[gardgydja]

I have done better with my winter squash and pumpkins than I could have dreamed. So many lovely ones. How do I know when they are ready to pick? And how do you cure them so they can be stored all the winter?

[compostqueen]

you pick them before first frosts and you leave a "handle" on them which helps you to carry it home a bit easier    and it helps it to keep well in storage. Keep them in a cool, dry place. If they get to warm they sweat and rot. You have to keep an eye on them as if they burst you'll have a hell of a mess to clean up    Some varieties keep better than others. The Crown Prince ones store for ages.  Like baked bread they sound hollow when you knock them on the bottom.  The colour is usually an indicator, the immature ones are usually pale green but they colour up beautifully when ripe.  If you have plenty you could try one if you think it's ready. The Winter Festivals ones keep quite well as do the Autumn Harvest  (acorn type) ones.  I think the harder the shell the longer they keep.  Once in store you can check them - the top bit, where the stalk meets the squash, is usually the place where they start to go soft so occasionally give that a gentle press with your thumb to check they're not going soggy, there's usually a colour change there when they start to go

[gardgydja]

Thanks for the replies! I have two types of pumpkin, "New England Pie" and "French Musk", and three sorts of winter squash, "Golden Hubbard", "buttercup Burgess" and "Sweet Dumpling".

All are producing like the dickens!!