When are sugar pie punkin's ready?

[ohiofarmgirl]

i had a bunch of volunteer pumpkins this year - yay! but i think i have a few ready - how can i tell for sure?

normally i'd wait to plant so they will be ready about frost time - but these volunteers didnt wait and now i have lovely orange punkins.

is there a way to tell if they are ready? i guess i can take them in and put them in the basement for use later??

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

 

[dipence71]

I have the same question.
DH said if I didn't get them planted before May 1st they wouldn't be ready in time but now I have a bunch of bright orange pumpkins and not sure when they are ready? Hope they keep producing till Oct but someone said they will probably die out before then.
So I would like to know as well...

 

[obsessed]

I think with all winter squash they are ripe when your fingernail does not puncture their skin. If pick before this then they will not have a long shelf life/ storage time. So if you want pie now pick one and if you want to wait till a couple of months for Thanksgiving then wait.

 

[bid]

You can thump them and listen for a hollow sound...ala watermelon picking. As obsessed said, press a fingernail against one. If you can't make an indentation with a fair amount of pressure it's probably ready.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

a-haaaaaaa

thanks for the tips! i'll go out and scratch and thump my pumpkins... which sounds a little funny
;-)

thanks!