Picking Pumpkins, Gourds, and Squash

October 8, 2024

One of our favorite fall activities here at my Bedford, New York farm is picking the season's pumpkins.

Pumpkins grow on vines, which means they take up a lot of space. I always plant my pumpkin patch in a roomy area that can accommodate a large crop of big, colorful specimens. This year, I decided to grow my pumpkins and winter squash along the perimeter of my vegetable garden. My gardeners and I plant lots and lots of pumpkin seeds - many from our favorite seed companies, and some from interesting and tasty fruits I’ve enjoyed in years past. I've been checking the crop every week to see what's growing under the giant leaves. And yesterday, they were ready to harvest.

Enjoy these photos.

: Most pumpkin varieties take between 90 and 120 days to grow. It’s always exciting to see how many colorful pumpkins we’ll get each year.

: In front of my hornbeam hedge along one side of my vegetable garden I planted all pumpkins. Along the east side of the garden, I planted squash and gourds. Pumpkins and winter squash are both edible fruits from the Cucurbita species. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash that are generally round with thick skin and sweet meat.

: Pumpkin plants grow on long vines, which can easily reach 20 to 30 feet long in the course of a growing season. The pumpkins are ready to harvest when the foliage on the vines begins to wither and turn brown. Pumpkin and winter squash leaves can look very similar – large, lobed leaves that grow on hollow stems. They are roundish in shape, and often have serrated edges.

: Some of the pumpkins are covered with leaves until the moment they’re picked. It’s a surprise to see what they look like – the wartier the better. This type of pumpkin is called a knucklehead, and as the name suggests, is reminiscent of the knuckles on one’s hand.

: These pumpkins are about eight to 10 pounds each. The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’ which means large melon. The pumpkin is a cucurbit, a member of the Curcurbitaceae family, which also includes squash, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupes.

: When picking, it is important not to injure the rind as decay and fungi will attack through the wounds.

: This is one of two very large deep orange pumpkins. Sadly, the other was already enjoyed by a visiting critter.

: I always advise my crew to keep as much of the stem intact as possible. Leaving at least a couple of inches of stem will increase its keeping time.

: Here’s the first of several loads. Elvira and Enma are so pleased with how many pumpkins we have this year. Before displaying, Enma rinses the pumpkins clean of any dirt.

: Elvira places the pumpkins on the wall outside my home.

: And then it’s back down to the garden to get more.

: This load includes my squash. Always choose winter squash that is heavy for its size, rich and deep in color, when the skin is hard and difficult to puncture.

: Red kuri squash is a thin skinned orange colored winter squash. Inside the hard outer skin there is a firm flesh with a very delicate and mellow chestnut-like flavor.

: This long, cylindrical green squash goes by opo squash, calabash, Chinese long squash, lauki, and bottle gourd. Inside the white flesh is very similar to a summer squash but a little meatier. The seeds are edible when immature, but grow larger and harder as the squash matures.

: This is a variegated dinosaur gourd with its lustrous dark green skin, markings, and distinct ridges that look almost reptilian.

: And look at all the acorn squash. Acorn squash, also called pepper squash or Des Moines squash, is a winter squash with distinctive longitudinal ridges on its exterior and sweet, yellow-orange flesh inside. Although considered a winter squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species as all summer squashes.

: Enma is holding a giant pink banana squash – it’s about two feet long!

: I am always trying to grow different and unusual specimens along with the more traditional varieties. We grow some pumpkins and squash from heirloom seeds. Heirlooms are old-time varieties, open-pollinated instead of hybrid, and saved and handed down through multiple generations of families.

: Here are pumpkins along the wall in front of my mature weeping katsura trees – I like to place them here every year.

: On this wall, are the orange, pink and cream colored varieties.

: And on the wall in front of my Winter House terrace are all green pumpkins – many of which would have turned orange if they were left on the vines. Pumpkins start out green because they contain chlorophyll, a green pigment needed for photosynthesis. As the nights get longer in fall, pumpkins stop producing chlorophyll and start to produce carotenoids, which cause the pumpkin to turn orange, red, or yellow.