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Re: Early Pumpkins

Here's my question on this subject (back in late July) and the three
replies I got, 

>>Denise Beck asked:

> my Jack O' Lanterns look ready to harvest. They are big, thoroughly
> orange and no longer increasing in size. But I want them for Halloween!
> Should I leave them on the vines (which have also slowed down their
> growth, although they are still quite green and healthy looking) or pick
now and
> try to find someplace cool to store them and hope they won't rot before
> October? Three months seems an awfully long time to hope a pumpkin will
> stay un-rotted!

first from Michael Cohill:

Try and keep the pumpkin on the vine as long as you can.  This is the best
place to store them for now.  As long as the vines stay green you're all
right.  If or when the vines dry out it will be time to find a cool dry
place to store them.  Your only maintinance should be to occationally check
to see if the fruit is dry and rot free.
 
And here's the one from Susan Hancock:
>>
I did this last year.  I had pumpkins ready to harvest a month early.  I
cut
them off their vines.  Not only were they around for Halloween,
Thanksgiving
and Christmas, but one of them survived until June of this year.  One day,
my teenager noticed a soft spot on the pumpkin and I told him he could take
it outside and hack it to pieces.  It was dry and black inside.  They sat
in
our living room.  You should probably pick a cool place to store them.

And lastly, the one from George:

Leave on the vine until the end of the month, keep treated with a
fungicide.
 At the end of the month pick the ones with good color and the skin has
hardened, (fingernail doesn=92t dent skin easily.)  Store in sunny warm and
dry
spot for 2 weeks to cure.  Then store in warm 55 - 60 degree dry spot
inside.


George

Denise McCann Beck
USDA Zone 7
Sunset Western 4
Coastal Bristish Columbia


----------
> From: Greg Zujus <GregZ@RIconneCT.com>
> To: pumpkins <Pumpkins@athenet.net>
> Subject: Early Pumpkins
> Date: Friday, August 22, 1997 3:00 PM
> 
> About two weeks ago someone posted a method to save early pumpkins until
> the end of October. Could someone please re-print this info as I have
> several Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins which are orange.  
> ____________________________________________
> 
> 
> GregZ@Riconnect.com
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