Pumpkins & Squash Tips
Some tips and simple steps from one of our favorite vendors, Botanical Interests that will give you pumpkins & squash all winter long!
So, is it ready?
Mature fruit will be fully colored. Try denting the rind with your fingernail; a mature pumpkin or squash may dent, but it won’t puncture easily. Harvest pumpkins and squash no later than the second frost. Leave at least 2″ of stem on the pumpkin/squash and avoid holding the fruits by the stem. If frost threatens before they are fully mature, harvest them with 4″ stem; they may ripen.
Let it cure.
Cure in a sunny area at 75°-80°F for 1 to 2 weeks before eating, carving, or storing.
About storing…
Store in an area away from other fruit that has good air circulation at 50°-60°F
For more information, read SD State University Extension article on Harvesting and Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash, and for inspiration in the kitchen, check out their how-to on roasting pumpkin seeds!
Pam’s Greenhouses offers the seeds for the Botanical Interests items below.
