when to pick pumpkins

Kath says...
Pick pumpkins when the stem attaching them to the vines dries and dies off. The less pumpkins on a vine the larger the fruit will be. Most pumpkins then need to sit for a week or so before eating. Japs can be eaten as soon as picked.

Susan says...
Is it possums that eat my pumpkins and how can I prevent them. They crept through bird wire!

Susan says...
Thank you for the advice on hot sauce. Never thought about it!

Wayne says...
Just somewhere cool and aerated Lyn, it looks alright to me, just flick a little bit of skin with your fingernail and see what colour the flesh is

charleliz says...
hi
I have grown a vine of kent pumpkins and have about 30 pumpkins on some are bigger than oyhers but ovweall they seem to be a good crop. I noticed that some are changing colour in the stripe lately from the lighter green to a creamy colour is this a sign of ripening as well.

amanda says...
Hi Wayne - this tip from Pete Cundall is to nip out the growing tip when the vines 1.5 - 2 m long - this makes side shoots which carry more female flowers.

I actually tried this last yr and got more blinkin pumpkins that I could have ever imagined (unfortunately they all got sunburnt and the watering required was more than I could afford - so they were yukk)

Gee - I wonder if wasabi would make a good pest repellent spray..!!?

Tracey says...
Wow! what a big pumkin. How long do you keep pumkins in a dark cool place of course after you pick them to be right for cooking?

amanda says...
I belive it cindy - any hair is pure nitrogen (also good bird nest making stuff!)

Rain Lover says...
I'm new here. I was searching for Chestnut Trees and their cultivation requirements and ended up here. Looks good.

I want to respond to your question, Susan.

I don't know what's eating your pumpkins but it COULD be the same creatures that ate the two that I had.

I placed them on an old chest freezer in the shade in my back 'garden', thought they were safe from anything, only to find that they had been nibbled. So I decided that I could cope with a nibble being taken by someone or something, only the nibbler didn't stop there. Ate practically the whole 2 pumpkins but in such a way that I didn't really notice until I picked them up to decide which one to take inside. Arrgh!

We do have a resident possum and her yearly baby but I don't think it was her or her offspring. She doesn't really make a nuisance of herself, in my opinion. My husband disagrees as they wee in his shed.

So if I grow or get given another pumpkin, they'll go inside my outside chest freezer with the horse feed.

That's great - I forgot to say what I think ate them. Ratties. We have a few rats as we have a few guineapigs, and I guess they go with the territory. Not the A.C.T I hasten to add, the fact that they have a nice supply of guineapig food and they take advantage and come calling on the guineapigs even when they pretend not to be at home.

Halcyon says...
Hi Kirstie,
I had this problem with Butternut and Jap pumpkins. I thought it was nutritional, and being a farmer, used what I had on hand: that being superphosphate (phosphorus and sulfur) and urea (nitrogen). The Butternuts got both and went beserk - pumpkins everywhere, but the Japs that only got urea did nothing. 3 or 4 weeks later I gave the Japs some superphosphate and they then set plenty of pumpkins.
My conclusion is that it is either the P or S doing the job. What is the opinion of the learned readers

Brendan says...
Hi wayne,
Try tip pruning all your vines, give it some dolomite and sulphate of potash around the root zone. That should help it fruit.

nic says...
im not sure what the pumpkins r but when do we pick them they r green with light green markings on them they r about 30 cms in diameter. Thanks

Glenda says...
have just harvested my first butternut and think I may have been a little premature. Stalk is still green and skin is a tan colour with a few very fine green stripes. How do you know when to harvest and how soon can you eat them?

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Jules says...
I have a Jap pumkin vine that is now 2 years old! first year no pumpkins, this year had 2, 1 average size and 1 nearly a foot and a half across!, we chopped half the vine away as it took over the yard and now has another crop of about 6 or 7 on it again. So I can't wait for the plant stems to wither. I pick when the stripes turn from yellow to peachy orange colour.

