When to harvest pumpkin and how to determine its ripeness

Ripening terms

The ripening time of the pumpkin depends on its variety. Today, on the territory of our country (Moscow region, Siberia, the Urals and other regions) the following varieties of this crop are grown:

• early ripening. The most popular of them are Mozoleevskaya 49, Golosemyannaya, Almond 35, Biryuchekutskaya 27, Vesnushka, etc. For them, the ripening period is approximately 3.5 months (92-104 days). Harvesting of these varieties begins in mid to late August. This is due to the fact that the fruits have a thin shell and are quite tender. Therefore, they can be stored for no longer than a month;
• mid-season. This group includes the varieties Smile, Winter Sweet, Kroshka, Volzhskaya gray, Hundred-pound, Medical, Russian, etc. The ripening period in this case is 4 months (110-120 days). You need to harvest pumpkins of these varieties in mid-September, but you need to be in time before the onset of the first frost. In the Moscow region, such varieties begin to be harvested from mid-September. If the pumpkin is frozen, then it will not work for a long time.
• late ripening (hard-bore). Of these, the most popular varieties are Muscat, Pearl, Vita, Testi Delipe, Interception, Vitamin and Butternat Ponca. Possessing a thick shell, such pumpkins can be stored for up to six months. These varieties are usually harvested in mid - late September. Moreover, the ripening period here is about 200 days. Therefore, the collection of still ripe fruits is being carried out, which ripen during the storage period.

In addition, the climatic conditions of the place of growth can affect the ripening and harvesting of the pumpkin. In the south of the country, fruits can be in the garden for a long time. This is due to late arriving frosts. At the same time, in the Moscow region, Siberia and the Urals, it is imperative to have time to remove the fruits from the garden before the arrival of frost.

How to determine the ripeness of a vegetable

By the time of harvesting from the garden, the pumpkin should be ripe (with the exception of late-ripening varieties). To determine if a vegetable is ripe, it is necessary to be guided by external signs of maturity. Knowing these signs will allow you to accurately determine if the pumpkin is ready to harvest from the garden. This is especially important for novice gardeners.

Fruits that are ripe have the following external signs:

• lignified peduncle. This means that in appearance it should be tough and dry, and not green and juicy;
• the plant should have yellowed or faded leaves. In this case, at least part of the sheet plate must be dried. The same signs are preserved not only for the leaves, but also for the wattle fence itself;
• pumpkin is bright and rich in color. Moreover, depending on the variety, its color can be from yellow and gray-green to saturated or dark orange. It should be noted that not all varieties change the color of the fruit. This applies to the wax gourd. There are plants whose fruits retain white or gray bark even when fully ripe;
• the shell of the fetus has acquired a density and become more rigid.

Knowing the above signs of the ripeness of a vegetable, as well as focusing on the ripening time, you can easily determine that the pumpkin is ready for harvest, wherever your site is located (in the Moscow region, Siberia, the Urals or other regions).As a rule, the dates are written on the back of the seed bags, which is very easy to remember.

Please note that only ripe varieties need to be stored (with the exception of late-ripening ones). For not quite ripe vegetables, a ripening procedure should be carried out in order to completely protect it from the effects of the external environment. Such fruits will be stored for a long time, preserving the pleasant taste of the pulp.

Video "Pumpkin and everything about it"

When and how to remove from the garden

In order to correctly determine the time of harvesting pumpkins from the beds, one should be guided by the ripening time and the appearance of the fruits and plants. At the same time, in such regions as the Urals and the Moscow region, climatic factors - frosts - are a very important point. In case of overexposure of pumpkins in the garden (if they are frozen), then they cannot be stored. Such vegetables should be used for making homemade preserves and juices.

To minimize the risk of freezing, the fruits must be cut at the beginning of September (somewhat earlier than the set ripening period) and allowed to ripen at home. At the same time, during the daytime (especially on sunny days), pumpkins should be taken outside.

For Siberia, a rather vast region of our country, the timing of harvesting from the garden may differ in different regions. Here gardeners prefer early maturing varieties that ripen in about 100 days. At the same time, you can start assembling such varieties already starting from the 75th day from the moment the seeds are planted in the ground. To store such fruits, they practice ripening at home for 2-3 weeks. The fruits should be kept at room temperature for this period.

Also, for the assembly of pumpkins in all regions of the country, there are certain recommendations that are common to all varieties. This includes the following set of rules:

• the weather must be dry;
• there are no frosts;
• in rainy weather, the harvested vegetables must be dried well;
• when cutting the fruit, you should leave the stalk about 3-4 cm long. Vegetables without a “tail” are deprived of their natural defenses. Fungi and pathogenic bacteria can penetrate into the fruit through the torn "tail";
• avoid damaging vegetables, as this leads to poor keeping quality;
• large fruits must be picked separately. At the same time, they should be sent for processing 1-1.5 months after harvesting.

Harvesting must be done very carefully, carefully treating each individual pumpkin. In addition to mechanical damage to pumpkins, you should avoid dropping them on the ground. This can lead to the onset of rotting processes from the inside. In such a situation, one bad vegetable can ruin all the others. After harvesting, vegetables should be stored in well-dried rooms, avoiding the appearance of moisture in them. Otherwise, it will lead to their rotting.

Separately, it should be noted that in the northern regions of the country, where most of the early ripening varieties are grown, gardeners when harvesting are guided not only by the appearance of the fruits, but also by meteorological indications. This is due to the fact that the climatic conditions here are unstable and it is better to harvest in advance, because the fruits can always ripen at home. Otherwise, there is a risk that vegetables may suffer from the first frost, and this will negatively affect their shelf life.

As you can see, despite its unpretentious care, the pumpkin has certain requirements for its cleaning. Compliance with all recommendations will allow you to get a high-quality harvest and properly preserve it.

Video "How to grow and harvest pumpkin"

In this video, you will learn what and how to do in order to harvest the largest possible harvest of ripe pumpkin.