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Harvesting Your Pumpkins

Gardening Guide: Pumpkinpalooza: How to Start Your Own Pumpkin Patch

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Harvesting Your Pumpkins

By Bill Dugan, Executive Editor

Harvesting a Hokkaido Pumpkin.

Harvesting a Hokkaido Pumpkin.

The ideal time to harvest your pumpkins is when they’ve turned the expected color of the variety you’re growing. In most cases, that color will be a bright orange. Ripe pumpkins have hard, shiny skins that you can’t easily poke a hole in with your fingernail; but just try tapping, so you don’t accidentally cut the skin and leave an entryway for bacteria and disease.

The ideal way to harvest pumpkins is to let them ripen completely on the vine and then harden off, or cure, in the field. You’ll notice the vines start to dry and wither as harvest time approaches. This isn’t a sign of disease, but rather an indication that your pumpkins are ripe and ready.

Once the vines have started dying back, you can cut the pumpkins from the vine. Leave 3 to 4 inches of the stem on the pumpkin. Don’t ever try to pick up or carry a pumpkin by the stem; it could easily break off and damage your pumpkin in the process.

Ideally, you should cure your pumpkins in the field for a week or two in dry, sunny weather. This will dry and toughen the pumpkin’s skin for storage. If the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can cure them indoors. Choose a warm, well-ventilated space. Pumpkins that ripen on the vine can store for up to a year. Unripe pumpkins picked early will continue to ripen off the vine, but they don’t store well. So pick your pumpkins accordingly.

If you use pumpkins as seasonal decorations, you can still eat them after they’ve served their decorative purpose—as long as they aren’t showing any signs of rot. Don’t eat pumpkins that have been decorated with paint unless you know the paint is non-toxic.

A light frost will not hurt your pumpkin harvest, but a hard frost will. If you get a light frost that kills the vine, that’s the time to free your pumpkin. If your pumpkins get caught in a hard freeze, that’s the time to implement your pumpkin preservation plan: freeze, dry, or can.

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Tags

pruning shears, pumpkins

Comments
  • Jim S. October 20, 2022

    If I move immature, on-the-vine pumpkins at all, they detach and rot. Does anyone else have this happen?

    Reply
    • Amanda M. May 23, 2023

      Hi Jim, Pumpkins are difficult to move once the vines are set; as you’ve noticed, they’re easy to break, which will leave the pumpkins without a nutrition source. The same could happen even if the vines crack from movement, which will let in disease. It’s best to leave pumpkins where they are, and you can always try melon cradles if you’re trying to keep them off the ground. If space is an issue and you’re just trying to move the vines, you might be better off trimming the vines at the end, and more pumpkins will grow in a smaller area instead of the length of the vine.

      Reply

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Growing Zones for Pumpkins
  • Types of Pumpkins
  • Pumpkin Terminology
  • Preparing Your Home Garden to Welcome Pumpkins
  • Preparing to Plant Your Pumpkins
  • The Three Sisters Planting Method for Pumpkins
  • Pollinating Your Pumpkins
  • Growing Pumpkins from Seeds or Seedlings
  • Sun and Soil Requirements for Growing Pumpkins
  • Planting Pumpkins in the Ground or in Raised Beds
  • Growing Pumpkins in Containers
  • Watering, Weeding, and Fertilizing your Pumpkin Plants
  • Harvesting Your Pumpkins
  • Storing and Preserving Your Pumpkins
  • Dealing with Pumpkin Diseases
  • Dealing with Pumpkin Pests
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing and Enjoying Pumpkins
  • What to Do with Pumpkins After the Harvest
  • How to Use Pumpkin in Unique Ways
  • Plant Profiles

  • Munchkin Pumpkin
  • Lumina Pumpkin
  • Jack-B-Quik Pumpkin
  • Jack-B-Little Pumpkin
  • Casper Pumpkin
  • Trickster Pumpkin
  • Spookie Pumpkin
  • Small Sugar Pumpkin
  • Cinderella Pumpkin
  • Magic Lantern Pumpkin
  • Connecticut Field (aka Big Tom) Pumpkin
  • Baby Pam Pumpkin
  • Spirit Pumpkin
  • Jackpot Pumpkin
  • Harvest Moon Pumpkin
  • Howden Pumpkin
  • Half Moon Pumpkin
  • Prizewinner Pumpkin
  • Big Moon Pumpkin
  • Big Max Pumpkin
  • Baby Boo Pumpkin
  • Autumn Gold Pumpkin
  • Aspen Pumpkin
  • Dill’s Atlantic Giant Pumpkin
  • Recipes

  • Crowd Pleaser Pumpkin Pie
  • Delicious Pumpkin Purée
  • Creamy Pumpkin Seed Dressing
  • Picture Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes
  • Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
  • Pumpkin and Bean Soup
  • Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Surprise
  • Flourless Pumpkin Muffins
  • Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Pumpkins
  • Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Pumpkins
  • Resources about Pumpkins
  • Pumpkin Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • How to Grow Bigger Pumpkins
  • Pumpkinpalooza—How to Start Your Own Pumpkin Patch

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