[Sharonx]

Hi,
I have had a really good crop from 4 plants & they are all looking fab. when do I harvest them? I read somewhere not to be tempted to pick them before October even if the folige dies back. I haven't watered them or anything for ages, & the colour of the skin looks just like the ones you buy in the shops so can I get them up now or should I wait? & if so why?
Thanks

[sunshineband]

Leave them as long as possible, as they are not fully ripe until all the greenish stripes near the stalk end have gone golden too.
 
If the weather is wet and cold , it is worth pickeing them once the stalk is dried,and ripening them under cover. Evenm then, they take a couple of months in storage before developing that gorgeous flavour imho.

Worth waiting for 

[mumofstig]

Just keep checking them to make sure no brown circle patches appear.

I brought mine in, as the plants were nearly dead with mildew, to ripen near the window...but one of them started to show the signs of rot on the skin, so I've eaten it already! and really nice it was too

[Kristen]

I harvest mine shortly before frost is first forecast and then put in the conservatory fora  couple of weeks to "harden" them, or whatever the correct technical term is!

I cut them with a T-bar of the original stem - about 6" - 12" either side of the fruit.

My Cobnut have been yellow for ages (maybe they are an earlier variety, and could be harvested earlier), but my much larger, no-name-seed-given-to-me-by-a-friend are still stripy-green

Remove any small fruits that have set on the plants - they haven't got time left to ripen.

[Sharonx]

I think all the green stripes have gone but i will check them to see. How does everyone store theirs?

[Y.E.A.H]

should i pick my winter squash now and let them ripen more inside ? the skins are hard

[Alec_Macpherson]

Just reminded me, I have a shop-bought one at the bottom of the vegetable rack to eat.