One of the most beautiful sights is plump orange pumpkins dotting the fall landscape. But while this is picturesque, it is often more difficult to know when you should bring your pumpkins in from the field, or leave them on the vine a little longer. 

Most pumpkins are best harvested when they have completely changed to their full colour (typically orange or white, and sometimes pale yellow), and both the stem and rind have hardened up. This typically takes around 90 to 125 days, but the exact time varies depending on which variety you are growing. But don’t worry if your pumpkin is still green at the end of the year because you can harvest them early and finish ripening them indoors.

Below we will learn how to tell when a pumpkin is perfect for picking, and how to pick them early to ripen them off the vine.

Best Time To Harvest Pumpkins

Though the words are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between mature and ripe. Mature means that it has grown all it needs and it will continue to ripen (even after it has been picked), whereas it is ripe when it has reached its ideal colour, texture, and flavour.

If your season is long enough, you ideally want to leave pumpkins in the field until they are fully ripe. Pumpkins left on the vine will typically ripen better and they will store better, too.

There are a few ways to tell when pumpkins are ripe and ready to harvest:

• Days To Maturity: Though the exact time varies greatly by variety, most pumpkins are ready in around 90 to 125 days. This time is counted from germination (or transplanting, depending on the seed company) to harvesting a full-size, coloured-up, and firm pumpkin.
• Colour: A fully ripe pumpkin will have a solid colour. Most pumpkins are orange, but they can also be red, orange, yellow, white, pink, and blue-grey.

Physical Characteristics:

Hard Rind: Ripe pumpkins will have a hard outer skin. The best way to determine the skin’s toughness is by pressing it with your fingernail: if it is ripe, it will be difficult to make an indentation.

Stem Corking: As a pumpkin reaches full ripeness, the stem turns from green to dark green or brown, and becomes woody where it joins fruit (called stem corking). This is a sign that the pumpkin is no longer receiving nutrients from the plant and it is getting ready to separate from the vine. Stem corking usually begins around the time when the rind starts to harden.

The shape, size, and weight of a pumpkin are not good indicators of whether or not it is ripe. While most pumpkins of the same variety will share similar characteristics, each pumpkin will be uniquely different. Also, just because the vines have died back doesn’t mean they are fully ripe, since the foliage is far more sensitive to cold, frost, and the changing seasons, the vines can sometimes die back long before the pumpkins have finished ripening. Alternatively, the vines can die from age, insects, or disease and the pumpkins will keep right on ripening.

How To Harvest Pumpkins When The Time Comes

Whether you harvest pumpkins when they are fully ripe, or when they are mature to ripen them off the vine (see below), the process of harvesting is the same:

Cut the stem around 7cm to 10cm (3-4 inches) above the gourd using a sharp pair of pruning shears.  Depending on how hard the stem has become, you will cause less damage by using pruning shears to sever the vine. The stem acts as a seal to keep diseases from entering and prolongs its storage.

The stem is often referred to as a “handle” but this isn’t a very good way to carry the pumpkin. Not only can the stem break off and the pumpkin can smash to the ground, but the loss of the stem can cause the pumpkin to rot out more quickly.

Curing Pumpkins

Once the pumpkin has been harvested, it needs to be cured. The curing process heals cuts and scratches (including the severed stem) and allows the pumpkin to finish hardening up so it will store better.

If the weather is warm without any rain in the forecast, pumpkins can be left in the field to cure. Otherwise, they can be brought indoors to a warm (27-29°C/80-85°F) room that is bright with good air circulation. Allow pumpkins to cure for 7 to 14 days, depending on conditions, and then move them to storage.

TIP: Cure white pumpkins indoors out of direct sunlight to prevent yellowing.

Harvesting Pumpkins Early And Ripening Off The Vine

If the end of the season is approaching too soon, and you can’t leave the pumpkins in the field until the above conditions are met, you can harvest pumpkins early and they will finish ripening indoors.

Why Harvest Early

Most pumpkins take quite a while to grow, and for many of us, the season is not long enough for them to fully ripen in the field. In our garden, we have roughly 110 days of frost-free growing which is barely enough time for early-maturing pumpkins to ripen, especially when you consider germination time and since many of the days in the spring and fall are too cool for pumpkins.

