When Is Summer Squash Ripe Enough to Pick?

Summer squash is easy to grow and versatile in recipes.

Squashes are among the most forgiving plants for beginning gardeners, as they are easy to grow and produce large quantities of fruit, says Hilary Rinaldi, a certified organic gardener, in "The Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine."

Varieties

Zucchini are prolific and may be prepared in many different ways.

Summer squashes include the zucchini, straight or crookneck yellow squash and pattypans or scallops.

Harvesting

Yellow squash varieties include straight and crookneck.

Pick and eat summer squash at any point in their growth cycle, but they are best when still small and tender. For zucchini and yellow squash varieties, 6 to 8 inches is ideal. Pick pattypans when they reach a 3 to 4 inches diameter.

Considerations

Pick your pattypans when they are tender and sweet.

Larger fruits are stringy and filled with large, tough seeds. When the squashes mature, the plant also produces fewer fruit. If you harvest while the plant is young, encouraging them to produce more, one plant will yield enough summer squash for the whole season.

References

• Brigham Young University Idaho: Harvesting Tips and Information
• Harvest to Table: Summer Squash
• Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine: Squash -- Summer
• The Old Farmer's Almanac: Ripeness Guide

Resources

• What's Cooking America: Squash -- Summer and Winter Squash -- Squash Varities