Frost damaged squash/pumpkins

[benturner994]

Hi everyone,

I�m new to the forum, and this is my first question posted!

I have an allotment in Manchester, this is my first year. Earlier in the year I planted spaghetti squash and crown prince pumpkins, however I didn�t rotate them until the other day.

I�ve just come back from the plot today and noticed a discolouring on the skin of my squashes and pumpkins. The discolouring is limited to the area previously covered.

I�m searching all over the internet and all I can find is they might have been frost damaged.

I�m wondering whether rotation of the squashes etc earlier in the year, would have avoided this? As the part of the squashes which aren�t discoloured are the ones where they have formed a hard skin. I�m just wanting to know for next year!!

Also, I�ve seen somewhere that frost damaged fruits won�t store! Does this mean I have to eat them now? And what is the usual time frame for the fruit to spoil?

Thanks in advance!!

[Baldy]

Welcome along... I'm no squash expert but I suspect its just due to differences in exposure to sun / wind etc - have you really had frost up in Manchester already?

If things are frost damaged they will tend to have their skins etc broken - and much like human beings the skin is a protective layer so once the skin is damaged they are pretty much inevitably going to get infected... pretty fast... bacteria and fungus don't hang about once they have an opportunity

[Chestnut]

We definitely had frost this week, had to scrape ice off car windows!
I have yet to get to the plot to discover whether my pumpkins got frostbite.

I also don’t know if frost would affect storage. If you have freezer space, then maybe make a massive batch of soup, pumpkin puree etc. If not, then maybe invite lots of people round for a pumpkin party instead?

[Mark_Riga]

Frost damage would generally go soft as the cell structure would break down. Also, the leaves would generally be affected by frost before the fruit. If the leaves look OKish then not likely to be frost damage. If it is discoloured, this could just be where it has been in contact with the ground so keep an eye on it as rot can set in at that site if skin is badly affected. I put spare floor tiles/slate under the fruit when they start to develop.

[benturner994]

Hi guys,

Thank you so much for your help!

The skin hasn�t ruptured, theres just a marked discolouration of the side which hasn�t been exposed to the elements.

I think I�m over worrying. But I just thought rotation of the fruits would create equal skin hardiness etc, which could avoid damage from frost!

Any further tips would be helpful!

[benturner994]

Frost damage would generally go soft as the cell structure would break down. Also, the leaves would generally be affected by frost before the fruit. If the leaves look OKish then not likely to be frost damage. If it is discoloured, this could just be where it has been in contact with the ground so keep an eye on it as rot can set in at that site if skin is badly affected. I put spare floor tiles/slate under the fruit when they start to develop.

Skin hasn�t gone soft! Ok great advice! For reference, the discolouration looks similar to the one found on the top right squash in the following image

https://images.app.goo.gl/xRcr8H5ToGekHGnq8

[Thelma Sanders]

You usually get a 'side' that doesn't look as ripe as the rest. I just pick them and bring inside on a window ledge with the darker side to the light. They usually slowly turn colour. AS the weather is turning cold at night I'd bring them all inside. Some advice on curing the skins for storage here
https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/cur...winter-squash/