How long after "days to harvest" time frame will pumpkins still be good?

Question

I will be planting some pumpkins, some from some seeds my kid got from church teachers (presumably normal Jack-o-latern style pumpkins) and some Ferry-Morse Pumpkin Big Max. I noticed the Big Max pumpkin seed packet says 120 days to harvest.

This is my first year living as far south in the US as I do now, and I'm not used to having such a long growing season. Soil should be warm enough in mid-April to sow the pumpkin seeds. However, with 120 days to harvest, that means the pumpkins will be ready for harvest in August if I plant then!

How long after maturity will pumpkins on the vine last? If I want pumpkins in October, should I wait until June to plant them?

Answer 1

I suggest to plant them when the weather first permits. This way if your first few vines fail after a couple of weeks you will have enough time remaining in the growing season to try a second batch of pumpkins. I planted pumpkins in April and actually have a few "Jack-be-little" pumpkins to harvest at the time of writing this. I know they are ripe and they will not get any bigger. I will harvest them this weekend and store them in a cool basement until October. This eliminates the possibility of bugs eating the ripe pumpkin. I harvested an Atlantic Giant variety, it was a late bloomer and only got to 35lbs, in late September last year. I just tossed out that same pumpkin for compost after it sat in my house for almost 9 months! That pumpkin was never carved and was basically untouched since the day I harvested and washed it. After I harvest my ripe pumpkins, I immediately wash them very well with a mix of soap and a few drops of bleach to kill the mold spores. Be careful not to puncture the pumpkin skin. Then I store them in my cool basement on a tarp (in case of early spoilage and leakage). I live by the rule that the longer I keep a ripe "fruit" in the garden the greater the chance of it being ruined. Days to harvest varies from grower to grower and it is not an exact date. Therefore I plant my pumpkins with a days to harvest date about 3-4 weeks before Halloween. I feel this gives me enough of a cushion to allow the pumpkins to ripen "during October". I'll harvest and store until ready for carving. I am not too familiar with growing pumpkins for eating. Not all varieties will store well when waiting for use. Howden's Field and Atlantic Giant I can speak for will last at least 6 weeks after harvest (and even up to 9 months for the Atlantic Giant). I am growing Big Max this year so I will try my theory again with that variety. Ripe pumpkins will last on the vine but nowhere near as long as what I suggested above. The uncontrolled outdoor environment i.e. daily morning dew making everything wet and spreading diseases/virsus, insects, mold spores, hail damage, hungry squirrels fattening up for the cold months these are all factors that can easily ruin that bright orange ripe pumpkin still attached to the vine.