It is useful to know how and when the pumpkin is harvested.

Autumn - the time of summing up the spring-summer work and harvest. Pumpkin, as an unpretentious and rather cold-resistant culture, is one of the last to be stored. But when is it more correct to do this? Since there are more than a dozen pumpkin varieties at the disposal of gardeners with different characteristics and ripening periods, the time of harvesting vegetables largely depends on their precocity, as well as on the weather and climatic features of the region. When to remove the earliest varieties from the beds, and how much longer are the late-ripening fruits left in the garden?

Ripening time for different types of pumpkin

Among the varieties that are common in Russian beds, hard-bodied pumpkins are distinguished by their early ripeness. Despite the fact that they begin to harvest in 90–120 days after emergence, the pulp of such varieties is not too rich in carotene, sugars, and rather fibrous. But the seeds of hard-tailed pumpkins, covered with a thin rind or without it, are the most delicious and healthy.

I begin to harvest such pumpkins in the second half of August, and in September, the hard-bodied fruits, even during cold summer, must be fully harvested. This kind of fruit is not stored for a long time, if you pump the pumpkin over and cut it in 5–6 months, sprouted seeds and loose flesh that have lost their quality will be found under the bark.

The moment when it is time to remove a pumpkin from the garden can be determined by the stigma of the petiole, compaction, hardening of the bark and changing its color.

Mid-season varieties, which include the majority of large pumpkins, which require time to gain weight and size, ripen in 110-130 days. Such fruits are tasty, their flesh is full of vitamin A, rich in trace elements and perfectly accumulates sugar. In addition, they are leaders in keeping quality, but it is possible to ensure long-term storage only by cutting the gourd off the lash in time.

If the bark has not yet gained proper hardness or has been damaged by frost, the pumpkin will have to be recycled.

Therefore, it is so important to remove the pumpkins from the garden until the first cold weather, which can begin in the Moscow region or in the Urals in mid-September. If necessary, the fruits before storage for 14–30 days are left to ripen in a warm, dry room.

Until full maturity is reached, the fruit takes between 130 and 150 days, so, like the large-fruited variety, these pumpkins are harvested before the frost season.

Only in the conditions of the south of the country, starting from the Rostov region and up to the Crimea, when pumpkins of late ripening varieties are harvested, they ripen on the whip. In other regions, they have to be matched from 1 to 2 months. At the same time, ripe fruits remain tasty and healthy for no longer than 4–5 months, therefore, it is better to eat them, not lingering.

How do I know that a pumpkin has ripened, will be tasty and will endure several winter months without any problems?

Signs of ripeness of pumpkin

Regardless of the type and precocity of the pumpkin, its fruits have common signs of ripening:

• First of all, the pumpkin stalk becomes hard, loses its juiciness and takes on the appearance of wood or cork.
• Pumpkin bark changes in most varieties and varieties. The shades of green are replaced by yellow and orange tones, the pattern becomes clear.
• The bark is compacted and difficult to damage with a fingernail.
• Scourge and foliage plants wither, turn yellow and die.

If pumpkins with characteristic signs of ripening are removed from the bed, the fruits are well preserved, their flesh does not lose moisture and taste for a long time.

It is better not to fully pre-ripen pumpkins that have not fully matured until the fruit is completely protected from the external environment. But the ovary with the unformed bark should not be stored, but immediately processed into juice, home canned food or culinary dishes.

It is important to remember that not all varieties change color by autumn. Such an exception can be considered wax gourd, varieties with gray and white bark. The hue of a batternat pumpkin varies slightly.

When the pumpkin is removed for storage, these signs can be considered a selection criterion and a guarantee that the fruits will not dry out and rot.

How and when to clean a pumpkin from a bed?

The most tasty and healthy flesh of pumpkins, fully matured in the garden and taking sun rays and nutrients from the soil until the last day. But climatic and weather conditions do not always allow this. Therefore, when a pumpkin is already being harvested in the Urals, in the Stavropol culture, it is possible to remain in the garden for at least a month.

The farther north, the more often gardeners have to plant early ripening varieties in their beds and use the meteorological forecast, rather than plant prompts, to determine collection dates. For example, in the middle lane, pumpkins are removed from the lashes in mid-September, while in the southern regions they can be in the field until the lashes are completely dry.

No matter what time the harvest takes place, it is important that the weather on the day when the pumpkins are harvested is dry and warm enough. If the fruits lying on the ground, fall under a serious frost, despite the dense bark, the vegetable suffers, and during storage can rot.

Fruits are collected as carefully as possible, treating each pumpkin with care. It is important not only to prevent cuts from the bark, but also not to let the pumpkins fall.

After all, even microscopic cracks in the cortex easily penetrate microorganisms and bacteria, leading to the development of mold and rot inside the fetus. In addition, when struck, the structure of the pulp changes, the outflow of juice begins, which also leads to a rapid deterioration of the crop.

When pumpkins are removed from the beds, it is better not to try to pick them up or unscrew them from the whip, but to cut them off with a sharp knife, leaving a cutting 5 to 10 cm long.