fed them and maybe they will develop more.