How Do I Know When My Pumpkin Is Ripe?

The other day, I brought my friend out to the garden and parted the vines of my ‘Howden’ pumpkin plant, revealing an enormous green fruit.

“Wow!” said my friend. “That’s beautiful. It looks like a watermelon!”

She was right. My ‘Howden’ was enormous, but green through and through. And this  got me wondering: how would I know when it was ripe?

I knew it had something to do with the green color changing to the classic rich orange that this cultivar typically exhibits. But did it have to turn orange in order to be ripe? Were there other signs to look for?

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.

If you’re growing your own pumpkins and you aren’t sure how to tell when they’re ready, this article is for you.

It may come as a relief to you to discover that gourds offer plenty of signs that they’re ready for picking.

As long as you know what to watch out for, you’re sure to pick your pumpkin at its prime, to enjoy as a Halloween decoration, pureed and baked in a pie, or slow-cooked to perfection in your favorite fall soup.

Ready to discover the secrets of Cucurbit ripeness, figure out the best way to harvest the gourds, and discover an important post-harvest step you shouldn’t miss?

Here’s what I’ll cover:

By monitoring your Cucurbit plants and keeping your eye out for these five signs, you won’t miss the perfect picking time.

Most squashes, whether they’re cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maxima, take about three to four (or even five) months to mature. It all depends on your climate, the variety that you’ve planted, and the gourd’s growing conditions.

An