Growing Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash belongs to the species of Cucurbita Pepo and is a variety of winter squash. The alternative names for it include noodle squash, vegetable spaghetti, spaghetti marrow in the UK, fish fin melon in China, and gold string melon in Japan. There are widely three varieties of this vegetable: ivory, yellow, or orange.

The flesh or the inside of the vegetable is not of these different colors; only the color of the rind varies. Although these come in different varieties and colors, the taste of the vegetable is more or less the same. It cannot be eaten when raw, and one must know the method to cook it.

There are different methods of cooking it; it could be either baked or microwaved, or it could be boiled or steamed. Once cooked, it needs to be scraped or scooped out using a fork. After the removal of seeds and voila, you have ready-to-eat spaghetti strands.

Have you ever thought of growing this noodle-producing vegetable in your garden? It is indeed a healthy option for those who crave for noodles and pastas. The nutrition facts indicate that it could be categorized as a deserving low calorie diet. That should be a good reason for someone to add it to their vegetable garden.

Spaghetti squash is usually planted in the garden as it requires a lot of room to grow. When these reach at a height of 6 inches, they are left on the trellis to grow comfortably. Some also prefer the plant to just be the way it is and not spread on the trellis, and place a straw under the vegetable to prevent it from rotting.

Those with space constraints don't need to be disappointed as there is also a way of growing it in pots or containers; this is possible with bush type varieties.

✦ Use a five gallon container with holes underneath, or drill holes for proper drainage as the roots tend to rot otherwise.

✦ You can use a plantor dolly to place the container; it would help in proper drainage and will be easy to handle.

✦ Fill the container with the potting soil mixture in a way that it has enough space left at its top. This is to avoid spilling of water when watering. Ensure that you check the soil; its pH level should be between 5.5 and 7.0.

✦ If you are planting bush variety of spaghetti squash, then you can plant two to three of them together, and while planting seeds, you could sow about six seeds in a container and then separate them when they start growing.

✦ Using fertilizers is necessary when growing this plant. A water-soluble fertilizer can serve the purpose.

✦ These will be ready to harvest once they are ripe, and when the rind of the squash becomes hard.

Those who are not interested in container gardening and have enough space in the garden, but because of the frost conditions are unable to plant them in the garden, can at first plant them indoors, and then once the weather conditions become normal, transplant them to the garden.

If you are someone who takes a keen interest in gardening, go ahead and try growing this fascinating vegetable in your garden. It indeed would be an interesting and pleasurable experience, especially when it comes to kids; they'd be amazed by this vegetable that transforms into strands after cooking.