Turning Pumpkin Seed Into Pumpkins

Pumpkin is a delicious warm-season vegetable that can be grown using pumpkin seed throughout much of the United States. Besides being used as jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween, growing pumpkins can are used to make pumpkin butter, pies, custard, bread, cookies and soup.

Bright orange pumpkins bred from pumpkin seeds dot gardens, lining porches and are carved into scary - and whimsical - shapes for Halloween theme events. But above all, when everything else has faded or been picked, pumpkins provide a bright spot of color in your vegetable garden.

How to Harvest Your Pumpkins Properly

• Plant in a well drained soil in your garden.
• Wait until the first frost has killed the pumpkin vines in cold-winter areas, and harvest before a heavy frost. The pumpkin's shell should be hard and solid, and fully colored.
• Generally you should harvest your pumpkins anywhere from 90 to 120 days after seed starting.
• Cut from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving the stem attached and in place.
• Store pumpkins for 1-2 weeks at a warm temperature, then keep in a warm and dry place indoors for 2-4 months.
• For longer storage you can freeze or dry the pumpkin flesh until you are ready to use it.
• Eat pumpkins by pureeing them to make pumpkin pie, or a delicious pumpkin soup, then roast the seeds for a special treat.

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