As the end of the growing season approaches, you want to harvest pumpkins early:

• Before Frost: Pumpkins can often handle a few light touches of frost (though the vines will probably die), but hard frosts with temperatures down below -2°C (28°F) can damage the fruits. If a hard frost is coming, make sure to harvest all your pumpkins and bring them indoors. Frost damage will appear as dark wet looking areas that will quickly rot.
• Before Cold Spells: Pumpkins are also sensitive to extended periods of cold weather, and this can cause chilling injury. Pumpkins can be chilled when the temperatures stay consistently below 10°C (50°F), but even a brief cold snap down to 2°C (35°F) can be problematic.
• Sunscald: On the other end of the spectrum, pumpkins can also be damaged if the sun is too intense and hot. This is called sunscald, and it is common when the vines die back so there are no leaves to create a canopy, followed by a hot period of intense sunshine. You can prevent sunscald by putting up an artificial shade or bringing the pumpkins to a more sheltered location.

If you want to give your pumpkins a few extra days on the vine, you can cover them at night with sheets, quilts, or old blankets at night to keep off the frost and remove them again during the day. We have successfully used this method to protect our vines and gourds by giving them a further 2 weeks of growing before harvest was inevitable. If you need to leave the covers on during the day, too, you can try using clear plastic sheeting as this will still let in light and create a mini greenhouse over your pumpkins.

Make sure to securely anchor the edges of the covers to keep them from blowing off.

When To Harvest Unripe Pumpkins

The key to harvesting pumpkins early is to wait until they are mature but not yet ripe.

Once the pumpkins have started to harden but are still green, or when they have just started to change colour but are not fully ripe, they can be harvested and ripened off the vine.

While most unripe pumpkins will ripen up quite nicely indoors, keep in mind that the greener the pumpkin before harvest the more this will shorten its storability.

Harvest unripe pumpkins the same as above, then ripen them off the vine.

How To Ripen Off The Vine

Pumpkins are quite easy to ripen off the vine. They can be ripened indoors or outside in a sheltered location (greenhouses often work well) by following these simple steps:

• Place the pumpkins in a warm, sunny spot. The ideal ripening temperature is between 26C to 29C (80-85F) and make sure they do not get below 15C (60F) at any time. While the ideal humidity is between 80 and 85%, most pumpkins will ripen perfectly well inside your home, which is usually significantly drier than that.
• Turn the greenest side of the pumpkin towards the sun and rotate them every few days to ensure good exposure. Leave a space between each pumpkin to ensure good ventilation.

Leave your pumpkins, rotating them occasionally, until they are fully ripened and cured. Some pumpkins may take several weeks to ripen, but most of them will get there.

Storing Pumpkins

Pumpkins are best stored between 10°Cand 15°C in a dark location with a relative humidity of around 50-70% and good air circulation. At this rate, they should last in good condition for at least 3 months.

Pumpkins can also be preserved for convenience and longer storage if desired:

• Frozen Puree: Roast or steam the pumpkin until soft, then scoop out the flesh and puree it. Freeze it in containers in portion sizes so you can take them out and use them in your baking or cooking as needed.
• Frozen Cubes: Peel the rind of your pumpkin, cut it into cubes, and blanch them for about 3 minutes. Drain and cool them right away, then freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Once frozen, transfer the frozen cubes to an airtight container and take them out of the freezer as needed.
• Canned Pumpkin: Pumpkin should never be canned as a puree, but it works very well canned in cubes.

Conclusion

Even a perfectly ripening pumpkin patch is one of my most idyllic farm visions, it has little reality on my land. By growing the fastest-maturing pumpkin we could find, we still have to transplant the seedlings and often finish ripening it indoors. Is all the extra work worth it?

I say yes, and growing pumpkins is one of the pleasures of having my own garden. No matter what kind of climate you live in, I hope this helps you pick the perfect pumpkin so you will be rewarded with the most amazing pies, cookies, soups, and more!