Preserve Your Carved Pumpkins

Carving a Jack-o’-lantern is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. These tips will help preserve your Jack-o’-Lantern.

First, make sure you buy your pumpkin from a local patch. Since it’s grown on-site, it will be spared from any damage it would have experienced in shipping. Second, make sure the one you pick is firm. If you feel any soft spots, the rotting process will start sooner rather than later.

Completely hollow out your pumpkin.

When prepping your pumpkin for carving, be sure to scrape and discard as much of the pulp (aka pumpkin guts) as possible. The cleaner and drier the pumpkin interior, the slower the rotting process.

Give it a bleach-water bath after you carve it.

Since they’re moist, any bit of exposed pumpkin guts will start to go moldy very quickly. Clean the surface of the pumpkin and the interior with a teaspoon of bleach per one quart of water. (Putting it in a spray bottle makes it easier to apply the solution to the whole pumpkin.) This will sterilize the gourd, killing any existing bacteria. Let it dry fully before you start carving.

Apply petroleum jelly.

As an extra layer of protection, apply Vaseline on the carved edges. This will keep them moisturized and prevent the edges from drying out too fast. If you don’t have Vaseline, vegetable oil or WD-40 works too. But since all three are flammable, don’t put a candle inside your pumpkin — use a flameless votive instead. Don’t put on the jelly before you clean the pumpkin with bleach, either. Since the jelly is trapping the moisture in the vegetable, it will trap the bacteria along with it if you don’t clean the gourd first. (Do not apply petroleum jelly if you are painting your pumpkin.)

Clean with peppermint dish soap.

Dilute one tablespoon of peppermint dish soap such as Peppermint Castile Soap in a quart of water. Pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle and lightly spray the inside of your pumpkin. Peppermint is antifungal and will slow the decomposition process, significantly extending the life of your pumpkin.

Rehydrate the pumpkin daily.

Pumpkins shrivel up because they run out of moisture. Spraying it every day with water mixed with a few drops of bleach will keep it moist and ward off bacteria.

Refrigerate overnight.

Consider placing your carved pumpkins in the fridge at night instead of leaving them on the porch. Spray your pumpkins with the Castile soap-water or the peppermint dish soap mixture and wrap each one in a trash bag prior to placing in the fridge. This process will rehydrate your pumpkins each night.

Give it an ice bath.

If you see your pumpkin starting to wilt, give it an ice bath overnight for some serious rehydration. Once you take it out, dry it thoroughly to prevent mold growth.

Don’t use real candles to light it.

Using candles inside your carved pumpkins can have a negative effect on them as the heat is essentially cooking the pumpkin. Try using a flickering flameless candles or glow sticks instead.

Try painting your pumpkin instead of carving it.

• Prep your pumpkin by washing and wiping down with a sanitizing wipe or bleach mixture. This helps to remove dirt and grime to give you a clean surface to paint on, and it also removes bacteria that might speed up the rotting process.
• Sealing your pumpkin before you paint it is optional, but it helps to give you a good surface to paint on. Choose an aerosol or brush sealant and cover your pumpkin. It won’t necessarily preserve the pumpkin itself, but it can help with paint application.
• Choose the right paint: Choosing the right paint for your pumpkin depends on a couple of factors. If you’re painting with kids, choose a washable paint so you don’t have to worry too much about the mess! If it’s just adults, acrylic or spray paint are the best paints for pumpkins (as they won’t crack), and puff paint can be used for certain detailed painting, such as creating a lacy effect. You can also use a chalkboard paint if you want something a little different!
• Use soft or sponge brushes so you don’t damage the skin or scratch your pumpkin.
• Plan your design, trace and get to painting. 

Pumpkin season is in full swing. Meadow View grows over 20,000 pumpkins of all shapes, colors, and sizes so we know you will be able to find that perfect pumpkin in our Pumpkin Patch. MVG’s pumpkins will be available early September.

Check out MVG’s 2021 Pumpkin Selection available early September!

Mystic Pumpkin: The round to flattened fruits that make beautiful ornamentals and delicious pies measuring 8″ wide x 6″ tall, weigh 7-8 lbs. Large, sturdy handles are strongly attached.

Big Moon is a bright orange, beauty that makes for an impressive fall decoration and its tender flesh can be used for baking. Average Weight 100-110.

Big Max Pumpkin: Prize-winning pumpkins with round to flattened-round fruit and with thick yellow-orange flesh that is delicious for pies and breads. Maximum Weight 100 lbs.

Show Winner Pumpkins: This king-sized pumpkin can come in an array of colors, from orange, yellow, grey, blue, and green. Show Winner is excellent as decoration. Average Weight is 200 lbs.

