Spaghetti Squash

rookSparrow Walla Walla, WA Jun 12, 2023

I started a garden and my first mistake is that it is over crowded. I have a cherry tomato, 2 cucamelon, and 3 spaghetti squash all in about 5 or 6 by 4 feet. I didn't expect everything to get huge. I don't think there is anything I can do about this because it's all growing like crazy ...

What I did learn recently is that the little spaghetti squash that shrivel on the vine didn't get fertilized. At this point, I have a few growing and a few that have shriveled. I actually snipped off two of the shriveled ones, but then I wondered if I should just leave them? My first thought was to cut them so they wouldn't rot and attract bugs but now I'm wondering if I should leave them and if the squash would use take them back as nutrients.

Thank you :) - This is my first pretty successful attempt at a veggie garden :)

Post #10551070

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MaypopLaurel Cleveland,GA/Atlanta, GA(Zone 7b) Jun 12, 2023

I'm not certain what you are asking. Should you have left the unpollinated squash? Are they necessary nutrients? Both answers are no. If early female flowers are not pollinated they will abort. Female flowers look like a yellow flower with a miniature fruit on the end. Male flowers look like a flower and stem. If no male flowers are available when female flowers are open the fruit will go unfertilized and abort (turn brown and shrivel). Removing this fruit has no impact on future growth and productivity.

Edited to say we are all overly zealous when it comes to squishing in a few more plants.

This message was edited Jun 12, 2023 8:58 PM