Kitchen Garden Forum

When the leaves die harvest the pumpkin, or squash.
Ensure you leave an inch or two on the fruit.

Place them in a frostfree sunny place, don't want them to cook though.
They'll ripen happily there, keep an eye on them and turn them for an even tan!

I,d pick them before the frost comes. If they're on the allotment, bring them home before Halloween in case they get nicked (yes it,s sad but often true) and ripen them off in a greenhouse or in a sunny garden during daytime and bring them in at night. I don,t think yiou can ripen them any faster. Winter squashes all need reasonable temperatures and sunshine to finish off the process. If if you don't have a sunny greenhouse or garage, put them on newspaper indoors whereb get some light and eventuallybthe central heating will hopefully ripen them.

I didn't know this, I take them when ready & just keep my fingers crossed any the others ripen. They usually don't & the frost gets them & they end up in the compost. Today I took a baby QLD Blue & an unidentified (as yet, as I haven't cleared the vines to check the label), cute green striped squash. Currently sunbathing on the back patio bench.

I have a largish pumpkin in a trailer in our drive ,it's to big to get through the doors I could take it into the garage but there is no room ,today I've given it to a school the allotment treasurer helps out in but they are on holiday for a week I've covered it with an old carpet to try and protect it from the frost I hope I succeed

That's a nice thing to do, Robo....I would love to see all the childrens smiling faces when they see it.
I'm sure it should be fine if covered with a carpet.