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tiskers

My 'spaghetti squash' looks like zucchini!

tiskers
12 years ago

We planted spaghetti squash this spring for the first time. We used pre-packaged seeds and the label clearly stated SPAGHETTI SQUASH with a photo of the distinctive yellow squash.

Weeeellllll, what we have is green and stripey and looks remarkably like ZUCCHINI!!! Some are over 12" long already.

Could there have been a mistake in the seed packet (and if so, does that happen a lot???!) -- or does spaghetti squash go through a green stripey stage before it turns YELLOW??!

Thank you!!!

Comments (54)

  • farmerdill
    12 years ago

    The last photo could be a sphagetti squash named Stripetti or it could be a Grey type zucchini. If you have the original package, look see if it has a variety named.

  • tiskers
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks... that's the problem, we didn't keep the seed package. But I clearly recall the picture on the front of a yellow, oval, spaghetti squash!

    Should I cut one open? Would that tell for sure?

  • zzackey
    12 years ago

    I would think if you cut one open you would know for sure! They are pretty whatever they are! I planted lavender from seed once and something totally different came up.

  • Shannon
    12 years ago

    I second the idea of cutting one open and seeing if it's stringy. Let us know!

  • tiskers
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the replies!

    I will cut it open and take more pictures. Hopefully that will tell us if it's a zucchini or not??!!

    But it wouldn't be stringy till after it's cooked, right?

    Aye yi yi!!! ;o)

  • CandyandAllen
    10 years ago

    Interesting post. My spaghetti squash is producing both types of fruit on the same vine. No question but found it very odd.

  • AiliDeSpain
    10 years ago

    It doesn't look at all like zucchini to me.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    I think something got crossed in the field where they harvested those seeds. Doesn't look like either spaghetti or zucchini.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    You've got something like ZUCCHagetti: :D
    I have a few odd plants and things too. One is a cosmos that is growing as if it is a tree, with a stem as thick as finger. And a Brandy Wine tomato with a flower as big as a dime.

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    Just curious. Were those open-pollinated heirloom seeds? If so, getting off types in the squash family is pretty common, in fact too common. Last year I grew something similar from a packet that was supposed to be pumpkins.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    The leaves aren't zucchini leaves, there's no silver. And that striping pattern is common on a whole lot of young squashes.

  • Christian
    10 years ago

    Wow those are pretty fruit. Maybe you need to let it ripen before you pick it? Maybe it will ripen to a yellow color? Just a guess.

  • socosmama
    8 years ago

    Most of the blossoms on my spaghetti squash are on long stems and end up falling off. I noticed my first fruit this morning. First time growing this squash. Why do some blossoms fall off and others produce fruit?

  • bcraine
    8 years ago

    We got spaghetti squash from our CSA that are green, and the farmer insists it is a variety of spaghetti squash.

  • texssjean
    7 years ago

    I have one green squash and several tan squash. The green one is larger, but is shaped like the rest. I planted seeds from a spaghetti squash I bought at the grocery store. I know there were no other squash seeds in the mix.

  • Lorelei QA
    7 years ago

    Last year I saved seeds from 2 spaghetti squash which had been bought at two different grocery stores. This year, I planted 4 of those seeds. Each of my plants has produced one very well formed (and now turning bright yellow) fruit, and several other green striped fruit, per vine. The green striped ones look identical to the previous pictures, and are not making any attempt to turn yellow. How can one plant produce such different fruit?

  • farmerdill
    7 years ago

    Most likely crossed seeds. Your photo shows a vining squash which pretty well rules out zucchini. Several of the squash do look like a Green Striped Cushaw.

  • fbx22
    7 years ago

    Looks like a Burpee special


  • Paulette Jenkins Brooks
    6 years ago

    The pictures you're trying to show is Italian squash I know cuz I grow it every year

  • bbrepas
    6 years ago

    Same thing happened to us. I cooked the green striped one and it shreds lole spagetti squash. Going to eat to ight to see if it tastes the same. Was planted next to zucchini so may e cross pollinated? Does not matter as long as it tastes like spagetti squash!

  • sembach_1
    6 years ago

    This is the first year we've planted spaghetti squash and are having the same results! There is nothing near our patch to cross pollinate with, so it must have been the seeds. I'm curious your taste test results? :)

  • tpetrescu1234
    6 years ago

    I am having the same thing happen on 3 plants. Commercial seeds too. My compost spaghetti is coming out more like a normal spaghetti squash.

  • Sherri Somers
    6 years ago

    I also have both colors of squash growing on one Vine, planted next to zucchini, and were commercial seeds.

  • sembach_1
    6 years ago

    Update: So when we cut the squash (both the "normal" and the green striped) from the vine, both continued to ripen and are now "normal" looking spaghetti squash.

  • Kim Szabo
    5 years ago

    i have 2 of these growing on the same vine as my spaghetti squash...Bonnie plants purchases from Walmart.

  • bbrepas
    5 years ago

    All the “spaghetti squash” both shredded and tasted like spaghetti squash notwithstanding their different appearances! They kept quite well over the winter too.

  • ptdixiegal
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I have the same thing going on! I DID save my seeds from a spaghetti squash (in the produce section) that I bought at Kroger or Wal-Mart as I kinda wanted an adventure. Most of mine are white ovals but then I have this guy...I attached photos of both. I'd like to know what varieties I have.

