Harvest
When to harvest pumpkins and winter squash
The short answer
Harvest pumpkins and winter squash in autumn, when the skin is tough, the fruit sounds hollow when tapped and the colour is deep and rich, and always before the first frost. Cut them with a length of stalk, cure them in the sun for a week or two, then store at 10 to 15°C. They should keep for three months or more.
A pumpkin cut too early lacks flavour and goes mouldy; one caught by frost won't store at all. Between the two is a window of a few weeks, and the ripeness signs are the same for pumpkins and winter squash.
When it's ready in the UK
Leave the fruit on the plant as long as you can: RHS says the riper a squash is when harvested, the better it keeps. But pick before any frosts are likely, or protect the fruit with straw or fleece.
Your usual first frost depends on where you garden: frost dates for your area.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin: sow indoorsApril to May | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: sow outsideMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: plant outMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: harvestSeptember to November | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
| Winter Squash: sow indoorsApril to May | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Winter Squash: plant outJune | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Winter Squash: harvestSeptember to November | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
Months from Vercro's crop catalogue, the data the Vercro app plans with. It allows about 14 to 19 weeks from sowing to the first harvest. Weather, variety and where you garden move every one of these.
How to tell it's ready
How to harvest
- Cut the fruit from the plant with at least 10cm of stem attached. Cutting too close leaves a soft area that is prone to rot.(RHS, RHS)
- Don’t carry them by the stalk.(RHS)
- Cure them in the sun. Lay them out for a week to 10 days (pumpkins) or an extra week or two (winter squash) to harden the skin.(RHS, RHS)
What moves the date
- Frost. Harvest before the first frost, or protect the fruit with straw or fleece.(RHS)
If you leave it too long
After picking
- Store at 10 to 15°C, somewhere well ventilated, with the fruits not touching.(RHS)
- Pumpkins keep at least three months, up to six in ideal conditions; winter squash three months or more.(RHS, RHS)
Short of space next year? See courgette, pumpkin and squash spacing, and training trailing stems in a circle.
Where the sources differ
Two good sources, two answers. We show both rather than picking the convenient one.
| Question | RHS growing guides | Other sources |
|---|---|---|
| How much stalk to leave | At least 10cm of stem attached. | RHS storing page: take off as much stalk as possible, as rot starts from that end. |
| How long they keep | Pumpkins at least three months, up to six; squash three months or more. | Garden Organic: six to nine months. |
| How long to cure | Pumpkins a week to 10 days; squash an additional week or two. | RHS storing page: about 7 to 10 days. |
Keep a record of what each bed gave
Log what you pick, and how much, bed by bed. Vercro keeps the record, so next year you know what worked where, and Today shows what your crops need next.
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Pumpkins: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Squash: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Pumpkins and Squashes: Storing, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Harvesting and storing vegetables, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.