What are critical harvesting mistakes?
Written by
Benjamin Miller
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.Avoid critical harvesting mistakes to ensure your pumpkins reach full maturity and store successfully. Harvest too early, and you'll end up with tasteless specimens that spoil in no time; drop them on your way to the shed, and they'll never be quite the same. That lesson was hard-learned when I lost half my crop that season, I discovered stem rot. Your timing and technique can directly affect shelf life and eating quality, so preserve all your months of work with proper harvesting.
Timing Indicators
- Check for hardened rinds resisting thumbnail pressure
- Wait for stems turning corky and dry
- Observe full color development before cutting
Handling Procedures
- Never carry pumpkins by their stems
- Use both hands to support fruit bases
- Place on padded surfaces during transport
Cutting Techniques
- Use sterilized pruning shears for clean cuts
- Leave 4-6 inches of stem attached
- Angle cuts away from fruit surface
Apply the finger test before making your cuts. Press your thumbnail against the rind near the blossom end. A properly matured pumpkin will not yield a dent at all. I chalk-mark the ripe fruit for easy identification. "Patience is a virtue," and your "vices thought to get them born" shall be rewarded with sweets and thick skins. Never harvest after a rain when moisture may invite rot.
Learn the art of stem cutting of fruits like figs and berry clusters with sharp bypass pruners, which should be sanitized with alcohol before each cut. The cuts must be clean and made at about a 45-degree angle, approximately 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) from the fruit. I disinfect the pruners between each fruit as protection against disease. Your technique in cutting carefully will automatically form a scab that protects against bacteria and fungi. Never twist the stem or break it off, which damages the plant's protective layer.
Curing: this is important! Arrange the pumpkins a fruit thick on pallets, making sure to turn the pumpkins every day in the bright sun for a week to ten days. I cover the fruits with netting to protect from the birds. This "hardening" thickens the skin and converts much of the starch to sugar. Cured, the pumpkins do not come up from the well-house bruised.
Read the full article: How to Grow Pumpkins Successfully
