The possibility of storing them for a season, their pleasant flavor and their great nutritional contribution made the pumpkin one of the pillars of the pre-Hispanic diet. But when is the time to harvest it? How to remove them when it is ready? We tell you the secrets to grow it, harvest it and preserve it in the best possible way.

why you only need one plant to get pumpkins

Pumpkins have a taproot that penetrates deep. The stem is climbing and has vigorous growth, and has tendrils that allow it to cling to different structures and advance its development. The leaves are large, pubescent and rough to the touch.

They are monoecious plants, which means that the same plant contains the flowers of both sexes, but separated. They are all yellow, bell-shaped and large. Both female and male grow in the axils of the leaves and open at dawn. Insects, which love their pollen, are responsible for pollination.

Once the fruits have formed, They can weigh from 2 to 8 kgand even more so, with a very hard, thick and insulating shell that preserves them for months.

How to grow pumpkin

mid springnow without risk of frost, prepare 3cm deep holes. The ideal distance between them is 1 to 1.5 m, and can reach 2.5 m for the largest varieties. Place some 3 seeds in eachcover with soil and water.

When plants emerge, select the two healthiest ones. You can advance the cultivation and avoid the risk of late frosts if you plant them in pots and then, when the seedlings have 2 true leavesyou transplant them to their final place.

Remember that the Germinative power of these seeds lasts approximately 5 years.

Where to grow pumpkins

They are ideal plants to grow on the margins of the plots or next to the hedge.

• In warm areas Another option is on the summer compost pile, which they will cover and cool with their large leaves.
• In cold climatesthe terminal shoots are usually pruned once several fruits have set. In this way, all the plant’s energy is concentrated in them, improving development and maturation.

It is not a crop suitable for pots.

When to harvest pumpkin at its peak: the trick

Green harvested pumpkins are very bland. How do you know if they are ready to be harvested? The view will help you not make mistakes and collect them at the perfect point:

• Look at the shell. This will go through pale colors until reaching the typical coloring of the variety.
• The real trick is to look at the cable that joins the fruit to the plant: it must be dry and dark.

When these two requirements are met, harvest the pumpkins.

How to preserve pumpkins

If they are left to air for a while in a ventilated and dry placegain in flavor, since as the weeks go by, the sugars in the pulp increase, making them tastier and more nutritious.

Pumpkins are preserved in perfect condition for months. If you preserve them properly, you can enjoy them in your dishes beyond their harvest. Over time, they become dehydrated internally.

Keys to growing pumpkin

If you are going to grow pumpkins, these are the essential factors to take into account:

• Floor: Prefers soils deep and rich in organic matter.
• Light: They need to grow in a place that is in full sun.
• Irrigation: It must be abundant at the beginning of the crop, when the plant is young. Therefore, it is less demanding than other crops in the garden.
• Associations: Grow them together tagetes, corn, young beans and basil.

How to treat pests on pumpkins

Pumpkin can suffer from pests, such as:

• red spider. Look at the leaves, you will see them discolored, with dots and a spider web. They usually appear in dry periods and at the end of summer.
• thrips. In this case, you will see the somewhat silvery leaves.

In both cases, the affected parts must be removed and a natural or biological insecticide must be applied.