Early Pumpkin Ripening

- Excerpt from Pumpkin and Winter Squash Harvest and Storage, written by Ruth Hazzard, University of Massachusetts. 

Ideally, pumpkins should be harvested when fully mature, with a deep orange color and hardened rind. However, as long as pumpkins have started to turn color, they will ripen off the vine if held under the proper conditions. While not ideal, this may be preferable to leaving them in the field if conditions are not favorable.

If necessary, pumpkins can be ripened in a well-ventilated barn or greenhouse. The best temperatures for ripening are 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 80-85%. Night temperatures should not drop below the sixties. Even if pumpkins are ripe, a period of curing can improve storage life. The curing period should be about 10 days. During this process, the fruit skin hardens, wounds heal and immature fruit ripens all of which prolongs the storage life. Pumpkins should be stored in a cool, dry place. Ideal temperatures are between 50 F and 60 F and relative humidity of 50 - 70%. Higher humidity allows condensation on the fruit with risk of disease, and lower humidity can cause dehydration. Higher temperatures increase respiration and can cause weight loss. Temperatures lower than 50 F cause chilling injury. In a greenhouse, temperature can be managed with ventilation on sunny days. Unless it is quite cool, heat is not likely to be needed if the house is closed up at night.  

Often it is not feasible to harvest pumpkins early and store them until they can be marketed, and so they must be stored in the field. If vines and fruit are healthy, storage in the field can be successful for a few weeks. If the vines die back, damage to the fruit from sun, disease and insects is more likely. In any case, it is important to scout for insects feeding on the fruit and handles, which may include squash bug nymphs or adults, or striped cucumber beetle. Control them if damage is evident. In fields that have a history of Phytophthora blight, Fusarium fruit rot, or black rot, field storage may increase the incidence of these problems, particularly if we have a period of wet weather or a major storm while fruit is sitting in the field. This has been one of the causes of significant losses in recent years, and one reason that we recommend bringing fruit in as soon as it is mature.  

Berry Production Workshop: Using Insect Exclusion Netting to Manage SWD

September 15, 2021
October 5, 2021

Due to predictions of extreme weather tomorrow evening, Wednesday, September 15th, the Exclusion Netting Workshop at the Berry Patch, Stephentown, NY has been postponed until Tuesday, October 5th, 4-6pm.  If you already registered for the Berry Patch session, there is no need to re-register.

The western NY site at Albers Acres in Kennedy, NY will still hold the workshop tomorrow night, Sept 15.

If you have any questions about eastern NY meeting - please call Laura McDermott, 518-791-5038, or email lgm4@cornell.edu.

2021 season review of SWD management techniques

Join us at either The Berry Patch in Stephentown (Oct 5) or Abers Acres in Kennedy (Sept 15) for a two-hour review of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) management techniques.  We'll cover the basics of SWD monitoring of adult and larvae populations and also discuss implementing a pesticide program.

The program will focus on what has been learned about designing an exclusion netting support system that provides long term control of SWD and maximum utility for berry farmers.

Exclusion netting is being used on field blueberries where it controls SWD while also excluding birds and moderating impacts of hail and heavy rain.  Raspberries and strawberries also benefit from exclusion netting on  the sides of high tunnels.   

1.5 DEC credits available in categories 1A, 10, and 22

Remote Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course

October 20 - October 21, 2021

A grower training course developed by the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) that meets the regulatory requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. At least one person per farm producing more than $25,000 worth of fruits and vegetables must attend this course once. Participants will receive a certificate of course completion by the Association of Food and Drug Officials.