Pumpkins ready for pickin'

19 years ago

At what stage do you pick pumpkins. I have four big japs that look ready. I have been told two things, 1. wait till the stem attatching the pumpkin to the plant is withered and I also read in gardening australia that when the vine start to look mildewy its time to pick. I don;t want to do it too early becasue I think? it stops them keeping as well? Anybody know.

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Comments (13)

annabel__WA
19 years ago
I've just been picking mine when they were getting a bit big!! Most were ready anyway; some I left till the vines died. I had a few that I thought were Golden Zucchini, but which I now think are Delicata and have been picking from finger size. They are delicious. Now I see that as I leave them they go gold and are going orange inside. But the skins are hardening so they will keep for a while. I have flowers and all sorts in my garden so maybe that's why I got a lot of pumpkins this year. The Delicata are still prducing well!
gardenlen
19 years ago
i usually let the vines die if i want them for storage they aren't good storers about 6 to 9 months (if you can store them in a dark, dry cool cellar they may last longer), leave them in the sun for a week whatever to harden the skin off, and take about a meter of vine to stop anything getting into the fruit through the stem, once dry you can trim off some vine, if you break the stem off seal it with candle wax, but use that fruit first.

i found that as they get near the end of their shelf life the flesh around the seed pulp goes real soft this is still edible it is only very ripe a real sweet nutty flavour. doesn't seem to matter how big they get just means you get more pumpkin for your money hey?

len
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Doona
19 years ago
Mine are still small. Is it too late for them to ripen? I planted them some time in summer and they're about the size of an apple. They don't get much sun now.
nina_coogee
19 years ago
I just picked a jap this week and have a rapidly growing butternut still on the vine. I think it must the warm Autumn that has been looking after them.
sarah_may
18 years ago
I've just picked my last pumpkins, a small butternut & 2 Golden Nuggets. I was very pleased with the golden Nuggets, they are quite small which is better for me & have a nice dry flesh with a good flavour. I shall certainly give them another go next year.
Doona
18 years ago
My japs are bigger than in the shops now, but I don't think they are ripe. I accidently picked one (it snapped off) and so I cut it open. It was unripe but edible, though I didn't like it much. My guinea pigs and rabbits loved it. I have at least three full-sized pumpkins and heaps of small ones at varying stages of develpoment. The damned vine keeps growing and flowering. When do they stop and start to die off?
Donna
sarah_may
18 years ago
Hang in there Doona, they should ripen in time, I'm sure you know the standard advice, wait until the stem withers then pick with as long a stem as poss & leave in a sheltered spot for a week or so for the pumkin to mature before storing.
roger_maureen1_bigpond_com
13 years ago
This is my first time at growing Butter Nut pumpkins. Can someone please tell what the actual growing months are. Also I see from another article posted that after seperating the Jap they should be left with part of the vine attached for one week is this correct. Also I picked one that looked ripe but on slicing it in half there were no seeds inside and the flesh was a pale yellow,would this have been okay to eat?
kate_greening_hotmail_co_uk
13 years ago
hi everyone my jap pumpkins are growing very big i have never grown anything in my life but very happy with theses ha ha i have few big ones and heaps of little ones growing when should i pick the big ones and how long before you can eat . thanks
hallhallgreg1828_bigpond_com
12 years ago
I am growing kent pumpkins and would like to know when I should pick them I have picked a few but they have been at different stages of being ready none of them have been compleatly ripe.
can some one please help.
swany72_westnet_com_au
12 years ago
Marg, I have found that the earliest time you can pick japs is when the tendril dies, but i prefer when the stem dies off or withers. i find the fruit sweet and moist then. i do know people that pick earlier as they like a dryer pumpkin.
Maxitaxi
11 years ago
I have just picked my first pumpkin - not sure what type it is - the skin is green with pale yellow markings
It was 23cm in diameter so I thought it was big enough for picking
I couldn't wait to make a soup from it and cut it open, but the flesh is yellow and looks unripe
What do you think
Maxitaxi
11 years ago
I have just picked my first pumpkin - not sure what type it is - the skin is green with pale yellow markings
It was 23cm in diameter so I thought it was big enough for picking
I couldn't wait to make a soup from it and cut it open, but the flesh is yellow and looks unripe
What do you think

Pumpkins ready for pickin'

Comments (13)

annabel__WA

gardenlen

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