| I grew mini pumpkins. I picked some already. Should I have left them on the vine (the vine was dry when I picked them)? Someone said poke the bottoms with a pin to get them to dry out. I'd really like them to last through fall. |
| Generally you should leave pumpkins on the vine as long as possible so that the rind hardens and the stem dries, then eventually pick them with several inches of vine attached. Next, cure them in the sun for a week or more so the skins firm up (protect them from frost at night), and finally store them in a cool spot. Average days to maturity depend on the variety you grew but are in the 100 day plus range. Note too that some varieties simply have better storage or keeping qualities than others. Good luck with your mini pumpkins! |
