Do you have a large patch? We generally get a cold night and then it warms up again.

So I use blankets, sheets, shade cloth until it warms up again. It is time consuming to cover and uncover them. I put it a few inches above the plants because if the frost is heavy enough, it will freeze the leaves right through the fabric.

You want the vines to stay alive if your squash isn't ready. The experts here will know more, but I don't think light frost will kill the fruit. However, the leaves are very susceptible to a freeze so the fruit will not continue to grow.

If it's almost ready, you still may get a harvest--good luck!

I agree with notolover. It would be best to try and keep those vines alive a bit longer.

If the fruit aren't already hard skinned (as in, one can't puncture the skin with a fingernail) frost might damage it. This will be evidenced by darker, wet looking stains in the skin. Once the skin has hardened, the squash are more resistant to frost. Though, it's still nice to get them indoors and under cover.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Thanks, both of you. Yes, I can cover the plants. The covers probably won't be raised above them, but I have some that will do the job.

Here, too, the weather almost always warms again after a frost. It's so disheartening to lose plants only to have the following week or weeks be warm and sunny again. I looked again at the forecast, and I'm thinking mid-to-high 40s probably won't produce a frost at this time of year, with the ground being so warm. Forecasts can change, though, and the reality doesn't always match the forecast. So I'll keep an eye on it.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking ideally the squash shouldn't be picked until they are hard and the stems are woody.

Thanks!

I think many of us are having this kind of weather. It froze last night and will tonight but then it will be in the 80s. Crazy weather ;-)