Pick summer squash while the skin is glossy and a fingernail pierces it easily. Plan to use it fast, because it keeps about a week in the fridge and no cellar will stretch that. A glut belongs in the freezer or the neighbor’s kitchen, not in storage.
When summer squash are ready in New Jersey
The plant gives the signal: fruit that is still small for its type, with shiny skin that a fingernail goes through without a fight. Counting from seed, first fruit arrives about 55 days after planting, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension, which puts a mid-May sowing at early to mid July.
That window starts with frost. At the Newark reference station, NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals put the last spring frost between March 29 and April 6, and the first fall frost between November 4 and November 16. Those are airport numbers. Suburban and rural gardens usually see the last spring frost one to two weeks later and the first fall frost one to two weeks earlier, and hilly northwestern New Jersey runs later and earlier still. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) spans zones 6a to 7b across the state, so a garden near the shore and one in Sussex County are on different calendars. Your county office at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station can tell you the local dates.
Squash is killed by frost and stalls in cold soil, so sowing waits until the frost risk has passed and the ground has warmed, which in practice means May. Count 55 days from the day the seed went in, and start checking plants a week before that. Transplants set out in May can come in a little sooner. The full planting routine is in Growing Summer Squash in New Jersey.
The season often ends before frost. Squash vine borers and powdery mildew tend to wear plants out in late summer, and What Eats Summer Squash in New Jersey, and When explains what to watch for. If the vines survive that long, frost finishes them somewhere in the early-to-mid November range at the reference station, earlier inland.
How often should you pick summer squash?
Every day or two once fruit starts coming. A summer squash plant stops setting new fruit once one fruit matures, so how often you harvest is how much you get. A zucchini left to grow oversized turns seedy and tough-skinned, and it tells the plant to slow down. Cut fruit with a knife and leave a short piece of stem, since the stems are prickly and a tug can damage the vine.
Weather speeds things up. At Newark, June through August brings about 13.2 inches of rain (June 4.34, July 4.66, August 4.15, so August is the driest of the three). That is what the region usually gets, and a rain gauge in your own bed tells you what your plot got. A few warm, damp days can turn a fruit that looked small on Monday into a club by Thursday. Different types are best at different sizes, which The Best Summer Squash to Grow in New Jersey sorts out by variety.
Keeping them, and for how long
Summer squash does not store. Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Home & Garden Information Center says to keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. That is a ceiling for fruit picked young, undamaged and dry, kept in the bag the whole time. A squash that sat ripening on the plant, or took a knock in the basket, will give out sooner.
Winter squash is the crop that keeps for months. Butternut and acorn have hard rinds and mature seeds, which is why they last on a shelf. Summer squash is picked immature, with thin skin and high water content, so it softens and spoils in days. Anyone hoping to stretch a July harvest into fall should plan on the freezer or a preserved product, because a cool basement will not do for summer squash what it does for pumpkins.
Skip washing until the day you cook it. Moisture trapped in the bag speeds up the slimy spots that show up first at the blossom end. If a squash feels soft or the skin looks sunken, cook it that day.
What do you do with a glut of summer squash?
Gluts hit in July and August, when the plants can outrun any household. Several options handle the surplus:
- Shred it raw, squeeze out the water, and freeze it flat in bags for bread, muffins and soups.
- Freeze slices or cubes after blanching, following a tested guide for the timing.
- Roast or grill it, then freeze the cooked pieces for winter casseroles.
- Dehydrate thin slices into chips.
- Pickle it using a tested recipe only.
- Hand it to neighbors or a local food pantry, which is often the fastest fix.
Stick with the freezer or tested pickle recipes. Your county Rutgers extension office can point you to current tested instructions for blanching times and pickling.
Where in the house that actually is
The fridge is the closest match, but it needs a check. A domestic refrigerator runs colder than summer squash likes for long stays, and the cold air near the back wall or vents can leave pitted, watery patches on the skin. The plastic bag helps by cutting moisture loss and softening the blast of cold. The crisper drawer, which usually sits in a slightly less cold spot, is a good place for it.
A heated kitchen is too warm for anything beyond tonight’s dinner. Squash left on the counter wrinkles and goes soft quickly, and a summer kitchen with the oven on is worse. A garage swings with the weather. At the Newark station about 20.8 days a year reach 90°F or more, and a closed garage in July runs hotter than the air outside, while a late-fall garage can drop low enough to chill the fruit. A basement is cooler than the living space and works well for winter squash, but its damp air and the lack of a bag make it a poor spot for summer squash.
How do you check your fridge for squash?
Fridge dials are unreliable, and one that reads “medium” in one model can sit colder than another. Put a thermometer in the crisper drawer overnight and read it in the morning, before anyone opens the door. If the drawer runs very cold, move the bag to a middle shelf away from the back wall or turn the dial a notch warmer. If it runs warm, the squash will soften inside the week it has, and so will everything else in there. Skipping the check means finding out by the squash itself, a few days later, when the skin has pitted or turned slick.
Common questions
How long does summer squash last in the fridge?
Up to one week, in a plastic bag, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension. That is the best case for fresh, dry, unbruised fruit. Treat it as a deadline and use the squash sooner when you can.
When is the last picking of the year in New Jersey?
Until the plants die. Frost ends them, and at the Newark reference station the first fall frost falls between November 4 and November 16, with inland and hill gardens usually one to two weeks earlier. Pests and mildew often end production well before that.
Can I store summer squash in a cool basement like winter squash?
No. Winter squash has a hard rind and mature seeds that let it keep for months. Summer squash is picked young with thin skin, and it spoils in days without the fridge. For a surplus, freeze or preserve it.
Does picking small really change how much squash I get?
Yes. The plant stops setting fruit once one fruit matures, so leaving a big squash on the vine cuts production. Picking young and often keeps the plant setting fruit, and it gives you the best-tasting fruit.