Don’t Lose Your Pumpkins at the Last Minute
You’ve nurtured them for months. You’ve watered them through the heat, watched the vines take over half the garden and got ridiculously excited when those first tiny pumpkins appeared.
And then, right at the last minute, we can get it wrong.
We either pick our pumpkins too early because we’re so excited to get them off the plant, or leave them sitting on damp autumn soil and suddenly discover that the beautiful pumpkin we’ve been admiring has quietly started rotting underneath.
NOOOOOOO!
So, if you’ve got pumpkins growing in your garden, allotment or veg patch right now, here are a few things to do to make sure all that hard work doesn’t go to waste.
Don’t be too quick to pick
Just because your pumpkin has turned orange doesn’t necessarily mean it is ready to come off the plant.
Pumpkins need plenty of time to mature properly. Leaving them on the plant allows the fruit to continue developing and helps the skin harden, which is particularly important if you want to store them.
Look for a lovely deep, even colour and a tough skin. Give your pumpkin a gentle tap too. If it sounds hollow, that’s another good sign that it is reaching maturity.
You may also notice the plant beginning to look tired and the foliage starting to yellow and die back as we move further into autumn.
The aim is to leave your pumpkins on the plant for as long as possible to mature, but get them harvested before the first frost arrives. Frost damaged pumpkins won’t store well.
Check underneath!
This is the one I really want you to do.
Go outside and look UNDER your pumpkins.
We spend weeks admiring the beautiful orange top while underneath it may be sitting on cold, wet soil.
And that is where rot can start.
Carefully lift the fruit and slide a piece of wood, a tile, brick or something similar underneath it. This gets the pumpkin away from the damp ground and also helps protect it from slugs.
Do it now rather than discovering a horrible squidgy patch in a few weeks’ time!
Let there be light
Pumpkins need sunshine to ripen well.
If yours is completely hidden underneath a mass of leaves, you can remove a few of the leaves immediately surrounding the fruit to allow more sunlight to reach it.
Don’t go mad and strip the plant bare. Those leaves are still doing an important job. We’re just giving the pumpkin a little more light as it reaches the finishing line.
Should you turn your pumpkins?
If a pumpkin has been sitting in exactly the same position for weeks, you can very gently reposition it to help keep it away from damp soil and expose more of the fruit.
But be careful.
By this stage you have invested far too much time in your pumpkin to accidentally snap it from the vine!
Never twist it by the stalk. Support the fruit properly and only move it slightly if you need to.
And if you put a tile or piece of wood underneath it, you may find there is no real need to keep moving it anyway.
How do I know when my pumpkin is ready?
There isn’t one magic test, so look for several signs together:
A good, deep colour.
A hard, tough skin.
A pumpkin that sounds hollow when gently tapped.
A plant that is beginning to slow down and foliage that is yellowing.
And, importantly, keep an eye on the weather forecast. If frost is on its way, it is time to get those pumpkins safely harvested.
Cut, don’t pull
When the big day finally arrives, resist the temptation to twist or pull your pumpkin from the vine.
Use clean secateurs or a sharp knife and leave at least 10cm or so of stalk attached.
That lovely stalk isn’t just decorative. Cutting too close to the pumpkin can leave a vulnerable area where rot can start.
And never pick up a pumpkin by its stalk. However tempting that perfect little handle might look, support the pumpkin from underneath instead.
Cure your pumpkins before storing them
If you aren’t going to use your pumpkin straight away, curing it will help the skin harden and improve its storage life.
The RHS recommends leaving harvested pumpkins somewhere sunny and dry for around seven to ten days. If our lovely British autumn weather isn’t cooperating, a greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame can be ideal.
After that, store your pumpkins somewhere dry and well ventilated, ideally around 10–15°C, and don’t let them touch each other.
And keep checking them.
If one develops a soft patch or starts to rot, use or remove it quickly rather than letting it affect the others.
Stored properly, some pumpkins and winter squashes can last for several months.
And then… do something fun with them!
Of course, pumpkins aren’t only about growing and eating them.
They are also one of the best things autumn gives us to get creative with.
Which rather conveniently brings me to something very exciting happening at the Stoke Row Community Garden…
Come pumpkin carving with me!
I’m hosting a Pumpkin Carving Workshop at the Stoke Row Community Garden, in the lovely setting of The Cherry Tree Inn.
Come along, get creative and carve something fabulous. Your pumpkin is provided, you take your masterpiece home and you can leave all the messy pumpkin guts with us because we’ll be putting them to good use in our community garden compost.
Even better, why not book a table at The Cherry Tree Inn afterwards and make a proper autumn outing of it?
Spaces are limited, so if you fancy an afternoon of pumpkins, creativity, community garden loveliness and possibly a well earned drink afterwards,
One last pumpkin plea…
If you have spent months growing your pumpkins, don’t take your eye off them now.
Go outside today.
Check underneath them.
Get them off damp soil.
Give them some sunshine.
Keep an eye on the weather.
And most importantly, don’t pick them just because you’re impatient!
We’ve come this far together, people. Let’s get those pumpkins over the finishing line.
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