reason to harvest winter squash when there's no frost in sight?

My winter squash, mostly maxima and some butternut, are still on the vine.  Last couple years the first frost was in mid september, so this much later to have them out there than I'm used to.   The weather is still mild, the next weeks shows between 65-80F highs and 40-45F lows.  Dew in the morning, but sun during the day.  There isn't as much sun this time of year, but they're getting some, and I imagine they're still ripening a bit.  

Many of the vines are starting to turn yellow and wither, I'm guessing from lack of sun and coolness.  Some of the squashes are underripe from getting started late, and I should probably just start eating those.  Most of them look really nice and ripe, but more ripening won't hurt, or will it?

What I've read is to harvest before the first frost, but what if the first frost is really late?  Thoughts?

This might help you.

https://www.mofga.org/resources/crops/harvesting-winter-squash-for-flavor-and-storage/  

I'd be wondering that myself if my squash plants hadn't failed back in July. I don't remember ever having such a warm October with no frost! My tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are still going strong!

Squash store better on the shelf than in the field.

I figure that as long as the skin of a squash is too hard to stick my fingernail into, then it's perfect for harvesting.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Squash store better on the shelf than in the field.

I figure that as long as the skin of a squash is too hard to stick my fingernail into, then it's perfect for harvesting.

Thanks Joseph - that's what I was looking for.  

Some of my squash as I mentioned are still underripe from being planted late.  I'm thinking since they won't be long-storage squash anyway, they may as well stay on the vine getting the last bits of sunlight for now, as I start eating them.  

The ones that are hard and ripe I'll put on racks in the greenhouse to dry out and then move to the pantry shelf - despite there being sunny weather with no frost imminent.

one thing to consider is while the weather is sunny and mostly dry. It is a good time to cure the squash for storage. Better than trying to do it while it is rainy outside. Try bringing them in after the sun has been on them so they are not covered in dew.

Our squash are still outside as well. Usually it is the weather that brings them in by now......

I'm new to winter squash growing. I just harvested my first round a week or so ago, they're curing in my kitchen (I hope). They were starting to get go yellow in some places (the standard color is dark green) so I took that as a hint that it was time to harvest, though I may have been wrong. After reading the link above it sounds like the longer on the vine the more flavor is built.

I tried one fresh from harvest to see what it tasted like. It was bland but good. I will compare that to the ones that cure for about a month and report back. I also have a bunch still on the vine, hopefully they will have time to mature even more than the first round. If that goes well I'll then compare those with the first two and report back again!

Experimentation in progress.

Field rats and other critters will nibble on ours, best to get them in as soon as the vines die back.

The first frost here at 10,600 feet (3200m) altitude usually comes in the first week of October but this year, like many of you in far away regions, it hasn't come yet as of Oct 17. I took the pumpkins/squash and green tomatoes in already a week ago since I thought the chilly nights and mornings weren't doing them any good, even if noon and afternoons are warm.

I washed them with dish soap, and then sluiced them with vinegar. Last year (2021) I failed to sluice them with vinegar, and cured them in a very hot sunny window in early October. Those got soft or moldy spots in Dec, Jan or Feb, and only one lasted till April. So this year I was careful to use vinegar and to cure them on a high shelf so it's warm but not direct hot cooking sun. In 2020 I didn't really "cure" them in a warm place at all but did use the vinegar rinse, and they lasted better.

These are from seeds selected from Lofthouse Maximas grown near much smaller Japanese squash (I guess kabochas) so they are not as huge as the Lofthouse Maximas were. Those were so large that when they would urgently need to be used right away, I didn't have enough eaters or storage space in the freezer and it would be a bit of an emergency.

Gray Henon wrote:Field rats and other critters will nibble on ours, best to get them in as soon as the vines die back.

Yea this year the rats have been working overtime it seems. about 20 of my dry corn plants were eaten. Last year the rats really started to work into the squash. Why not really. The food sits there for months. Perfect for fattening rats for the winter...

So this year has been wetter than the previous. I just harvested 16 butter cup squash(sept 16th). In all honesty I have yet to have squash which meets the criteria for harvesting. Skin is rarely hard enough for a finger nail. Stems always look softish.

I figure if the stem is rotting I might as well harvest. Some of the stems sort of crunched when cut with the pruners.. Feels like the west coast has different requirements than where its drier.

Rats told me it was time to harvest the corn. Now they are telling me its time to harvest the squash. I fully expect the rest of the squash which didn't seem ripe to have some of the flesh missing. Ive already lost 4 squash to the rats this year.

When harvesting maxima squash, I cut the stem off as close to the fruit as possible, because it stores a lot of moisture, making it susceptible to rotting. Tightly-trimmed stems dehydrate quickly. I can leave longer stems on moschata and pepo without fuss.