How to Tell When to Harvest Pumpkins & Other Winter Squash

Autumn brings cooler weather, ripening apples, trees ablaze with brilliant colors, and (if you know how to grow a pumpkin plant) harvesting pumpkins in your garden. But do you confidently know when your winter squash are ready to harvest?

The time has come to learn when to harvest pumpkins and other winter squash!

The MIgardener Channel  

A while back, I was harvesting butternut squash in a video on the MIgardener YouTube channel when people started commenting, saying that they had no clue how to tell when winter squash are ready to harvest. Those comments prompted this blog post and video.

I love hearing from you and answering your gardening questions! If you are questioning something, throw your questions in the comments box. Who knows, you might learn the answers in my next video.

Knowing When to Harvest Pumpkins & Winter Squash

Winter squash varieties differ from summer squash in that they have a much harder skin on the outside. It’s easier to know when to harvest zucchini and other summer squash because they are eaten early and young, when they are still small and tender.

Winter squash seem to just sit on the vine, forgotten in your garden all season long. We know they shouldn’t be harvested young and immature, but when are they ready to harvest? Can they be left on the vine too long?

I like to compare winter squash and summer squash to cheeses. A summer squash is like a soft cheese. It doesn’t have a hard skin, it is soft and tender, and it rots quickly, so it needs to be consumed quickly.

Winter squash is like a hard cheese. Its thick skin protects it from mold, dehydration, and aging, which means it can last a long time without spoiling. Just like hard cheese, winter squash needs time to build its hard skin. The longer a winter squash is left on the vine, the harder the skin will get.

Deciding when to harvest your winter squash can be kind of tricky, but once you know the signs to look for, it will be very simple.

Signs That Your Pumpkins Are Ready to Harvest

When fall rolls around, you may find yourself wondering when to harvest pumpkins and other winter squash. If you harvest too early, the squash will have less flavor and a shorter storage life. If you harvest too late, they can be damaged by frost.

Here’s how to tell when your squash are ready to harvest:

• Color - Watch for a color change. Pro-Tip: Different winter squash will turn different colors, so you need to know what color they are supposed to be when fully mature. The picture on the seed packet should show the mature fruit.

• Tendrils - When the squash is ready to harvest, the nearest tendrils will turn brown and dry, much like when harvesting melons.

• Stem Turns Brown - The stem should be green until the squash starts to cure, at which point it should turn brown.

• Fingernail Check - Once the squash has turned color, do a fingernail check BEFORE harvesting. Press your thumbnail into the skin of the squash. If your thumbnail leaves a mark without breaking the skin, the skin has fully hardened and the squash is ready to harvest! If your thumbnail breaks the skin, the squash is not ready yet. (This test does not negatively affect the shelf life of the squash.) Pro-Tip: Fingernail check the squash in multiple places from the bottom to the top. It should pass the test all over when it is fully ready.

• Plant Dies - When the squash is near harvest readiness, the plant will begin die back. It’s okay to leave squash on the plant until it completely dies, but if you do that, you run the risk of getting skin spot. Skin spot is a fungus (similar to powdery mildew and blight) that causes a rusty colored spot on your fruit. Pro-Tip: If any of your squash have skin spot, you will want to eat those squash first because that will reduce its storage life.

Watching for these signs will help you determine the optimal time to harvest. Once the squash passes the fingernail check, harvest it. There is no reason to leave it on the vine any longer.

How to Harvest Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Using a sharp knife or Hori Hori, cut pumpkins from the vine leaving 2 to 4 inches of stem on the squash for better storage.

After picking, you can allow the squash to cure further. Place them on a shelf or wooden pallet in a warm, dry, sunny spot that allows air circulation all around each squash.

When curing, set the squash on a different side than was previously against the ground. Leave it there for about a week (or up to 2 weeks for large squash) and then move it into long-term storage.

Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash for Longevity

Winter squash can typically be stored indoors for 3-7 months, depending on the variety. 

But remember, the harder the skin, the longer the shelf life! Harvesting too early will be detrimental to the squash's longevity. 

Handling them gently, move the squash to a cool, dry, dark location where they can be stored long term on shelves, in wooden crates, or something similar. Storing squash directly on the ground or concrete is not a good idea.

A steady temperature of 50°F to 60°F (10°C to 16°C) is ideal. Check on your stored pumpkins and winter squash regularly for signs of spoilage.

Halloween is a time when over 1 billion pounds of pumpkins are thrown away every year, worth an estimated $100 million, and of that, the nutrients are worth more than half! With all the pumpkins on the sides of the road waiting to go to the landfill, I set out to make something of them.

I looked up the NPK of pumpkins and was delighted to find that they have a ratio of 2-1-3 when decomposed. Leftover pumpkins can be used as a simple, free, organic, and effective fertilizer.

1. Collect Pumpkins - Pick up jack o lanterns from friends and family, or even on the side of the road

2. Get a Bucket or Wheelbarrow - Place pumpkins in a bucket or wheelbarrow

3. Mash Them - Mash the pumpkins with a shovel or sledgehammer

4. Dig a Hole - In your garden, dig a hole 6-10 inches deep where you want the fertilizer to go

5. Add the Mash - Pour the pumpkin mash into the hole

6. Cover With Soil - Put soil back over the pumpkin mash, creating a mound where you will plant ON TOP of the mound next spring

The nutrients in the pumpkin will break down and feed the soil. The worms will move into the soil, loosening and creating worm castings throughout. The humus created will also hold more water to feed the roots of the crops you are growing above it.

I hope nobody will let this VERY helpful organic fertilizer go to waste! 

For more garden harvesting tips, check out when to harvest garlic, how to harvest lettuce, when to harvest onions, and when to harvest corn.