Gardeners Supply Plant Care & Gardening Advice/Tips/Secrets @ HortChat.com®

Harvest & store pumpkins

Harvest your pumpkins when the vines are dry, and fruit is an even deep orange or characteristic color of the variety. The rind should be hard and not easily punctured. Cut a 3-6 inch stem with a sharp knife or pruning shears. Lift the pumpkin from the bottom not by the stem to avoid breaking off the stem. Pumpkins should be free of cuts, scratches or bruises.

Wash your picked pumpkin with a light chlorine solution to help avoid fungal or bacterial rotting. Sources recommend that a newly harvested pumpkin should be cured @ 80 degrees and 80% humidity for 7-10 days to finish ripening and healover any surface bruising but its not always practiced and may not be necessary.*
After curing, store them in a dry, cool place with good air circulation and temperatures around 50-55 degrees with relative humidity of 50-70%. Properly stored pumpkins (50-55 F) can last up to 2 months but if stored in warmer temperatures (70 degrees) only 2 weeks.
Avoid any ethylene gas exposure, don’t store pumpkins with apples or other fruits. Do not store them on hard surfaces like concrete or stack them on top of each other.
*http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/manuals/ipm12pum.pdf

Today there are many types of Pumpkins to choose from, some varieties make great Jack-o-Lanterns, whereas others are better for pies. Their rich history goes way back to Central America.

Choosing a pumpkin
Looking for that perfect pumpkin for your Jack-O-Lantern? Here are some tips that might help.

-Pick a pumpkin with a green stem that is free of bruises, discolorations and soft spots
-Don’t carry the pumpkin by the stem, it can easily break off .
-A thicker walled pumpkin will allow for more imaginative carving.
-Store your pumpkin in a cool, dry place, not freezing until you decide to carve it..
-When carving your pumpkin, tell the Irish folktale tale of Jack-O-Lantern

I just purchased two Shooting Star hydrangeas, also known as Fiji Waterfalls, or Fireworks.We live in zone 7. Should I plant these in a large pot outdoors and bring them inside during the winter? Or can I plant them in my flower garden? If I do plant them outdoors and cover them during the winter, will it survive and bloom the next year? Which is best? Partial Sun? Will this plant ever need pruning? Thanks!

Shooting Star Hydrangea belongs to H. macrophylla-Lacecap. The flattened flowerhead has white double petaled “stars” (flowers) that shoot from the flower like fireworks.The flowers stay white for 4-6 weeks and then mature to a light green hue. Quite impressive! It is hardy in zones 7-9, (20-50F in dormant state) therefore, it would be ok to plant it in the garden in morning sun and afternoon shade. Another option is to repot it in a larger container, let it develop a good root system and plant it in the fall. If you get an unusual freeze cover it with a blanket to protect the flower buds. It blooms on old wood so care must to taken when pruning. Prune (deadhead) after bloom to maintain size and thin out old branches to reduce size when needed.