  • PRO
    Cabinet Creations
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    We have a plant that is supposed to be a zucchini the fruit is green like zucchini, but large and more round like a spaghetti squash. I guess we'll see what we get when we cook it!

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    ptdixiegal - you saved seeds from a supermarket squash and you think those seeds are going to bear true? Not if it was a hybrid. Pretty likely it was. Nope. You don't know what you're going to get. Does make for an adventure, though.

  • Don V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
    3 years ago

    Candyandallen I have the exact same thing, 3x now. Most fruit look correct but every now and then I get a spaghetti squash that looks green - and is slightly bigger then most others. On the same vine as regular! When it ripens it does a very little bit of "fading" that gets slightly closer to looking the normal color but spots/stripes are still there.

  • HU-290865001
    2 years ago

    Ours or green so how do you know when they are ready

  • Julie Cares
    2 years ago

    I had this same issue. I thought it was a mutant cucumber. I cooked it and it is def a spaghetti squash. There are several that look like short zucchini although most are normal looking

  • JS Whosoever
    2 years ago

    I see all the comments about planting next to a zucchini but I got one one the same vine as a pale one and I did not have any zucchini this year at all. I think maybe the variety was crossbred for a larger size and its genes are showing up...they're HUGE though. I think I ordered mine from seedsavers or something like that. I also got seeds from johnnyseeds.com. I dont know which

    I got the squash seeds from.

  • JS Whosoever
    2 years ago



  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    2 years ago

    Spaghetti squash DOES go through a green stripey stage before it turns color. Looks like zucchini when immature. There was a post on this a few days ago. Planting next to some other squash won't make funny fruit, but will make seeds that bear funny fruit.

  • Cindy
    2 years ago

    How can you tell when the green ones are ripe

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MZB23MEjH0

    The green ones AREN'T ripe.

  • Paul Stephen
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Same story here, I planted some saved Palo Alto spaghetti squash seeds and I also planted some green zucchini seeds after the spaghetti squash was blooming. I'm not sure what happened to the green zucchini seeds, I haven't seen any dark greens zucchini plants, although although the strange looking squash appeared on the same vine as these light green spaghetti spaghetti spaghetti squashes...pax, P


  • texssjean
    last year

    i can’t believe this thread has been going on for 11 years!

  • Donna Glynn
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I was just thinking the same, texssjean! Been searching for days to figure out what the mystery squash is…. fascinating phenomenon going on with spaghetti squash!

  • RN4LIFE
    9 months ago

    Someone please help me. I bought a spaghetti squash big and yellow from Stop& shop but before cooking it. Obviously I took all the seeds out, dried them and then planted them the next summer...

    One of them grew up pale yellow but somehow got eaten by grubs when it was small. Now I have two growing and they're coming in green. I know I actually took the seeds out of a yellow spaghetti squash I bought in the store so I don't know what's happening. If somebody could help me I would really appreciate it. Gratefully yours!


  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    9 months ago

    You don't know what varieties pollinated that spaghetti squash that made the seeds you collected. Also, if it's a hybrid (most likely, for consumer squash) there's no telling what bizarre variety you'll get with seeds you collected. That's lesson #1 in seed collecting. If you collect seeds from a hybrid, you're very likely NOT going to get the variety you collected it from.

  • April Niles
    8 months ago

    Spagetti Squash have male and female flowers to pollinate. The green ones are most likely the male and the yellow are the females.

  • April Niles
    8 months ago

    Spaghetti Squash have male and female flowers to pollinate. Most likely the green one is the male and the yellow ones are the females.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    8 months ago

    Sorry, but that is nonsense. The male and female flowers can be told apart by the flower structure and the fact that the females have an embryonic fruit behind the flower head and the males do not. It's the flowers which are different sexes, not the fruit and the colour of the fruit is completely irrelevant.

  • rdback
    8 months ago

    RN4LIFE, spaghetti squash will be green while immature. They will change to yellow at maturity.

  • carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
    8 months ago
    last modified: 8 months ago

    This was already pointed out years ago on this thread, but squash is notoriously easy to cross pollinate. Unless pollination is tightly controlled, there's no telling what saved seeds will produce.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    8 months ago

    " This was already pointed out years ago on this thread, but squash is notoriously easy to cross pollinate. Unless pollination is tightly controlled, there's no telling what saved seeds will produce."


    That is especially true for squashes in the C. pepo species, since they are so widely grown. Besides spaghetti squash, acorn squash, most pumpkins, nearly all summer squash, and even warted gourds are all C. pepo. The flowers are conspicuous & very good pollen sources, and bees will travel surprisingly great distances to feed on them... collecting & spreading pollen all the way.


    I have a rural garden, with no other gardens within at least 1/4 mile. Several years ago, I grew acorn squash there, and saved seed. No other members of the same species were grown there. When I grew out that seed the next year, there were several obvious crosses... apparently with a yellow zucchini & a pumpkin. Those were interesting to look at, but unpalatable. Seed saving of squash (especially C. pepo) is so problematic that hand pollination is generally necessary to ensure pure seed.


    By coincidence, I am growing that same bush acorn squash this year, and have hand pollinated several squashes for seed.

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    8 months ago

    Just to recalibrate, the newer OP (and this topic has little to do with the original topic from the 12 year old original OP) said that this was a commercially purchased squash, as in, supermarket squash. So it's not an issue of who pollinated what in the field. It's an issue of it being most likely a hybrid, and that it was intentionally pollinated by a different variety.