The recent cold snap – with widespread frost and even a freeze in some spots – likely marked the end of the season for pumpkins and winter squash. Unless your area escaped the frost or you covered these crops, their tender foliage succumbed to the autumn temperatures.
In general, the timing of pumpkin and squash harvest can be tricky as picking them too early, before they are mature, results in poor flavor and color but harvesting too late leads to cold injury and quicker breakdown. Hopefully, your crops have made it to maturity with pumpkins having a uniform orange color. Winter squashes – acorn, hubbard, buttercup, butternut and others – should have solid color and hardened, thumbnail-resistant skins.
If you have yet to harvest, use a sharp knife or pruners to cut pumpkins and squash from their vines, keeping a few inches of stem attached. Handle them as little as possible. It is always advised to hold pumpkins like a ball and not by their stems. Wearing gloves during harvest will protect both you and the squashes.
Remove any soil from the surface of your pumpkins and squash. You can wash them too but make sure they are thoroughly dried before storage.
Most pumpkins and squash (except acorn) benefit from a curing stage that may heal any surface wounds and harden their rinds. Curing can also increase their sugar content leading to better tasting fruit. To cure your pumpkins and squash, leave them in a well-ventilated spot for five to 10 days after harvest. Keep them out of the sun but aim for temperatures above 60° F, ideally 80º to 85°, during the curing phase.
Store your pumpkins and squash off the ground in a well-ventilated location away from sunlight. Ideal storage temperatures should be a consistent 50º to 55°, making sure to avoid temperature fluctuations. Ideal humidity should be between 50% and 70%. A cool basement can provide these conditions. Keep pumpkins away from apples and ripening tomatoes to avoid the ethylene produced by those fruits that accelerates ripening.
Under these conditions, pumpkins and acorn squash can last up to two to three months, while butternut squash can store well up to three to four months. Hubbard and buttercup squash can last up to four to six months under the right conditions.
With some planning and an ideal spot, you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your garden through the end of the year.
As always, for home gardening questions, contact the University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener Helpline online at https://go.uvm.edu/gardenhelpline.
by Debra Heleba, UVM Extension Master Gardener Program Coordinator
Featured photo: Pumpkins ready for harvest. Photo by Edwin Remsberg and USDA-SARE
