Storing Pumpkins

Our pumpkins are orange already. Should we harvest them and store them in the basement or refrigerator to keep them fresh until Halloween? Or are they OK outside?

Pumpkins can last up to 2 months if stored in a cool, 50 degree, dry location.  Harvest pumpkins when the rind is hard and fully colored.  Leave 3 to 4 inches of the stem attached to improve longevity.  You can leave them on the vine until the first fall frost but this increases the risk of injury, insects, or rot damaging your prize crop.  If you have a bumper crop consider storing part of the harvest indoors and leaving the rest on the vines.  

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