The Tell-Tale Sign That Your Pumpkins Are Finally Ready To Harvest

Pumpkins are an integral part of the fall vibe. Growing them in your garden means you can enjoy their delightful recipes throughout the season while finding creative ways to decorate with pumpkins for a stunning fall display. However, picking a pumpkin from the vine at the right time is crucial because it determines the quality of flavor, as well as longevity of its shelf life. Although the orange color is an important indicator, a surefire way to determine whether your pumpkin is ready to harvest is to check its rind with your fingernails. A ripe pumpkin shell should feel hard and not easily penetrated. If it feels soft or your nail cuts through, it is not ready. 

While there will be external signs that your pumpkins are ripening, you should be able to get a good idea of the right time to harvest based on when they were planted. Since pumpkins take about three to four months to mature, depending on when you planted the seed back in spring or early summer, you can expect harvest anytime from late summer to fall. The seed packet often contains precise information regarding how long it should take for your pumpkin to mature. Having said that, you should always take certain factors into account such as the variety of pumpkin and the weather conditions in your region when harvesting.

The fingernail test confirms the hardness of the rind, which is an indicator of its ripeness. A thick and leathery rind protects the fruit from damage caused by physical elements, as well as from pathogens like fungi and bacteria. Once the rind is hard enough, you can pick the pumpkin off the vine and store it without fear of rotting. In general, most gardeners decide whether a pumpkin is ready for harvest based on its golden-orange color. However, this is not necessarily true all the time. Occasionally, you will have to pick the pumpkin from the vine and bring it indoors before it fully ripens. This usually happens when the first frost of the season kills the vine, but the fruit is not yet ripe. Since pumpkins will not ripen outdoors after the frost, you will need to harvest them, even if they are green. Otherwise, if the pumpkin has matured, you can leave it in the yard until frost. 

Apart from its color and the toughness of the rind, another sign your pumpkin is ready for harvest is if it gives a hollow sound after a firm tap. This sound indicates that the inner flesh has dried and hardened, creating an empty space in the pumpkin. The stem will also tell you if the pumpkin is ready as it will feel hard when touched. Similarly, if you notice dry tendrils close to the stem, consider your pumpkin ripe.

Cut the pumpkin stem off using a pair of pruners or a knife. Make sure you leave about 3 to 5 inches of the stem for a longer shelf life. Do not hold the pumpkins by the stems when you carry them as they may break open. Initially, place the harvested pumpkins in a humid, indoor location for curing (for about 10 days), with temperatures between 80-and 85-degrees Fahrenheit. Afterward, relocate them to a dry area with temperatures between 50 to 55 degrees. This will keep your fall pumpkins fresh longer as it will harden the rind and heal damage from the harvesting process.

You may be wondering how long pumpkins last off the vine. Well, the answer depends on how they are stored, but they can typically live as long as three months. To ensure their longevity, do not pile the pumpkins on top of each other as this may damage and shorten their shelf life. You should also keep them away from ethylene-producing fruits, such as apples and pears, which can accelerate senescence and lead to the softening of the rind.