It is useful to know how and when pumpkin of different ripeness is harvested. When and how to clean pumpkin for storage Dose pumpkin at home

Pumpkin is an unpretentious melon crop rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains much more carotene than carrots. It is grown almost everywhere. Among gardeners, pumpkin is valued for its ability to maintain its taste throughout the entire shelf life. So that she does not lose her nutrients, the pumpkin must be removed from the garden in time. A frozen vegetable is poorly stored, and when good conditions will stay all winter and will not deteriorate.

Harvesting various types of pumpkin

Pumpkin is a fairly cold-resistant culture, so it is removed from the garden bed very last. When and how to do it correctly? Today, gardeners grow many varieties of this vegetable, which differ in terms of ripening. The ripeness of the harvest also depends on the weather conditions. When to remove early pumpkin varieties from the garden, and when late-ripening - this question is asked not only by beginners.

Early ripe pumpkins are ready for harvesting within 120 days from germination. Such a vegetable is not very rich in carotene, its pulp is fibrous, but the seeds are very useful. They start harvesting from the second half of August. In September, the entire crop must be harvested. The vegetable is stored for a relatively short time.

Mid-season varieties can be harvested after 130 days from germination. These varieties are mostly large-fruited, rich in vitamins, and store well. However, you should not delay cleaning. In the conditions of the Moscow region, the pumpkin is harvested in September, leaving it in a dry room for 30 days to ripen.

Muscat late-ripening varieties are harvested as the last ones, after about 150 days from germination. In the south of the country, they ripen well on lashes, but in other regions they start harvesting 2 months before frost. Fruits are stored for 5 months.

Important! If the harvesting of the vegetable is late, and it is frozen, then it should be processed. You cannot store frozen pumpkin.

Harvesting time depends on the weather forecast and the geographic region of the country. If in Crimea it is possible to postpone the harvesting of fruits until October, then in the conditions of the Moscow region and Siberia, the pumpkin is harvested at the beginning of autumn. When choosing dates important point weather conditions remain. If frost is approaching, then you need to hurry up with cleaning. The latest filmed decorative varieties pumpkins that are not used for food.

How to determine the ripeness of a pumpkin

Any vegetable, regardless of the variety and early maturity, has external signs by which you can determine the moment of maturity. Knowing these subtleties, any summer resident will start harvesting on time, which will save most of it.

1. Carefully looking at the petiole, you can find that it has become hard, has lost its juiciness.

2. Ripe pumpkin becomes orange or yellowish in color. Its edges are clearly visible.

3. The degree of maturity can be checked with a fingernail. If the skin of the fruit is difficult to damage, then it is ripe enough.

4. At the end of the growing season, the whips and foliage of the plant die off.

5. Ripe pumpkin is covered with a dull bloom and tinkles with light cotton.

If the harvest matches the above characteristic features, then the pumpkin is removed from the garden, so it will be better preserved, it will not lose its useful properties.

Fruits that have not yet fully ripened are best sent for ripening in a dry room. It is impossible to store fruits with an unformed peel. It is better to make delicious homemade preserves from them.

Taking proper care of your pumpkin before harvesting

Regardless of which variety is grown in the garden, it is necessary to protect the fruits from spoilage and rot before harvesting.

In damp weather, when the fruits lie in contact with the ground, the peel rots. Inexperienced summer residents are trying to process the vegetable. But this cannot be done. The fact is that changes occur in the pulp, and the use of such a fruit leads to poisoning.

For the safety of the harvest, the pumpkins are placed on a mound, planks are pushed under them. In rainy weather, cover the fruit with plastic wrap. In the last month before harvesting, the watering of the beds is stopped.

How to properly remove a pumpkin from the garden

Undoubtedly, the most nutritious and useful is the vegetable that has ripened right on the whip. But if the weather conditions get worse, then the cleaning is carried out immediately. Pumpkins will ripen indoors.