Dill’s Atlantic: The grand-daddy of all giant pumpkins used mainly for fall fairs and International pumpkin competitions. They are perfect for huge jack o’lanterns and fall displays.

Cronus Pumpkins have an attractive dark orange color, well defined ribs, and a consistent blocky/round shape. Its exceptional handle is long, dark-colored, well rooted. Average Weight 20 lbs.

Rhea Pumpkin: A great compliment to its larger brother Cronus, the fruit have a flat-round shape, well defined ribs, a rich dark orange color, and strong, thick, dark green stems. Average Weight 20 lbs.

Ares Pumpkin: With its unique tall shape Ares provides a unique addition to your fall displays. The medium dark orange pumpkins have very large thick dark green handles firmly attached. 

Blue Hubbard: Oval and plump in shape, somewhat bulbous in the middle and slightly tapered at the neck leading to a corky, rough, light brown stem. The flesh is orange to golden yellow and is tender and starchy with a rich and semi-sweet, nutty flavor. 5-40 lbs.

The Mystic Pumpkin had a rich, dark orange color and dark, strongly attached handle and as a tall round shape with well defined ribs. Its fruit are uniform for both size and shape. 2-4 lbs.

Wee-B-Little Pumpkins: Bred to please home and market gardeners and kids everywhere. Unribbed fruits are easier to decorate than Jack Be Little. Small vines (only 6–8′) produce 3–4 mini 8–12 oz. fruits per plant. Fruits, more upright than Jack Be Little with darker orange rind, look just like tiny pie pumpkins and could serve as such. Sturdy dark green stems provide prickle-free handles.

Casperita Pumpkins: Delicious as well as ornamental Casperita is ideal for pick-your-own operations, fall markets, and home decoration. This mini, 1/2–1 lb., white pumpkin has strong green handles and holds its color well.

Orangita Pumpkins: Orangita is a nicely-shaped hybrid pumpkin with a deep orange color and prominent ribs. The interior is tender and sugary, like the acorn squash. 1-1.5 lbs.

Jack-B-Little Pumpkins: Tiny, decorative, edible, and perfect for little hands or little spaces. Once harvested these pumpkins are long lasting, making them great for fall decorations and crafts. Remarkably miniature, about the size of a baseball, avg. 3–3 1/2″ diam., 10–14 oz., and very endearing.

Harvest Blend Pumpkins: Here’s a merry mix of minis, just right for fall decor, Halloween merriment, and delicious eating. We have collected a trio of the very finest modern hybrids, none more than a pound in weight and many just a few ounces. You will love growing, harvesting, and displaying these charmers!

Bumpkin Hybrid - 85 days. The classic orange pumpkin in miniature! These beautifully shaped, ribbed fruits reach just 6 to 8 ounces each, but contain a surprising amount of delectable flesh. They arise on semi-bush plants, making them a great space-saving choice. Resistant to powdery mildew, these plants always deliver big yields, and mature more quickly than most other pumpkins in the garden.

Hooligan Hybrid - 90 days. This beautiful mini has a white-to-cream base color, liberally decorated with yellow and orange stripes around the ribbing, plus the occasional green speckle! You can harvest them tiny — at just 3 ounces or so — or let them get a bit larger; they can reach nearly a pound if permitted. Generous yields on powdery-mildew-resistant plants!

Gooligan Hybrid - 95 days. The most productive of all, this ghostly white mini is descended from the popular Jack Be Little. Expect the fruits to reach about 12 ounces each, occasionally sporting green markings among the white.

Although these are miniature pumpkins, note that they take nearly as long to mature as their full-sized cousins! And like other pumpkins, they are very easy to grow, asking only for adequate space and time. Sow the seeds outdoors when danger of frost is past, or start indoors in peat pots. Transplant the seedlings (or thin if direct-sown) 3 to 5 feet apart in full sun. Great for Three Sisters plantings, too! Pkt is 25 seeds.

Cotton Candy Pumpkin: Cotton Candy produces loads of lustrous, milky-white skinned Pumpkins on sturdy, medium-sized vines. It is a slightly ribbed oval growing from 5- to 12-pounds. It is perfect for Halloween painting and carving as well as for use in the kitchen: its milky-white meat is sweet and most tasty.

Aladdin Pumpkins: Dark orange fruit that tip the scales at 25 to 35 lbs. set near the crown on vigorous semi-full vines. The 12″ wide x 15″ tall fruit have moderate ribbing and large handles that are firmly rooted into the fruit. Aladdin’s intermediate resistance to powdery mildew allows you to produce high quality, large fruit that command top dollar at your roadside market or on the wholesale market.

