This is the best way to harvest and cure pumpkins so they last until Halloween

It’s been a good year for pumpkins – so good I've spotted a lot of gardeners wondering how to harvest their pumpkins already.

Besides cinnamon lattes, fluffy socks and crunchy autumn leaves, nothing feels as autumnal as finally picking that long-awaited pumpkin you've been growing. First, you’ll need to work out when to harvest your pumpkins (and there are a few tell-tale signs) – and then you’ll need to make sure you’re picking, curing and storing them the right way.

I spoke to one or two National Trust gardeners to figure out the very best way to harvest pumpkins, and cure and store them so they last until Halloween.

1. Harvesting

Learning how to grow pumpkins is incredibly rewarding – especially if, like me, you’re a fan of Halloween.

To round off the process, though, you’ll need to make sure you know how to harvest pumpkins properly. I spoke to Nat Jones, gardener at the National Trust’s Oxburgh Estate in Norfolk, to find out the best way to do that.

‘We leave ours on the vine for as long as possible until the vine has nearly completely died back, and then we cut away the pumpkins with a good four inches of stem attached,’ Nat says.

It’s best to use a sharp knife, like the Spear & Jackson Kew Gardens Collection Folding Garden Knife from Amazon, to do this (or a pair of good secateurs).

2. Curing

Once you’ve harvested your pumpkin, you’ll need to cure it. Essentially, that means hardening the skin off, which can protect it from a range of pests and rot. It can make the pumpkin sweeter, too, as well as prolong its storage life.

‘Some are already ripe, and they store beautifully for up to six months if cured properly,’ says Olivia Steed-Mundin, gardener at the National Trust’s Sissinghurst in Kent.

So, how do you cure a pumpkin?

‘Place it in a dry, sunny and warm environment for a few weeks,’ Olivia advises. ‘A greenhouse or sunny windowsill is ideal.

‘After that, they should be stored in dry, coolish conditions for long-term storage.’

A garden shed or cool kitchen cupboard are great places to store freshly harvested pumpkins after they've been cured.

So, it’s simple as that! Wait until your pumpkin makes that signature hollow thud sound before cutting it away from the plant, leaving at least four inches of stem attached, and then cure it for a few weeks before storing. There’s no better feeling than carving a homegrown pumpkin!