How To Grow Spaghetti Squash

I walked into my parents’ house the other day and my dad went to the garage. He emerged with a sprouted spaghetti squash. “What do I do now?” he asked. But honestly, I was shocked. I wasn’t sure how to grow spaghetti squash. It was just another gardening experiment I wanted to try. And somehow, it actually worked.

So here we are not, learning how to grow spaghetti squash from seed. And as we learn, I figured I would blog it in case you want to learn too.

How To Grow Spaghetti Squash

Step 1:
Harvest and dry the seeds from a spaghetti squash. So, what you want to do is cut a spaghetti squash in half, then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and “guts” from the spaghetti squash.

Rinse the strings (that’s what I’m calling the “guts”) from the seeds and discard them. Rinse the spaghetti squash seeds, then put them in a glass bowl to dry completely, about a week.

Step 2:
Fold a paper towel in half and wet it. Put the spaghetti squash seeds in the “pocket” that’s formed in the paper towel. Put the paper towel in a quart-sized plastic bag.

Tape the plastic bag to a window that gets indirect light.

Every few days, when you notice the paper towel is dry, give it about a tablespoon of water.

After two to three weeks, you should see the spaghetti squash seeds starting to sprout.

Step 3:
Carefully remove the sprouted spaghetti squash seeds from the paper towel (they may stick, so be careful to not rip out the newly forming roots).

Fill a six-inch wide container, about two inches shy of the top, with potting soil. Lay two to three sprouted spaghetti squash seeds down on the potting soil, then top with about an inch of potting soil.

Water the seeds daily until they sprout about four to six inches above the potting soil.

Step 4:
Create a mound, wherever you’re planning on growing your squash. Dig a small hole in the middle of it.

Carefully — and I repeat, carefully — dig the sprouted spaghetti squash seeds out of the small container. The roots will be long and fragile, so if you’re not careful, you can damage them.

Plant the sprouts in the small hole in the mound.

Water them every other day.

Step 5:
After about 90 to 100 days, you should be able to harvest the spaghetti squash. Each fruit should get to about seven to nine inches long. The spaghetti squash is ready when the outside becomes a dull yellow color. It will be white, light or bright yellow as it’s growing. When the color dulls, you can harvest it.

Make sure it’s ripe when you harvest it because until other fruits and vegetables, spaghetti squash will not ripen any more after it’s harvested.

Cut the spaghetti squash, leaving about an inch of the stem.

If you want an idea on how to cook your spaghetti squash when you harvest it, check out our Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash recipe.