Pumpkins - when to pick? - How can I tell ...

[Peter W]

Hi Permagroupies,
Can anyone tell me when pumpkins are ready to pick?

We have an abundant crop of Japanese pumkins (the dark green ones with light beige streaks) and I think Queensland Blues (while growing these are more of a pastel green than blue, then when enormous they start getting a bluish hue - but not the strong blue I've seen in the markets).

For the Jap ones, a neighbour told us that when the stems are hard they're ready to go - and I notice that the lighter colour turns from whitish to beige at this time. On this basis we have already picked about 25 kilos. We are eating pumpkin soup, pumpkin pies, roast and steamed pumpkin and pumpkin fritters, and whatever form we take them in they are way better than any pumpkins we have ever bought. Never was this Peter such a pumpkin eater, but fortunately my wife Gigi is also a pumpkin eater, so I don't think she's about to walk out on me.

For the Q Blues, some of them are now about 3 kilos, but the stems still don't seem hard. When should I pick these? Haven't picked any yet, just watching them as they get bigger and bigger and weigh down the wire fence they have grown up.

Peter Peter

[makehumusnotwar]

hi peter,
not basing this on gospel or anything, but from what i've heard and done, pumpkins are ready when the vine around the stem has died back and dried out. i then sit the pumpkin in a nice warm sunny position for a few days or a week, then put it either inside a cupboard or inside my stomach. don't know the full explanation for leaving it in the sun after picking.
(btw, i've only grown jap pumpkins so i don't know if this technique applies to all varieties)
i assume the longer you can leave any fruit on the tree/vine before it spoils (or is devoured by bugs/bats) the better.

[gardenlen]

g'day peter,

no raving expert here either mate but this is how i see it and how i do it:

i belong to the let things ripen on the vine brigade, so whether japs or qb's i generally don't pick-em until the vine leading to the fruit is dying;dead or showing signs of either.

however if you realy need one for the table then when the stem to the pumpkin looks woody and drying out you can pick them then.

now as for curing in the sun here this is how i see that, it is to harden the shell for longer better storage in tha case of the qb's, japs are not good keepers as they continue to ripe fairly quickly after picking. to store pumpkins it is suggested that you take about a meter of the old vine either side of the fruit stem this is to inhibit any spoiling of the fruit.

i don't do a lot of skin curing because i like to peel skinny if you get what i mean, and even a jap with hardened skin is very tuff to peel if you only want to peel skin and not fruit as well or you could cook and eat them with the skin on as well i suppose.

so in a nut shell i let the vines die before i pick 'em

now having said all that i hope this helps some?

len
:p :D

[Chook Nut]

Hi Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater :D

I have recently harvested my pumpkins and still have a few going. One rule of thumb i work by is going around and knocking on the shell as they are growing; when they are ripening they start to sound hollow when i knock them. I generally let them go for another week after that and leave as much of the stem as possible. This will help them keep longer.

I also place them on a brick wall or on top of the tank for a week before storing them inside. This helps them ripen that little bit more.

Sounds as though you havent keeled over from what you have been doing so far so it seems your on the right track.

Now that you have all these different tips i hope your not more confused.... if in doubt, ignore me and listen to the others :p

Cheers... Dave

PS. If they are over or under ripe.... the chooks are always willing volunteers.... my wife ran over an unripe one with the car and chookd helped themselves over a couple of days :)