For harvesting, you need to choose a dry, fine day. IN rainy autumn after harvesting, the fruits are dried in a ventilated area. Pumpkins are cut very carefully so that they do not fall and the bark is not damaged. Those fruits that will be laid for storage are cut with a stalk, the height of which is up to 5 cm.

After harvesting, the harvest is sorted. Fruits with cracks and tainted skin are eaten first of all or allowed for processing. The fact is that microbes penetrate through the cracks, which lead to damage to the pulp: it molds and rots.

The sorted crop is dried, the remnants of the earth and dry foliage are removed. After that, it is placed for ripening in a dry covered storage, where the temperature is maintained up to 30 degrees. Under such conditions, the peel of the fruit gradually hardens. Ripening of the crop is carried out up to 10 days to a month.

How and where to store pumpkin

After ripening, the crop is sorted again, rejecting fruits with a soft skin. Next, the pumpkins are stored.

Important! Fruits with a diameter of at least 15 cm are stored for the longest.

For long-term storage of pumpkin, choose a dry room where the air temperature is maintained within 10-13 degrees and is equipped good ventilation... Directly in the storage, vegetables are laid out in one layer, preventing their contact with moisture. It is better if shelves with shelves are used to store the pumpkin, as in the photo. The distance from the floor to the first shelf should be at least 15 cm. With this storage, the crop will be well ventilated from all sides, which will ensure its safety.

A good storage facility must be well protected from rodents and fungal infections. It is important that condensation does not form on the fruits when storing the crop.

In the winter months, the pumpkin is periodically checked, fruits with a softened skin are discarded. This suggests that the pumpkin has begun to deteriorate.

Shelf life of pumpkin harvest

By cultivating different varieties pumpkin, you can constantly eat it and replenish the body with the necessary vitamins. To preserve the harvest, it is important to know not only the storage conditions, but also the timing.

Least stored crop early varieties pumpkins: Almond 35, Freckle, Gribovskaya bush. These fruits should be eaten very first. The shelf life of such varieties is no more than a month. Further, the pulp loses its taste, and the seeds begin to germinate inside the fruit.

Medium and late nutmeg pumpkin varieties are well stored all winter, without loss of taste: Pearl, Nutmeg, Vitamin, Smile, Crumb. The average keeping quality of fruits reaches 5-6 months, after which the pulp loses its properties and becomes fibrous, tasteless.

Let's summarize

It is necessary to clean the pumpkin from the garden correctly, taking into account not only the timing of cultivation, specifications fruit, but also weather conditions. In each specific region, the time for cleaning is adjusted according to these indicators.

The very first to ripen the pumpkin of hard-bore varieties, you can remove the fruits from the garden in late August - early September. Their maturity is indicated by such signs as stiffening of the stalk and discoloration of the pumpkin rind: it becomes more saturated color, for example, dark orange. The fruits of these varieties are not intended for long-term storage and must be used in the next two months.

Nutmeg and large-fruited pumpkin varieties can be stored before the start of frost (mid or late September), however, after harvesting, the fruits must be allowed to ripen at room temperature within two to three weeks, then they can be removed to a cool place. The shelf life of pumpkin of these varieties is up to six months, and after this time, their taste is noticeably reduced, the pulp becomes tasteless.

In general, the first signs that the pumpkin can be harvested is the drying of the plant foliage, the change in the color of the stalk from green to gray and its subsequent woodiness, and the hardening of the shell. When cutting off a pumpkin, it is necessary to remember that you need to leave the stalk at least five centimeters long, since if you try to get rid of it altogether, then there is a possibility of violating the integrity of the fruit and it will no longer be possible to store them.

When can you harvest pumpkin in the suburbs

Moscow region - middle stripe In Russia, in a given area, when harvesting such a garden culture as a pumpkin, the main criterion must be taken into account - frost. In no case should you overexpose the fruits in the garden bed during frosts, which can be observed already in mid-September. In order to prevent freezing of the fruits, it is best to cut them back in early September and let them ripen at home, and in the daytime they can be taken outside, especially in sunny weather.

