Fall is officially here, which means it’s time to harvest pumpkins! They are like a signature of autumn, with their beautiful orange color and delicious taste.
Did you also plant lots of these amazing fruits (yes, they are actually fruits!) this season? It seems like someone is making pumpkin pie very soon! But first, you’ll need to know the perfect time to harvest them for the ultimate flavor.
I remember my first time growing pumpkins. I was eagerly waiting for them to ripen, but the first harvest was not so good.
At first, I thought that I was leaving them on the vine for too long or not long enough. I started doing some research and luckily, after a short time I found the answer to the question that bothered me a lot!
If you also have a dilemma about whether you should pick your pumpkins or not, the tricks I discovered will save your harvest. You’ll get perfectly fresh pumpkins full of sweetness! Now let’s see what you’ll need to do to get that!
Use The Fingernail Test To Check If Pumpkins Are Ready
I know that your pumpkins may look ripe, but should you pick them? If you pick them too early, the taste will be poor, harvest them too late and they will start to rot! But when is the time to make the call?
Leaving them a little bit longer on the vine might actually give you the best flavor! That’s why I always use the fingernail test. You’ll need to use your finger and press into the pumpkin’s skin.
If your nail can’t puncture it, that means they are ready for harvesting and there is no need to keep them longer on the vine! Also, if you spot that your pumpkins aren’t fully orange but have some green marks, it means that they need more time on the vine to swell!
So, as long as they stay on the vines until the first frost date in autumn, your pumpkins will do fine! When the temperatures go lower, they need to be harvested. All that is left to do is visit your pumpkins and try these tricks! When you are done, we can move on to the next step.
Your Pumpkins Will Need Protection While They Ripen
For those of you who are back from checking and spotted that the pumpkins aren’t ready yet, here is some advice you might want to use!
There are some annoying pests that will try to eat the leaves and damage your pumpkins. Squash lying on the dirt are exposed to tunneling insects and soil-borne larvae!
That’s when you should sprinkle some cayenne pepper around your pumpkins. Trust me, there won’t be a sign of any pests the next day!
Powdery mildew might also affect your plant’s leaves! You can prevent it from getting on your pumpkins by avoiding overhead watering! If you’ve started noticing the white powder on the leaves already, use fungicide.
That’s how you’ll be able to protect your pumpkins from disease and pests while they are still ripening!
Harvesting Tricks You’ll Need To Know
If your pumpkins are finally ready, grab your sharp pruners and cut the fruit from the vine! Now you can store them in a cool and dry place or start cooking right away. Don’t forget to use a few as decoration for Halloween!
You can also use the seeds to eat. Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein and many vitamins and minerals that will boost your health! But besides eating them, there’s a more important role for the seeds that you’ll need to try! Let’s find out what it is.
You’ll Definitely Want To Save A Few Seeds
After you collect all the seeds, you’ll need to wash them, dry them, and store them in a cool and dark place. By doing this, you’ll be able to save the seeds and grow them next spring!
Seeds can stay good for up to one year, and that’s why I don’t buy them anymore. The idea of having free seeds for the next season is really exciting, right?
If you use these easy tricks on your pumpkins this fall, you’ll end up with an amazing harvest – perhaps the best one yet. Knowing how long you should leave your pumpkins on the vine will make them even more delicious and filled with a sweet taste!
Once I started using these steps, I was able to harvest them at their peak time. I just came back from checking my pumpkins too, and it seems that they are ready for picking! Now I must hurry up to harvest them because all the recipes I prepared are waiting.
So, don’t forget to check them as well and save those seeds for next year’s planting!