Topic: Storing winter squash

[Crystalmoon]

Hi everyone, I have all my windowsills covered in winter squash that are ripening nicely. Most have got hard skins now & a hollow sound when tapped. This morning all my windows has some condensation on them & I dont want to risk my squash going mouldy so....
I was wondering if it would be ok to store them on top of a spare bed in an unused room?
Will the soft surface of the quilt help prevent skin bruising, pressure marks on the heavier squash?
I really dont have anywhere else dry to store them so thanks for any thoughts/advice x jane

[cps12]

i had lots of squash last year (repeated this year but only starting to ripen) and put them in a dry shed.  they ripened nicely in the warmth and any condensation I just wiped off.  the killer though is the cold.  Once the teperatures went down past freezing over night they never recovered and went mushy and horrid very quickly.

So you should be OK but keeping them in a coolish place will probably extend their life.  i intend to bring mine inside once the weather starts to get bad.

CPS12

[1066]

One tip I picked up from Jeannine is that to extend the life of the squash, wipe them with a weak solution of bleach using a damp soft cloth. I think it's something to do with helping to preserve them  :)
I also keep mine on windowsills but don't have condensation so I'm not sure about it.

[antipodes]

Last year I kept mine in a wooden tray in my unheated pantry. It was light and cool, but not exactly cold, and pretty dry. They kept all through the winter.

[strawberry1]

I have some cupboard space ready in a room on the n side of the house. They are ripening nicely on a dry cill outside under a verandah, I also did the bleach wipe.

[Crystalmoon]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Im not keen on the idea of using diluted bleach on my organic squash I have to admit :o  so I will mull that over for awhile. I will try the spare bedroom on the bed & see what happens, at least it will be easy to do a daily check on them x Jane

[Stevens706]

I would put a towel under them so if one does go off it won't stain the bedding

[Crystalmoon]

Good idea Stevens  ;) x jane

[BarriedaleNick]

You could always try hydrogen peroxide (diluted) to wipe them down with...

[pansy potter]

The bleach solution is very weak

[tomatoada]

I store mine in string shopping bags and hang them on hooks in the garage and spare room.

[galina]

I just remove any obvious bits of dirt and leave to dry, no bleach, and mine store very well.  We usually eat the last ones after the first ones of the next generation are planted out!

It helps to cut a long 'handle' and it helps to leave them to cure for a while.  Curing just means leave them in a warm place for a few weeks for the skins to harden off properly, before storing.  Storing cool causes less loss of water (or shrinkage) than storing in a warm room, but both are possible.  On top of cupboards and wardrobes are my favourite places when windowsills run out.  We have a little condensation, not enough to wet the squash, and they cope with that.  I place them on newspaper, not touching each other.  Squashes with a 'crown' should be stored crown up, stem down, because the seams of the crown are more vulnerable to developing soft spots.

They do need checking every week, whatever storage method is used. 

It helps to know the species, because there are differences.  Cucurbita pepo are short storers, c moschata are medium storers and c maxima are the longest storing.  There are exceptions, but broadly speaking a marrow or an acorn squash will store probably until Christmas, a butternut a couple of months longer, whereas the crown prince type of squashes will store well into spring.  This gives an indication which types to eat first.

Nevertheless, individual plants can have a weak spot and start rotting earlier.  But with regular checks, any slight rotting can be detected early, cut out, and most of the squash is still useable.

[galina]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Im not keen on the idea of using diluted bleach on my organic squash I have to admit :o  so I will mull that over for awhile. I will try the spare bedroom on the bed & see what happens, at least it will be easy to do a daily check on them x Jane

Rather than on bedding, I wonder whether you could store them on trays, on top of newspaper  u n d e r  the spare bed.

[Crystalmoon]

Thanks Galina for the useful info. Ive got loads of new squash to store this year that Ive never grown or bought before so it will be trial & error til I get used to their individual needs  ;)
I have some with crowns & would never have thought to store them stem down thank you so much for that tip.
I do cut a long stalk & most have dried out completely now so I guess the squash have 'cured' (they all feel hard when tapped & sound hollow etc).
The Thelma saunders are fluted all round the sides so that's why I wondered about storing on the soft bed so there isnt loads of pressure on the raised areas ;) x jane  

[grannyjanny]

Just a thought, would thyme or tee tree essential oil do to wipe them with?