When can you harvest pumpkin in Siberia

Siberia is quite extensive, therefore, the harvest time in different regions are different. In this case, the collection of fruits must be calculated according to the timing of planting. In general, pumpkin varieties are most often grown in Siberia, the ripening period of which is up to 100 days, the collection of such fruits can be carried out already after 75-80 days from the day of planting the seeds. The fruits will ripen at home at room temperature within two to three weeks.

Autumn time is for many vegetable crops time to harvest. Experienced growers already know, and beginners are interested in when to remove pumpkin from the garden. If you overexpose a vegetable in the garden or, conversely, hurry up with the collection, you may never recognize the ripe taste of the fruit.

Homemade canned food or culinary dishes are much tastier and more flavorful when made with well-ripened pumpkin.

Pumpkin ripening time: it all depends on the variety

Each vegetable variety has its own growing season. Therefore, before planting a culture, you need to carefully study the characteristics and description of its variety. Information is often found on the seed package. In the same place, the manufacturer gives recommendations on the technique of growing and caring for the plant.

There are several factors that affect the timing of pumpkin ripening.

The seed variety can be divided into 3 types: early maturing, mid-maturing and late-maturing. Depending on this, the timing of the harvest is determined.

In the first group, the fruits ripen in late July or early August. They have a specific delicate taste and aroma. The rind is thinner, so the harvest does not last long. The growing season of a group of early ripening varieties lasts from 92 to 104 days.

The second group includes mid-season pumpkin species. The fruits are larger, more dense, with a tough skin. They are stored for a long time, provided that they have not been frozen. Harvesting is carried out until the first minus temperature. The growing season for this group ranges from 110 to 120 days.

Late-ripening varieties are larger and can be stored for a long time, up to 6 months. The growing season for this group of varieties is about 200 days. This type of pumpkin can be harvested at the ripening stage. It perfectly picks up taste and juiciness when plucked. The characteristic color will tell you when to pick the fruits of late-ripening varieties. A light orange color is the first sign that a vegetable is gaining strength.

For large-fruited pumpkins, which require time to gain taste and juiciness, the harvest time can be extended. From September to mid-October, the fruits are still in the beds.

You need to remove the pumpkin from the garden on time. Retaining fruits on the stems, like freezing, also leads to rapid spoilage of the crop.

Signs of pumpkin ripeness: when to remove the pumpkin from the garden

Most pumpkin varieties have common ripeness signs. These include the following indicators:

You can pick a pumpkin if its stalk is dry and has acquired a wood structure. The size and thickness of the stalk depends on the variety and how large the vegetables themselves are. It is located at the junction of the fruit with the stem. As soon as the pumpkin has collected all the necessary substances and its growing season is over, the stalk begins to dry out and die off, turning into a hard, almost wooden tail.
A characteristic sign of ripeness is the color of the peel. It acquires, depending on the variety, light yellow or orange tint... Mid-season varieties, which include Butternat or Wax, do not change their color. They remain green or white even when fully ripe.
In most varieties, the signs of ripening are primarily reflected in the density of the rind. It becomes so hard and durable that it is sometimes difficult to cut it.
As soon as the pumpkin is ripe, it will begin to draw all the moisture and juices from the plant. The stems and leaves will gradually wither and dry out. This is a clear sign that the fruit can be picked.

It is undesirable to store crops with other vegetables and fruits in the same box. Some fruits release ethylene. This gas leads to rapid deterioration of the pumpkin.

