How to Harvest and Store Summer Squash -- Harvest to Table

Summer squash, including zucchini, yellow squash, and pattypan, grows fast and needs frequent harvesting to keep plants producing. Over the years, I’ve learned that timing is everything—picking squash at the right stage not only improves flavor and texture but also encourages more fruit to develop. Harvest too late, and the squash becomes tough and seedy; pick too early, and you might miss out on the best yield. Through experience, I’ve also discovered the best ways to store fresh summer squash to extend its shelf life without losing quality.

In this guide, I’ll share expert-backed, experience-tested tips on when and how to harvest summer squash for the best taste and texture, along with proper short-term storage methods to keep it fresh longer. Whether you want to store squash in the fridge for a week, freeze it for later use, or preserve an abundant harvest, these techniques will help you make the most of your homegrown squash. Let’s get started!

Harvest summer squash young and tender. Harvest summer squash when the skin is glossy and soft enough to be easily pierced with your thumbnail.

When to harvest summer squash

Summer squash is edible as soon as the skin is glossy and can be pierced with a thumbnail.
Harvest zucchini, crookneck, and yellow squash when they are 6 to 8 inches long.
Harvest scalloped varieties when they are 3 to 6 inches in diameter.
You can harvest zucchini and yellow summer squash as baby squash when the fruit is 4 to 6 inches long. Baby summer squash will be tender and tasty.
Summer squashes can grow quite large—up to 10 inches long—but it’s best to pick earlier. Summer squash is most flavorful when harvested young and tender.
Check plants every two or three days once they begin to produce fruit. Leaving large fruit on the vine will slow and can even stop production; large squashes that go to seed signal the plant that its life cycle is ending. Harvest summer squash before the fruit grows large and seedy.
Overripe squashes use moisture and nutrients that could be used to produce young, tender fruit. (But overly large squashes can still be used as a puree for soup or grated for sweetbreads.) Summer squash that is too hard to be marked by a thumbnail is too old to use and should be composted or thrown away.

Summer squash harvested — Handle summer squash gently to prevent wounds to the skin.

How to harvest summer squash

Use a garden pruner or sharp knife to cut the fruit away from the vine; leave a short stem attached to the fruit to extend the storage life. Don’t tug or pull fruit from the vine; you could injure the plant.
Handle summer squash gently to prevent wounds to the skin.

More tips on harvesting all summer vegetables at Summer Vegetable Harvest Tips.

Pattypan summer squash. Gently wipe fruit clean with a damp cloth and then store in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.

How to store summer squash

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More harvest tips:

Learn when and how to harvest your favorite vegetables for the best flavor and texture. Get storage tips for each crop. Click on the vegetable you are growing below.