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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> > If you pick them now, will they keep all winter?
> 
Alas, not likely.

I have here on the table two large Lakota squash from LAST year.  They are 
still good enough to eat.   I am going to plant seeds from those squash next 
week, and then more acorn, butternut, and sugar pumpkins in the couple of 
weeks after that.

The MO here is as Lynn describes, grow them late and let the frost kill the 
vines.  Some of the squash will be immature and will not keep.  Those are 
fed to the pigs and chickens.  But a late grown squash that is hardened by 
the first frosts will keep nearly a year in good shape.

If a very early frost threatens, I cover the squash vines with plastic or 
old fiber sacks or some such and often have three or four weeks more of frost 
free weather.  Most of the time I hedge the bets and plant some winter 
squash mid-July and then every couple of weeks even up to the end of August.  
First frost here is generally 20th of October so a squash planted on the last 
day of August has seven weeks until the first expected frost.  Because of 
the warm weather, the 70 days to maturity of many varieties is shortened to 
50.  I've even had butternut squashes mature in 50 to 60 days in the fall.

Ironically, perhaps, right now is the time when seeding and transplanting 
vegetables yields the most for your effort.  Turnips, beets, carrots and the 
like planted about now will be maturing up around the onset of much cooler 
weather and hold in the garden for months.  Cabbage and broccoli seeded now 
will endure the first frosts as seedlings and then mature in the early winter 
... then hold bug-free in the garden for a long time. Etc.

James