Ripening pumpkin and proper storage

Gardeners often face a problem when the pumpkin is not stored for a long time. It is possible that the reason for this situation was the failure to comply with the conditions and requirements for storing the crop. To prevent this from happening, it is worth adhering to a number of rules:

Once the fruit has been removed for storage, it is taken to a dark room where there is no sunlight. Good ventilation in the basement or cellar is important. The vegetable does not tolerate well high humidity air, so the room should be dry and fresh.
You can count on long-term storage only by cutting off the fruits from the plant in time. Overexposed and unripe pumpkins are stored for no more than 1-2 months.
An important condition is compliance temperature regime in the store. It is necessary to ensure a constant temperature in the room within the range of + 7 ... 18 ° С.
Spread the fruits on wooden surface... The main thing is that they do not come into contact with each other. During storage, it is necessary to periodically inspect vegetables for damage. The damaged copy is immediately removed from storage.
If the pumpkin is spoiled by freezing, you will have to immediately start up it for cooking. It cannot be stored for a long time. Frozen vegetables quickly become unusable.
Fruits, due to long-term storage, lose their taste, but this does not apply to nutmeg species. In these varieties, the pulp does not lose, but, on the contrary, gains taste and aroma over time, retaining juiciness and sweetness.

Cleaning according to the lunar calendar or according to the exact calculation

Experienced gardeners perform all work on the site according to the lunar calendar. Planting seeds for seedlings, moving seedlings into the ground, and even harvesting have their auspicious days.

The moon has a great, invisible influence on all life on the planet. Plants are also sensitive to its phases.

Almost all gardening is based on the lunar calendar. But every year it changes, and the calculations are carried out in a new way.

Under favorable conditions, pumpkins actively grow and gain their taste. A positive situation includes not only competently performed agricultural technology, but also correctly selected days for planting seeds in the ground, in accordance with lunar calendar, and a favorable season for harvesting.

You should not rely solely on the lunar phases, it is important to take into account the climate, season and weather when harvesting the pumpkin. Depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, all dates for harvesting fruits may be shifted.

Vegetable growers make an accurate calculation based on the growing period declared by the seed manufacturer.

Experienced gardeners willingly share secrets as to when the vegetable should be harvested, it is necessary to harvest the crop before the first frost. It is better to choose a dry and sunny day for this, since it is important that the pumpkins are kept dry.

You need to harvest the fruits correctly. The stalk is as if scrolled around its axis, thereby sealing its edges. The pumpkin will retain its juiciness longer if the tail is unscrewed rather than cut off.

The variety of fruits is great and each variety has its own growing season.

Pumpkin is a vegetable that grows on any land plot... This fruit was grown in ancient times, and now modern gardeners do not forget about it. useful properties... Pumpkins contain tons of vitamins that everyone needs. "How to eat pumpkin?" - you ask. Porridge, juices and even pies are made from it. She has a sweet, but specific taste, so not everyone loves her so much.

The pumpkin can lie on the field until the frost

The entire crop must be harvested in the fall, before the onset of the first frost. This vegetable is no exception, but it also has its own timing when to pick it. Pumpkin harvesting very often depends on the type of pumpkin. Therefore, it is advisable to consider the types of this product separately.

When ripe

Early ripening varieties. The name "early ripening" pumpkins indicates that they ripen quickly. The period of their full maturation: from 92 to 104 days. Therefore, remove such vegetable plants advise around the end of August. Getting a ready-made vegetable in August is chic and joyful, but there are also disadvantages to this. Such varieties are stored for no longer than a month, so they must be immediately processed or rolled up when they have just been removed.

Mid-season varieties. These types include:

Winter sweet;
Blue Hubbard;
Volga gray;
Therapeutic;
Russian woman.

These varieties, unlike the previous ones, ripen in 120 days, and can be stored, which gives them many advantages. This type of pumpkin is harvested in September, when almost the entire crop is already in your places for storing winter supplies.

Late varieties... Among them, one should distinguish:

Pearl;
Father-in-law Delipe;
Vitamin;
Butternat.

