If you have grown squash or pumpkin in your garden, the last thing you want is to waste this product.
Avoiding waste means thinking carefully about when and how you need to harvest your crop, as well as how you should prepare these fruits for storage, and how you should store them to use later.
When do you reap squash and pumpkin?
Visible clues usually tell you whether or not squash in winter is ready for harvesting or not. Often, we can use color and shine to determine whether the diversity we grow is to reach the stage of maturity. Ripe fruits in color can vary depending on diversity, but they are usually shiny and rich in color.
We can also look at the trunk over the fruit, which will start turning strongly and where when the fruit is ready for harvesting.
In addition, we can use our other signs to determine if they are ready to harvest. For example, we can use nails to see how difficult the skin is. The skin of ripe fruits should be affected usually, but it is not punctured when pressed. When we click on the fruits with our hand, they should look hollow.
You can also track when you grow and plant your crop. The usual time for harvesting can vary depending on the type and diversity and may vary with the weather in a certain year, of course. But knowing the usual time for harvesting for the type you grow can generally help you to understand the difficult time that can be expected to be ripe.
How to harvest squash and pumpkin
To harvest squash and ripe pumpkin, you need a gardening knife or a pair of garden scissors to cut the harsh stem. The tool you use should be sharp and clean to avoid making rough pieces can lead to the introduction of rot or cause the disease inappropriate for storage.
It is better to leave a few inches long legs on each pumpkin or pumpkin to reduce the chances of fruit rot quickly when put in storage.
When harvesting the fruits, search for them carefully for any defects and problems. Any of the penetrated leather or other problems should be used immediately, while this sound can be prepared and kept in storage in the long term.
Winter pumpkin processing and pumpkin
Before storing squash in the winter and pumpkin for the winter, it must be treated. This process simply includes placing it in a bright, warm and dry location to allow the skin to harden and dry.
Treatment is important because it allows to keep fruits for some time – often for several months. This process is not only stiffness of the skin, but also allows excess water to leave, focus natural sugars and lead to a sweetest flavor, as well as, again, increase the length of time that can be stored.
In the warmer and more dry climates, squash and pumpkin can be treated abroad or on a sunny balcony, perhaps. But in cold places and moisture, it is best to do treatment at home or in a covered cultivation area such as the greenhouse or polytunnel.
Winter squash storage and pumpkin
How much time you can store winter pumpkin or pumpkin depends on diversity or specific varieties you have chosen for growth. Some squash can be stored much longer than others. However, many of them can be stored inside in a cold and dry location for about three months, often longer.
Although internal temperatures that are higher can be fine, the temperatures should be kept to store squash in winter and pumpkin perfectly between 50 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit and not higher than 59 degrees Fahrenheit. It is better to perform a low humidity environment, as high humidity can lead to faster damage.
If you are lucky enough to get a store, this may be a good place to keep squash or pumpkin in storage during the winter months. You can then make sure to use fruits as needed and do not let any of your hard work is lost.