Kim W says...
I have a Jap pumpkin growing in my back yard and it is loaded from ready to pick (i think) well I picked one and it was beautiful, I waited until the white lines had turned cream in colour, I cant wait for the vine to start dying to harvest because I have them from ready to golf ball size, to be honest I don't think this vine is ever going to die. I am going to cut the leaves covering the big ones away and see if this makes them mature quicker. Ha its all about experimenting for me at the moment, Oh and i also used the tap, tap test for the hollow sound (the same one I use to pick watermelons at the supermarket).

Rowan says...
It is not you, it seems to be the year. My melons and pumpkins are also aborting the females. There is not much you can do except keep water up to them and they might come good. I am resigned to the fact that I am not going to get any fruit off a couple of my melon varieties this year and a low yield off the rest.
I am an experienced melon grower and this sometimes happens, especially if you have had unusual weather such as very dry and hot.

Dee says...
I have a three very large Queensland Blue pumpkin plants growing, I have picked at least 12 quite large pumpkins (two were starting to split) when I opened one it was still very green inside, now I am afraid all the others I have picked might be the same, ie not ripe. If I leave them in the sun during the day will this help to ripen them, I have left at least 8 inchs of stalk in each one.

Lindy says...
Thanks guys/girls for your reply to my questions. I'll just have to try and try again

Kazza says...
yay thanks Proco just the info i was looking for. This pumpkin popped out after returning my compost (well NOT my compost lol but you know what I mean) back to the soil and it was in an awkward place the mower man wasnt happy having to move the vine everytime he needed to get to the lawn to mow. But hey I have two beautiful butternuts and the hunter and gatherer in me says it was all very much worth it. :)Kazza

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kazza says...
Hey everyone only got the two pumpkins and picked at the right time and they were the best I have ever had.... Madengineer.... no not a fence its a garden bed skirted by pavers thanks for info though :) Kazza

denise1 says...
It may be because the tree is in competition for moisture in the soil. Some extra water may help to increase the crop.

Amanda says...
I am new to growing pumpkins and I planted Queensland blue pumpkins but I don't know when to harvest them or anything!

If anyone would be able to let me know what to do that would be great.

They are avoid size and the stem seems to be starting to wither as you can see in the photo.

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Amanda says...
Thank you very much Brendan! I will go do that straight away :D

MaryT says...
Hi Vivienne - I think this has been discussed before. A growth spurt, maybe, after some sudden rain or heavy watering? Even watering would prevent that from happening, mulching heavily also helps soak up excess water and even up distribution. I don't think there's any problem with the plant itself.

RowanD says...
Can someone tell me if this is a butternut or a jap/kent pumpkin as I have the vines growing over each other I have some nice butternut pumpkins and some nice jap/kent pumpkins aswell and this one looks a bit confusing thanks

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MIke T1 says...
The long jap as some call it is not as rich as the standard and closer to a bugle really.Scratch the skin and look for deep yellow or just leave it until 3 weeks after growth has stopped or a bloom is on the skin.

jakfruit etiquette says...
If you want to store them for several months, wait till the stem (from the pumpkin to the vine)is brown and the vine is dying off. If the stem is still green, hasn't gone by the use by date. If you have a few pumpkins try one and see if the flavour is ok.

Nanny Collins says...
You can tell if they are ripe ( jap pumpkin) when the light green blemishes on the fruit turns to a dusky pink. I have seven on my vine & I would like to know if they ripen any further after they are harvested...can I keep them indefinitely or would I have to give them away.... can anyone help me please

Glynis says...
I have grown what I know as a Jap pumpkin 11 on the vine we put them in a dark place when the vine died off about 3 weeks ago. Cutting one for use tonite so disappointed the flesh is nearly white? Anyone know what the problem was we ar still cooking it to try but the original was such a vivid orange/yellow colour😖

Mike A says...
I believe it is the early sign of ripening (when it turns colour). I have some just like that now, will leave for another week or two. Ripe approx 17 weeks after sowing seeds.