the trick of knowing when to harvest pumpkins
|
I checked out a friend's pumpkin patch the other day, where she had a variety of pumpkins and kabocha squashes growing. "You think they're ready?" she asked. She'd started the plants from seed back in May and the squashes were big and beautiful and looked ready, buuuuut... after wiggling them a bit and looking over a few, I said they needed a bit more time on the vine. How could I tell? Simple: I used 5 different visual cues that tell me exactly when it's time to pick them. Some people rely on the "knock test" (rapping their knuckles on a pumpkin to gauge its ripeness) while others just wait until the whole plant dies back. But if you need the space for fall planting or don't want to risk getting hit with frost, there are much easier ways to tell when your pumpkins, butternuts, buttercups, hubbards, and kabochas are ready for harvest (and they take only 2 seconds).
Seasonal tipsDid you know?The world's largest pumpkin (so far) was grown in the UK last year and reached 2,819 pounds! Like all the previous giant pumpkins that broke world records, that one was the Atlantic Giant variety. Scientists haven't figured out yet if a growth limit exists for this type of pumpkin, and we'll probably see more world records set every couple years for these behemoths. So what makes growing a giant pumpkin possible? Living along the 45th parallel helps: the biggest pumpkins in the world have been grown within 3-4 degrees north and south of the 45th parallel. In the northern hemisphere, that includes the areas around Portland, Oregon; central Minnesota and northern Wisconsin; parts of the Northeast; and France and Germany. (New Zealand is the sweet spot for the southern hemisphere.) I'm actually pretty surprised by this! A warm-season crop preferring cooler weather? Turns out, the Atlantic Giant variety was bred in Nova Scotia. Soil biology is a big factor too. Giant pumpkins like slightly acidic soil pH between 6.2 to 6.5 and plenty of nutrients (especially calcium, but because calcium moves so slowly, it needs boron to help it move around the plant). Giant pumpkin growers also focus on mycorrhizal fungi, the web of tiny fungi that helps plants expand their root systems. (I wrote more about increasing the mycorrhizal fungi in your garden in this post.) And of course, plenty of consistent water, which the plant needs so nutrients can actually move through the soil. I've always had this fantasy of trying to grow a giant pumpkin in my yard, but my microclimate makes it pretty tricky. Maybe one day! But if you want to give it a shot, you can get Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds from Eden Brothers or Botanical Interests. (Both sites currently have fall equinox sales going on.) Send me photos if you try this next year. 😄 P.S. Think your pumpkins or winter squashes might be ready to harvest? Here are 5 telltale signs (plus the popular tip I NEVER rely on). |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."