zxcvbob said:


Frank J Warner wrote:

Yes. I did a search on pumpkins in this ng before posting my questions
and have heard you say that, but I'm interested in yer regular
run-of-the-mill orange jack-o-lantern pumpkin pie pumpkins.

2. How long can they remain on the vine before they are past their
prime? Do they get woody, lose their flavor, or does other bad things
happen to them if you don't pick them at the peak time?

Many thanks, as usual.


I think they are ready to pick when you cannot pierce the skin with your
thumbnail (then give them another week for good measure). Also the stem
should be woody. Maybe someone who has grown them before can give you
more details, but hopefully this will help.

Bob's got it right. And the stem on typical pie/jack o'lantern pumpkins will
be as hard as wood.

The longer you leave them on the vine, the sweeter they should be.

I do believe that even in warmer weather areas, the vines will begin to
decline as the pumpkins mature. (They normally do that in my garden
some time before frost finally kills them.)

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

After enlightenment, the laundry.