How to Tell When Pumpkins Are Ripe

Picking Your Pumpkin

How do you know when a pumpkin is ripe and ready for harvest?

1. Color: Look for a pumpkin that has a deep orange color.
2. Give Them a Thump: Knock on the pumpkin to check that it is hollow (and therefore ripe).
3. The Skin is Hard: Use a fingernail and gently push your thumbnail into the skin; it should dent but not puncture it. 
4. A Hard Stem: When a pumpkin is ripe, its stem is hard. Check that the stem is also secure—but never pick a pumpkin up from the stem! It may break off, which leads to faster decay.
5. Make sure the bottom of the pumpkin isn’t soft and mushy! Also, if you are carving the pumpkin, make sure that the bottom is flat so that it doesn’t roll.

Harvesting Your Own Pumpkin

Growing your own pumpkins this year? Know how and when to harvest them correctly:

• Your best bet is to harvest pumpkins when they are fully mature. They will keep best this way. Do not pick pumpkins off the vine because they have reached your desired size. If you want small pumpkins, grow a small variety.
• If you are harvesting your own pumpkin, harvest on a dry day after the plants have died back and the skins are hard.
• Cut the stem with a sharp, clean knife to avoid disease.
• To slow decay and rotting, leave 3 to 4 inches of stem on pumpkins and winter squash when harvesting them.

If you want your pumpkin to last months instead of weeks, cure it by keeping the pumpkins in a dry, warm place such as a greenhouse, a sunroom, your doorstep, a dry part of your garden, or a sunny windowsill for at least 2 weeks. Then, carefully turn the fruits upside down and leave for another 2 weeks. See more about how to properly cure and store your pumpkins so they last longer!

The big yellow pumpkins will soon come handy to give the cows.
They help out the fall feed, and if there is anything better for cows in milk we should like to know it.
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Carving the Pumpkin

We like to pick a large pumpkin for easy carving, but also pick some small pumpkins for decorating your outside door or bringing inside the home as accents. For those smaller pumpkins, look for some character—bumps, warts, and funny shapes! Ready to carve that pumpkin? See simple  pumpkin-carving tips and tricks.

More Pumpkin Fun

Here are more related articles that you might find interesting:

• How to cook a pumpkin, plus great pumpkin recipes.
• Pumpkin spice mix to add to recipes or sprinkle inside your carved pumpkin.
• Grow your own pumpkin! See our free Pumpkin Growing Guide for planting, growing, and harvesting tips.