When a pumpkin is ready to harvest depends on various factors. For example, the individual pumpkin varieties have different growing times. Read here when you should harvest a pumpkin.
In a nutshell
- brown, woody stalk as an unmistakable sign of full ripeness
- Main harvest time in autumn late autumn
- earlier harvest possible
- let unripe pumpkins ripen indoors
Table of contents
- Recognize ripe pumpkin
- Harvest maturity of well-known pumpkin varieties
- frequently asked Questions
Recognize ripe pumpkin
The unmistakable sign of a ripe pumpkin is independent of the variety his stem. This one should
- woody
- extremely hard
- wrinkled
- no longer flexible
- brown
be.
In addition to the stem, there are other features such as the color or the hardness the Bowl. However, these depend on the variety. This is the case, for example, with green pumpkin varieties a color change difficult to see. Furthermore, when you tap the squash with a knuckle, ripe specimens will sound dull and hollow. However, this feature requires a bit of finesse, since the size of the cavity varies depending on the variety. In addition, the hollow sound is often difficult to recognize in smaller specimens.
Harvest maturity of well-known pumpkin varieties
The harvest time for pumpkins cannot be specified precisely, as it depends on the sowing/planting time and the weather. A better indicator is the ripening period ("growth days"), which refers to the period between fruit set and full ripeness.
A notice: Regardless of the ripening time of the pumpkin variety, the last harvest should be before the first frost so that the fruits are not damaged.
Butternut
- Maturation time: 90 days
- Colour: rich light beige
- unripe butternut: green stripes, pale
- harvest time: from September
Halloween (Lantern Pumpkin St. Martin)
- Maturation time: 90 days
- Colour: strong orange
- Harvest time: September to October
Hokkaido
- Maturation time: 95 to 120 days
- Shell can no longer be scratched (fingernail test)
- Colour: bright orange-red with no green areas
- harvest time: September to November (main harvest)
A notice: The main harvest time for winter squash is in autumn and late autumn.
Microwave Pumpkin (Butter Cream, Lil-Pump-Ke-Mon)
- Maturation time: around 80 to 90 days
- Colour: yellow-orange-white
- Unripe Butter Cream: green-white
- Harvest time: July to September
Nutmeg Pumpkin (Muscade de Provence)
- Maturation time: 160 days
- Colour: light brown
- unripe nutmeg: dark green
- Harvest time: August to October
Napoli (Long of Naples)
- Maturation time: 160 days
- Colour: dark green, slightly flamed
- Harvest time: September to October (main harvest)
spaghetti squash
- Maturation time: about 100 days
- Colour: sunny yellow or light green-yellowish (depending on variety)
- Harvest time: between August and October
frequently asked Questions
If the pumpkin in the garden did not make it to full maturity due to night frosts, you can let it ripen after the early harvest. To do this, store it in an airy and warm place at around 20 degrees Celsius for two to three weeks. Make sure there is good air exchange and turn the squash every few days.
Pumpkins that have spent one or more frosty nights outside can still be harvested. It is important that you process the fruit within a week as it has lost its shelf life. Pumpkin soup, pickled pumpkin or pumpkin puree are examples of how you can use and preserve the frost-damaged pumpkin.
This is possible, but not recommended. If there is no threat of night frost and if it is warm during the day, harvested pumpkins will keep outside for a few days. If exposed to frost, they begin to rot within a few days.