- Spaghetti squash: appearance, properties and origin
- Planting spaghetti squash
- Caring for spaghetti squash: cutting, fertilizing etc.
- Harvest spaghetti squash
- Shelf Life and Storage
- Preparing the spaghetti squash
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The name says it all when it comes to spaghetti squash, because it can actually be used as a substitute for spaghetti. Here's everything you need to know about growing spaghetti squash in your own garden.
The spaghetti squash not only has countless uses in the kitchen, but also forms beautiful leaves and flowers. Incidentally, it also serves as a bee pasture. Here you can find out how to grow these versatile vegetables in your own garden or on the balcony.
Spaghetti squash: appearance, properties and origin
The spaghetti squash is a variety of garden squash (Cucurbita pepo) from the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae) cultivated in Japan. It is an annual herbaceous plant valued for its valuable components, taste and appearance, and bears fruit early. As is typical for the garden squash, the spaghetti squash plant also forms large, heart-shaped leaves on long, climbing shoots. The funnel-shaped flowers are very large, decorative and bright orange-yellow. After pollination, the elongated, cylindrical fruits develop from the flowers from August. Depending on the variety, they usually turn sun yellow or light green-yellowish when fully ripe. When preparing the spaghetti squash, it quickly becomes clear where the name comes from. After cooking, the pulp breaks down into long, spaghetti-like strands that can be prepared in a variety of ways, even serving as a substitute for real spaghetti.
Tip: Since cucurbits produce very sugary nectar, the flowers are also popular with bumblebees (Bombus) and bees ( Apis) very popular.
Planting spaghetti squash
If you want to plant a spaghetti squash, you can sow directly outdoors from mid-May or start pre-growing on the windowsill as early as mid-April. It is best to use unfertilized potting soil for cultivation, such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil, because thelow nutrient content stimulates root formation. Our earth, which is produced in a climate-friendly manner, contains no peat and is also approved for organic farming. Plant the spaghetti squash seeds about 2 cm deep in the soil so that they are lightly covered. The germination temperature should be above 22 °C. When sowing directly, the plants should be covered with fleece at low temperatures below 10 °C so that the seedlings do not freeze to death. The substrate must be kept evenly moist. Pumpkin seeds usually germinate quickly and after 7 - 10 days many seedlings can be seen.
In the case of pre-cultivated spaghetti squash, you should transplant the plants into nutrient-rich plant substrate and larger pots as soon as they form the first heart-shaped leaf. The young plants are hardened off from the beginning of May. This means that they are placed outside in a sheltered place during the day and with increasing length of time, but are brought back into the house at night at the beginning. This procedure acclimates the plants to direct sunlight, wind and temperature fluctuations. From the middle to the end of May, the young plants can then be planted outside. Since the spaghetti squash is one of the heavy consumers, it needs nutrient-rich soil such as our Plantura organic compost soil. It consists of 100% natural raw materials and also contains microorganisms that enrich soil life. If you own your own compost, you can also plant the pumpkin right next to the compost pile or mix a good portion of it into the soil. The substrate should also be permeable. A good location for the spaghetti squash is sunny or only slightly shaded at midday. The planting distance should be 1 - 2 meters for the sprawling pumpkin plants.
Planting spaghetti squash in pots? You can also plant spaghetti squash in pots. This should have a volume of at least 20 liters to do justice to the large pumpkin plant. In order for the pumpkin plant to remain manageable, the shoot tip should be pinched off after four fruit sets in the pot. In addition, the energy is increasingly invested in fruit formation instead of in plant growth. If there is little available planting, it makes sense to weave the long tendrils together with the fruit in a trellis so that the pumpkin grows taller than wide. The heavy fruits usually have to be secured with a net or stocking before they are torn offbe secured. For more pumpkin climbing tips, click here.
Caring for spaghetti squash: cutting, fertilizing etc.
After planting, it is important to water the spaghetti squash regularly. The soil should be watered directly and no cold water should be used, as the pumpkin can react to cool temperatures with reduced growth and yellow leaves. The soil should not be wet, but should be evenly moist. Especially at the time of flowering and fruiting, large amounts of water are needed. It is best to water early in the morning or in the evening to avoid evaporation in summer.
Since it is a heavy feeder, you should fertilize the spaghetti squash regularly. No nutrients are required before planting. If you have provided the bed with compost in advance or with a long-term fertilizer, such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, you no longer have to fertilize the first time after planting. The nutrients in our slow-release fertilizer last about three months and provide the pumpkin with everything it needs, especially potassium, which is important for fruit formation. After three months, however, you should definitely add more fertilizer.
Tip: A liquid fertilizer is better for potted plants. Here we recommend an organic fertilizer with a precisely adapted nutrient composition for heavily consuming vegetable plants, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertilizer.
You can cut the spaghetti squash for a better yield. Similar to the potted plants, pinch off the shoot tip as soon as sufficient fruit has formed. That's about 3 - 5 fruits per plant. The pumpkin plant then invests more energy in fewer fruits instead of growing many small pumpkins.
Harvest spaghetti squash
The spaghetti squash harvest season begins quite early, between August and the end of October. The last harvest should be done before the first frost, so that the fruits are not damaged. If you want to store the spaghetti squash, part of the stalk should be cut off and left on the squash. The fruit is separated from the shoot with a sharp knife or secateurs.
What does a ripe spaghetti squash look like? A ripe spaghetti squash is between 15 and 30 cm long and weighs 1 - 3 kg. From fruit setting to ripe, hard-skinned spaghetti squash takes aboutthree months. You can tell when pumpkins are ready for harvest by the fact that the base of the stem is dry and hard and has also turned brown. The color intensity of the fruit depends on the variety, many varieties, such as 'Pyza', are light yellow to golden yellow when ripe.
Shelf Life and Storage
The spaghetti squash's skin is quite hard and robust, which makes it easy to store. Place the spaghetti squash upright with the stalk pointing upwards in a dry, cool and frost-free place. The fruits then last until about January. Alternatively, you can freeze pumpkins cut into small pieces, raw or already prepared, or soak them in vinegar and sugar.
Preparing the spaghetti squash
Due to its numerous ingredients, spaghetti squash is very he althy. In addition to magnesium, calcium, iron, beta-carotene and fiber that makes you feel full, it contains a lot of water and potassium, which stimulates kidney and bladder function when eaten. It is quite low in calories and contains fewer vitamins than other pumpkins.
Is the spaghetti squash edible? Yes, the spaghetti squash is edible, but the skin is not. The flesh is usually scraped out as the skin is hard and inedible.
There are seemingly limitless ways to cook spaghetti squash. What is particularly unusual, however, is the possibility of using it as an alternative to spaghetti. To do this, you use a fork to pierce the skin of the pumpkin several times and to remove the fruit fibers in water after boiling. In many recipes for spaghetti squash, the halves are also filled and baked in the oven. Of course, you can also serve various sauces, such as Bolognese, with the spaghetti-like fibers.
In addition to the flowers, which are often stuffed or fried, the spaghetti squash seeds are also edible. You can clean them and soak them in water overnight to loosen the remaining pulp. They are then dried, seasoned and roasted in the oven with a little oil and can be enjoyed as a crunchy snack or on salads.
Zucchini also belongs to the pumpkin family and has a mild taste similar to that of spaghetti squash. We present the most beautifulZucchini varieties.