Pumpmkin help needed?

Question

ok I planted pumpkins for the first time this year and I have one big pumpkin out of five plants. but it is a beauty. but it is already orange. my question is . how long will a pumpkin keep on the vine without rotting I was hoping to use it for halloween,,,thanks

Answer 1

If kept on the vine then it will continue to grow and should remain fresh. If you want it to get even bigger then don't let anymore pumpkins start on that vine and you should end up with a doozy. If your vine starts to die for any reason then I would suggest that you separate it. An uncut pumpkin will last quite a while.
Oh, keep a look out for the dreaded squash bug. They'll kill your vine lickty split.
Good Luck

Answer 2

You can leave your pumpkin on the vine a long time. Pumpkins are ready to harvest usually by the end of Sept. Here's a chronology of the pumpkin's life cycle:
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/cycle.htm
Put a board under your ripening pumpkin to deter bugs, moles and rotting from underneath.
Some wait til the vines have withered to harvest their pumpkins. Then they are left to cure in the field for 10 days. They can even remain in the garden through a light, vine-killing frost. However...all mature pumpkins should be harvested before temperatures drop into the mid to low 20's.
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1997/9-12-1997/harvpump.html

You'll know your pumpkin is fully ripe when the stems are dry and the skin resists penetration by a thumbnail. Don't harvest it until the skin has reached full color and has hardened. Another sign that a pumpkin is ready to be harvested is that the stem starts to crack.

Here's some tips to prevent rotting:
Don't harvest when the pumpkin is wet or allow it to become wet after harvesting because this will cause it to rot more quickly. Cut the pumpkin off the vine with a sharp knife, making sure it has a 3 to 5 inch stem (when the stem is attached, it is less likely to rot).

After cutting, expose the pumpkin to the sun for 10 days to cure it. This hardens the skin & heals cuts, so it forms a barrier and loses moisture more slowly, therefore enabling it to sit longer. While curing, if a frost threatens, cover your pumpkin at night.

Carry the pumpkin out of the field by holding it in the palms of your hands, not by the stem.
For long term storage, wash the pumpkin in a very mild chlorine solution...1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water to destroy bacterias which may cause the pumpkin to rot.
Allow the pumpkin to dry completely.
Make sure your pumpkin has air circulation to help prevent moisture from forming on the surfaces of the fruit and to retard the growth of decay fungi and bacteria.
Store the pumpkin in a cool, dry and dark place(if possible) 50 to 55°F.
Avoid hot and humid places, even if storing for only a couple of weeks.
Pumpkins are best stored on a board or piece of cardboard.
Do not store on a cement floor or with apples to prevent rot.

Pumpkins can last a long time after harvesting(for at least two to three months) ... so just store it in a cool place if you need to harvest it sooner.

From the normal timeline, your pumpkin should be ready by Halloween.
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Pumpkins can stay on the vine for quite awhile. However, they are also vulnerable to attacks by insects, rot, and a host of other things They are also great keepers in storage. Keep your fruit on the vine as long as possible. But here is a link to some info for you should you decide you like this pumpkin growing hobby.

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/

Answer 4

The pumpkin will continue getting nutrition from the vines until the vines start to wilt.

Answer 5

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