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Notebook · Guide 8 October 2026 · Grow your own

Curing pumpkins and squash so they keep all winter

Let them ripen fully, cut before frost with 10cm of stalk, then cure in the sun for 7–10 days. Store at 10–15°C, not touching, and most keep three months or more.

grow your ownseasonal

You've grown a fine crop of pumpkins and squash, and you'd like to be eating them in January rather than throwing soft, mouldy ones on the compost in November. The difference is almost all in the last few weeks: how ripe they are when you cut them, how you cut them, a short spell of sun to harden the skin, and a cool, airy place to keep them. Get those right and most winter squash keep for three months or more.

01At a glance

  • Ripen on the plant: leave fruit on as long as you can. The riper it is, the better it keeps.
  • Cut before frost: frosted pumpkins can't be stored. Bring them in before the first one.
  • Keep the stalk: cut with at least 10cm of stem. Cut too short and a soft, rot-prone spot forms.
  • Cure in the sun: about 7–10 days for pumpkins, a week or two for winter squash, outdoors, in a greenhouse or a cold frame.
  • Store cool, dry and apart: 10–15°C, well ventilated, fruits not touching. Check them regularly.

02Know what you've grown

A pumpkin is simply a type of winter squash, so the same rules apply. The ones to treat differently are summer squash such as courgettes and patty pans. They have thin skins, are picked young and don't store for long, so eat them fresh.

Not all winter squash are equal keepers, either. University of Massachusetts guidance gives full-size butternut and hubbard types around four to six months in good storage, but acorn squash and small pie pumpkins only two to three months. If you grew a mix, eat the short keepers first.

Halloween carving pumpkins follow the same rules while they're whole. Once carved, though, the skin is broken, and broken skin is the way rot gets in. Carve close to the night.

03How to harvest, step by step

  1. Wait for ripeness. Let the fruit colour fully on the plant through September and into October. On hubbard-type squash, UMass notes the stalk turns dry and corky when the fruit is ready.
  2. Watch the forecast. If frost is coming and fruit is still out, either cut it or cover it with straw, fleece or cardboard. Bring it in before the first frost either way.
  3. Cut, don't snap. Use secateurs or a sharp knife and leave at least 10cm of stalk. Cutting close to the fruit leaves a soft area that rots in storage.
  4. Handle gently. A bruise or nick in the skin is where decay starts. Don't stack them in a barrow.

04Curing: hardening the skin

Curing is just giving the skin time to toughen and any small scratches time to seal before storage.

  1. Lay the fruit in full sun for about 7–10 days (pumpkins) or a week or two (winter squash). A sunny patio, a greenhouse bench or a cold frame all work.
  2. If frost threatens, bring them in. Frosted fruit won't store.

UMass Extension advises that acorn squash and small pie pumpkins don't need curing, and that curing can actually shorten their storage life. If you grew either, you can skip the sun spell and store them straight away.

05Storing them

  • Temperature: 10–15°C. A cool spare bedroom, a frost-free garage or an unheated porch can all work. UMass warns of chilling injury below about 10°C.
  • Air: somewhere well ventilated. Not in sealed boxes or bags.
  • Space: set them on a shelf or slatted rack, not touching, so one rotting fruit doesn't take its neighbours with it.
  • Checks: look them over regularly. Use any with soft patches straight away.

06Why squash rot in storage

  • Cut too short, or stalk snapped off: the soft spot at the top is the usual first point of rot.
  • Picked unripe: immature fruit doesn't keep. Leave them on longer next year.
  • Caught by frost: frosted fruit won't store, however good it looks at first.
  • Stored touching, or somewhere damp: rot spreads from fruit to fruit.
Save your money
Don't buy a special squash store or rack. A shelf in a cool room with gaps between the fruit does the job.
Use what you have to cover them against an early frost: old cardboard or straw works.
Grow good keepers next year. For eating through winter, butternut and hubbard types outlast pie pumpkins, so you buy less in January.

Before preparing or leaving pumpkins where children or pets can reach, check the safety notes on our pumpkin profile.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — How to grow pumpkins · RHS — How to grow squashes · UMass Extension — Pumpkin and Winter Squash Harvest, Curing, and Storage

Checked 8 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.