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Aurora, IL

Are you suppose to remove all of the seeds from pumpkins prior to cutting them up and tilling? Also, when is it too late to harvest seeds from a 600+ pumpkin that has been on display since early Oct.? I live in a western suburb of Chicago.

11/12/2010 11:24:57 PM

Canada

I cut mine open pulled all the seeds washed all the seeds and then layed out on a 4x4 piece of plywood turning every other day till dry this takes about a week in warm room. my 501.8 I simply took the chainsaw to her and cut her up into chunks tossed it into garden most pieces are already mush and by spring there should be nothing left

Dave

11/13/2010 1:22:36 AM

East Jordan, MI

I just harvested some seeds from my smaller pumpkin that has been on display since early Oct and they were just fine. I've heard that rotten pumpkins are not pleasant to harvest seeds from and if they get too hot the seeds could sprout, other than that there whould be no problem. If you just till them in, you will be pulling volunteer plants in the spring.

11/13/2010 7:21:37 AM

Aurora, IL

That's what I thought. I am only going to harvest about 50 seeds from my big one since no one has really expressed an interest and my drying rack is only 2' by 2'. Do you till them in now or wait until spring?

11/13/2010 8:56:17 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Last year I had over 40 field pumpkins between what I grew and what the wife bought. I just chopped them up with a machete and scattered the pieces throughout the patch. The finer the pieces the faster it will go. You'll probably have a few seeds come up in late May or June, but you can just pull them.

Oh, and it works better with the machete if you wear a hockey mask.

11/13/2010 9:54:43 AM

Hobbiton New Zealand

I find passing the old pumpkins through a few sheep a very good way to get rid of them, you gain manure in the patch and nice fat yummy tasting sheep.

11/13/2010 11:32:41 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

This year I am seeding my patch after prep with all types of junk pumpkin seeds.....mostly open hard stems....to pre-prime the mycho in my patch with pumpkin roots...I will cut the plants from above instead of pull since it should help with the coloniZation of the mycho....all my open stuff iZ going in thiZ way and I should have a bunch growing....I figure Ill give the weedZ some competition and it cant hurt.....Hope thiZ growZem BIG....

We drop ourZ HARD to help fit them in the WormZ mouthZ better.......

11/13/2010 11:41:52 AM

Williamsburg,KY

I didnt know you could add your harvested pumpkin to the patch, I thought it wasnt good for it...ummmmm.

11/13/2010 1:28:37 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

I would only think it would be an issue if you had a disease problem.

Otherwise, what else has all the nutrients a giant pumpkin needs, better than a giant pumpkin?

Yes I understand this suggestion is borderline advocation of canabalism.

11/13/2010 9:43:55 PM

Bloomington, IN

There's a pumpkin farm on the north side of my town that, early every November, put on an event where people can bring there carved pumpkins to be launched with a catapult hundreds of feet into their fields; all as a way of fertilizing the soil. To my knowledge they don't have any more disease presure than any other pumpkin farm.

Diseased pumpkins don't store worth a crap, so if they make it to Halloween there's a 99% chance its safe.

11/14/2010 7:55:14 PM