Squash is known for being one of the most common vegetables that can be turned into a lot of things. Squash can be used to make a delicious soup, and it can also be roasted together with other meat and spices to make for a lovely side dish and added flavor. Squash is a plant that originally came from the areas of Mexico, and has since been seen in most parts of the world.
There are different kinds of types of squash, depending on the time or season in which they are harvested. One of the less known yet unique types of squash is the yellow squash. It may seem like the adopted and unwanted cousin of zucchini. But it actually is very healthy and can bring unique tastes to your meals. Knowing when to harvest yellow squash is important if you want to grow and serve a different kind of squash, one that not everyone knows but can surely appreciate.
Squash is a healthy vegetable, as a lot of vegetables are since it provides you with numerous beneficial vitamins and minerals. Squash contains vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamin K, among others. It also contains minerals like magnesium, potassium, and manganese. And of course, like all kinds of squash or pumpkin, it is rich in vitamin A.
It is also rich in calcium and iron. What you won’t find in this vegetable is… cholesterol. That’s right, it is a cholesterol-free food! It is great for those watching their weight. It is great for good eyesight because it not only contains vitamin A, but also lutein, which is both good for the eyes. It is great for healthy bones as well as for your immune system. It is good for the digestion system… it is just a general nutritional powerhouse!
And the great thing about it is that it is easy to incorporate into your diet. It can be cooked, grilled, diced and added into salads, spiralized so it can be used as a pasta substitute, and basically eat it however you want as long as you are creative.
STEP 1: How to tell if yellow squash is bad
Getting into the habit of planting your own vegetables can be difficult if you have never done it, but learning about these things will help bring you more vegetables and fruits to choose from, such as squash. Squash is a plant that is commonly grown by many farmers and personal planters alike, especially because the vegetable itself is delicious, and goes well with almost any dish.
If you love squash or are merely curious about the ways in which you can grow your own, then learning things such as how to tell if yellow squash is bad will help produce your own original source of squash from the confines of your own home or property.
Yellow squash, or summer squash, may be grown from the seeds of a yellow squash vegetable. If you do not have a yellow squash available from which you can obtain the seed, you can also purchase yellow squash seeds to plant.
Once you have the seeds, make sure that you also have the right amount of space to plant the number of seeds you have. Having too small space is not a healthy place for these seeds to grow in, since these plants all need their own space to grow properly without hindrance from neighboring plants.
One of the most important factors to any growing plant, and to vegetables, in particular, is the amount of sunlight exposure they receive. Some plants require direct sunlight exposure, while some require indirect sunlight exposure.
For the yellow squash, the amount of sunlight it requires is direct sunlight. This means that the place you plan to plant your yellow squash should be one where the sunlight directly hits all the areas in which you plant your yellow squash seeds.
The soil in which the seeds are placed must be soil that allows good drainage. Good drainage is required in order to lessen the chances of the seeds or plants receiving too much water, and dying because of overwatering.
The seeds should be planted at a depth of at least 1-inch deep, and with space around each seed of about one foot. This allows them to grow on their own and have enough space to receive nutrition from the soil and water.
Caring for these plants requires watering the soil in which they are housed every morning. The plant should be watered during the early morning hours, to avoid the heat from the sun rays later in the day. This helps avoid the situation where the water given to the seedlings evaporates due to the heat from the sun.
When watering the yellow squash, it is important to avoid getting the leaves and vines wet. This can cause mildew to set in, which will ultimately harm the plant.
STEP 2: When to harvest squash
Harvesting squash depends on the type of squash you have since summer and winter squash are harvested at different time intervals. Knowing when to harvest squash is important if you want to be able to obtain squash that tastes fresh and good, and if you want to avoid leaving the squash to rot.
For summer or yellow squash, the best time to harvest them is while they are small and their skin is soft to touch. You should harvest yellow squash before the outer shell hardens and the core is filled with seeds. Once harvested at this time, the yellow squash will taste fresh and delicious.
One of the key differences between summer and winter squash is that summer squash tastes better while it is young and tender. On the other hand, winter squash tastes better when it is quite old when its rind is hard.
Being able to harvest squash right before it is littered with seeds allows you to take advantage of more space for the vegetable itself, all while being able to taste the real freshness of young yellow squash.
STEP 3: How to store yellow squash
Another key difference between winter squash varieties and summer squash varieties (like the yellow squash) is that winter squash is easier to preserve and store because of its hard rind. The skin it has can easily withstand a few months of storage once properly cured. If you want more details on winter squash care tips and facts, see this post.
Although summer squash is not as naturally adept for storage, that does not mean that it can’t be stored. If in case you do not want to eat the squash just yet once you have harvested it, or you do not want to use it for the time being for any dish, you can use the knowledge on how to store yellow squash to help keep it safe for the time being.
Yellow squash can be stored for seasons and even during the winter by washing them, and then subsequently drying them properly. After drying them, you can place them in a plastic bag with paper towels which act as an absorbent to the moisture that surrounds the newly harvested vegetable. By obtaining a dried vegetable, you can then store it for future use.
This type of preservation is similar to curing and even applies the same principle in preserving meat using salt. As much as possible, you want the moisture from the food to be gone. That helps the food last a lot longer.
Conclusion
Applying your knowledge of when to harvest yellow squash is important if you want to obtain a yellow squash that tastes fresh and delicious, as opposed to yellow squash which is harvested later, and littered with more seeds and tastes not as fresh as the former. Squash is an interesting vegetable, since it comes in more than just one form, though all types of squash have proven to be delicious in their own right.
Squash has a lot of health benefits, and it would do you well to consider planting squash as part of your garden. Squash requires certain things that all normal plants require, such as good soil, water, sunlight, and proper maintenance and care. By taking care of the plant and applying the knowledge you have learned on how to grow them, you will be able to obtain your first self-made squash in no time.
There are a lot of options when it comes to what to plant in your garden. Why not try planting yellow squash for a change?