These pumpkins ripen for about two hundred days. It is advised to harvest the fruits before the onset of severe frosts, when the winter weather has already settled down. Sometimes there are such cases when the time to cut the pumpkin has come, but it is not yet fully ripe. In such cases, it is still collected and put in a dark, cool place. There she will mature in a month. Then these fruits can be processed, rolled or frozen.

The Russian belongs to the mid-season pumpkin varieties

It is very important to make sure that these vegetables are not damaged, otherwise they will deteriorate and will not be suitable for use.

Professional summer residents note that in the southern edges of the pumpkin is not harvested for a long time. It is kept in the beds until the tops are almost completely dry.

This is due to the fact that frosts and cold in such places come late, so the pumpkin is not threatened with freezing and damage.

So how do you know if a vegetable is ripe or not, can you remove it from the ridge, or should you wait a little?

To resolve this issue, it is necessary to highlight several signs of a ripe pumpkin product.

Signs of a ripe pumpkin:

Pumpkin legs will be as dry, tough and firm as possible. Naturally, they will not be green. A green stalk is one of the signs that the pumpkin is still ripening and should never be cut off.
Leaves are dry, yellow and pale.
This ripe vegetable has a vibrant color.
His skin is very hard and tough.

The withered tail of a pumpkin signals its ripeness

How to properly cut a pumpkin and store

When cutting the plant, it is better to leave four centimeters of the stalk. Do this very carefully, because any damage, especially a cut in the peel, will have a bad effect on the storage of this product.

Let's take a step by step how to collect a gourd (as the common people call a pumpkin):

The first thing that an experienced gardener does is go through all the ridges and inspect the entire crop for ripening. Because they remove the whole pumpkin at once, and do not leave a few unripe in the beds.
After that, you need to stock up on a good sharp knife or garden shears. Professionals in this business advise using scissors, because it is much more convenient. Using them, it is difficult to cause significant damage to the skin.
Next, prepare a place for storing the crop. Once you have chosen a suitable spot, you can put old blankets or straw on the floor, so it does not deteriorate or rot.
Then carefully cut off all the fruits and transfer to a storage location. When cutting this plant, it is important to remember to leave four centimeters of the stalk.

Mature pumpkin can be used immediately for food after harvest, but many leave the vegetable for storage. Moreover, a fairly large number of fruits come out. Therefore, no family can eat a large amount of gourd.

It is often kept in cool place, in the basement or in the closet, in the attic, garage, shed or closet.

In addition to the coolness, also take into account the humidity of the room during storage. because high humidity air shortens the shelf life of the pumpkin fruit by as much as three months. And this is quite a significant time.

Thus, we found that pumpkins can be harvested from late August to October, depending on the variety and climate. We also demonstrated how to correctly and competently remove pumpkins from the beds.

To determine the ripeness of a pumpkin, first of all, you need to look at its color: the fact is that when ripe, these vegetables change their color dramatically, for example, green fruits become bright yellow, bluish - pink-yellow. It is important to consider that the color of mature pumpkins is exceptionally rich.

How to properly care for a pumpkin before harvesting?

Regardless of the size of the fruit and the timing of harvesting, there are rules that will help protect the fruit in the garden from decay and pests. Lying constantly on its side, in contact with the ground, in wet weather, a huge berry can rot and become unusable. Wrong to do those who are trying to process pumpkin with a rotten side. Before the fruit has received visible damage, changes have already occurred in the core, and it should not be eaten.

The pumpkin should be placed on a hillock or a specially arranged mound, a wooden or plywood board should be laid down, and covered with a film on top during autumn rains. In the last month, when the pumpkin is gaining sweetness, watering should be stopped. The lengths of the roots, which go up to three meters deep, are enough to ensure the right amount water.

Indicates that the pumpkin harvest time has come, the first cold snap, since even a slight frost makes the fruit unfit for storage. You can also hold the fruit in the garden in dry weather, covering it from cool nights.

When can you pick a pumpkin?

It is possible to get a fully ripe pumpkin from the field only in hot regions, when the fruits naturally ripen in the field for more than 4 months. But pumpkin is good because in addition to a long shelf life of several months, it still continues to ripen.

