How to Harvest and Store Pumpkins

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Harvest and Store Pumpkins

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Bright orange pumpkins dotting fields, lining porches and carved into scary - and whimsical - shapes are the very definition of fall. When everything else has faded or been picked, pumpkins provide a bright spot of color in your vegetable garden.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Garden Shears
Gardening Gloves
Sharp Knife

Step1

Harvest pumpkins anywhere from 90 to 120 days after sowing seeds.

Step2

Wait until the first frost has killed pumpkin vines in cold-winter areas, but harvest before a heavy frost. The pumpkin's shell should be fully colored, hard and solid.

Step3

Cut from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving the stem attached.

Step4

Store pumpkins for one to two weeks at warm temperatures, then keep in a warm and dry environment for two to six months. For longer storage you may can, freeze or dry pumpkin flesh.

Step5

Eat pumpkins by pureeing their flesh to make pumpkin pie, then roast the seeds for a special treat.