Spaghetti Squash
Cucurbita pepo (spaghetti squash group)
Spaghetti squash is a winter squash whose cooked flesh separates into long, pasta-like strands. It is popular as a low-carb alternative to pasta and stores for months.
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun
Watering
Moderate
Water deeply at the base once or twice a week.
Soil
Rich, well-drained soil; pH 6.0–7.0.
Temperature and humidity
12–35 °C · Moderate humidity
Feeding
Feed every two weeks with a potassium-rich fertilizer once fruiting.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by seed
Pinch vine tips once 4–5 fruits have set.
Safe to eat; discard any squash that tastes very bitter.
Top Cultivation Tips
Harvest when the skin turns deep yellow and hard.
Cure in the sun for a week.
Roast halves, then fork out the strands.
Plant after the last frost.
Common problems
Powdery mildew
A fungal disease that coats leaves, buds and young shoots with a white, flour-like dust, weakening the plant and spoiling flowers and fruit.
How to treat it →PestSquash bug
Grey-brown shield-shaped bugs that suck sap from squash and pumpkin leaves, causing wilting and blackened leaves, common across the US.
How to treat it →PestSquash vine borer
Caterpillars of a day-flying moth that bore into the base of squash and pumpkin stems, causing sudden wilting.
How to treat it →