Therefore, you can find out if the pumpkin is ripe and how long it can still lie on the ridge, knowing the main signs of a vegetable's readiness for harvesting:

The leaves of the bush withered, changed their color to yellow, dried up. If before that there were no signs of anthracosis disease, then the natural death of healthy foliage is a sure sign of the end of the growing season.

The stalk becomes stiff upper layer corks, it woods up simultaneously with the stem supplying food. It is no longer possible to shift the pumpkin in another way without violating the integrity of the liner.

The color of the pumpkin, whatever it is, from gray to yellow, becomes brighter, the pattern is more noticeable.

There should not be traces of scratching with a fingernail on the crust. The cover hardens and does not spring from pressing with fingers. Ripe pumpkin responds to cotton with a ringing sound. Ripe pumpkin is covered with a matte coating, the stalk is easily separated.

When harvesting a pumpkin, you need to treat it carefully, trying not to scratch it. If there is a problem, seal the place of damage with a bactericidal plaster or do not leave the damaged vegetable for storage.

Early ripening varieties are harvested at the end of August, growing by seedlings. These varieties include the common Gribovskaya bush, Freckle, Golosemyannaya. Their crust is thin, the shelf life is up to a month.

Varieties of average ripening pumpkin - Smile, Healing, Russian woman ripen in 4 months. Harvest in September, but before the first frost. Frozen fruits are not suitable for storage. Varieties of these pumpkins last up to two months after the onset of ripeness.

The most valuable fruits are late-ripening varieties grown under the southern sun. These include Vitamin, Nutmeg, Pearl. These pumpkins have a thick, hard rind and sweet pulp, which is added raw to salads. Late varieties are stored in a cool room for up to six months. They are harvested late, but even in the south, ripeness occurs in a month or two.

The ripening dates indicated on the seed bag are for ideal conditions. The weather makes its own adjustments. Therefore, it is necessary to navigate when to harvest pumpkin according to the weather, the condition of the plant and the biological ripening of the variety.

When storing any pumpkin, it is important that the integrity of the adherence of the tail to the bosom is not compromised. If there is a gap in this place, an infection will get in and the fetus will rot.

Harvesting rules

Cleaning is carried out in dry weather, after the lashes dry well from the morning moisture. If the weather is charged, you will have to harvest in wet weather, such fruits need to be dried well. Separate damaged specimens at the same time. In dry warm weather, the root crops cut off from the main stem can still be held on the melon, under the rays of the sun.

When determining the ripeness of pumpkins, it is necessary not only to look at their peel, but also to touch it with your hands: unripe fruits easily bend when pressed, and the peel is so delicate that it can be easily pierced with a fingernail. The peel of a mature pumpkin is matte and has a pattern characteristic of this variety (usually when buying seeds, the label contains a photo of ripe fruits with a characteristic pattern). Many varieties of pumpkin, when ripe, become covered with a bloom, which is easily erased when touched.

You can also determine the ripeness of the pumpkin by the sound: ripe vegetables, when tapped, emit ringing sound, unripe - deaf.

In general, most pumpkin varieties ripen in September, so it is worth considering that by the end of September the pumpkin is ready for harvest.

If all of the above signs speak of the ripeness of the fruit, then the last thing you should pay attention to when determining the ripeness of the pumpkin is the stalk. In unripe vegetables, it is light and strong.

If you picked a pumpkin and do not know if it is ripe or not, then you can determine its ripeness by the seeds. To do this, cut the fruit and look at the seeds, try to separate them from the pulp: in a ripe vegetable, the seeds are dense and round, they are easily separated from the fibers. Remember, pumpkin has one great property - ripening.

A removed pumpkin in a dark, cool and dry place can ripen for about a month.

You can store the fruit in such conditions for a long time, allowing you to use a fresh healthy product during the winter.