Crystal Star Pumpkins: An attractive large white pumpkin that does not yellow or bruise perfect for painting jack-o-lanterns or decorating. Crystal Star’s medium vines produce strong yields of smooth round 25-35 lb. pumpkins with light ribbing, maturing in 100 days.

Average Weight: 25-35 pounds

Gladiator Pumpkins: A popular variety that typically produces fruits 9-14Kg in size. Excellent deep orange colour; deep round shape to pumpkins. Vigorous variety. Intermediate resistance to Powdery Mildew. This pumpkin is the standard for Halloween jack-o-lanterns.

Kratos Pumpkins: Kratos offers growers a large handled pumpkin, with intermediate resistance to powdery mildew that matures 2 weeks earlier than most of our other large fruited varieties. Strong vines with a semi-vine growth habit produce 20-30 lb. fruit that have a flat-round shape, medium ribbing and large, firmly attached handles.

Early King Pumpkins: If you grow in an area with a short growing season or need a large pumpkin variety to make up some planting time late in the season, then Early King is the variety to use. Full vines produce good yields of 22 to 28 lb. pumpkins that have medium ribs and a medium-dark orange color. The pumpkins are round to tall in shape and have strong, dark green stems. Early King also offers intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.

Little Giant Pumpkins: This beautiful little pie pumpkin offers rich, dark-orange color and dark, firmly attached handles, smooth enough for painting, but their light ribbing gives them the look of real miniature jack-o-lanterns. This versatile mini pumpkin is ideal for school field trip tours. 2-4 lbs.

Crunchkin Pumpkins: Crunchkin the hard shell version of our popular Munchkin is a hit for fall sales. The flat-shaped fruit have pronounced ribs and a medium-orange color with slight flecking. Crunchkin produces big yields of its miniature fruit on bush-type vines and its hard shell give it extended storage ability, allowing for sales at Thanksgiving time to be used for table decorations and fall floral arrangements.

Field Trip Pumpkins: Field Trip is an appropriately named variety for anyone catering to school tours at their farm market. Field Trip produces 5 to 7 lb. fruit with deep orange color, moderate ribbing, and distinctive, long, well-rooted handles. The attractive, flattened fruit are the ideal size for children to carry from the field and then home from school. Semi-vining plants have intermediate resistance to Powdery Mildew.

Early Abundance Pumpkins: If you grow in an area with a short growing season or need a small pumpkin variety to make up some planting time late in the season, then Early Abundance is the variety to use. Semi-vining plants produce good yields of 4 to 7 lb. fruit that have shallow ribs and a dark orange color. The fruit are uniformly round in shape and have strong, well-attached stems. Early Abundance pumpkin also offers intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.

Iron Man Pumpkins: Iron Man produces round to globe shaped, 3 to 4 lb. fruit that measure 6 to 7″ in diameter. This is a hard shell variety that is great for painting, and it also has a dark orange color and strong, well-proportioned handles. The hard shelled fruit store for months and have tolerance to Fusarium and Phytophthora Fruit Rots. Iron Man’s vigorous full vine is tolerant to powdery mildew.

Lumina Pumpkins: ‘Lumina’ is wonderful for painting (very smooth skin), carving, and baking. The flavor and texture are excellent! Pumpkins are 8″–10″ in diameter and weigh 10–12 pounds each. Very fun for kids to grow.

Magic Wand Pumpkins: This improved variety offers Magic Lantern’s great color and uniformity, plus a larger, more firmly rooted stem. The 15 to 25 lb. dark orange fruit have good ribbing and a round to flattened shape. Magic Wand has a larger vine than Magic Lantern, but it carries intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.

New Moon Pumpkins: New Moon Pumpkin is a hybrid, jumbo white pumpkin with vigorous vines and fruits that average 45 lbs. Great for carving or fall decorating. Large, thick stems for easy harvesting and handling.

Casper Pumpkins: The Casper Pumpkin is a white skinned ornamental pumpkin with a thick orange flesh that is of excellent eating quality. This variety grows to be 9-12 inches in diameter and 10-16 pounds. Casper’s handle is tan with a corky texture and its skin has less bluing than many other white varieties.

Cinderella Pumpkins: Cinderella pumpkins are medium to large in size, averaging 30-38 centimeters in diameter and weighing 15-35 pounds, and are round in shape with a flattened blossom and stem end. The deeply-ribbed or lobed rind matures from yellow to a bright red-orange and is smooth with a rough, light brown stem. The skin is thick, dense, and rich orange, encasing a central cavity with pulp and flat, cream-colored seeds. When cooked, Cinderella pumpkins are creamy and moist with a mild and slightly sweet flavor.

Rouge Pumpkins: This heirloom pumpkin was introduced to America in 1883, but it had long been popular in France. It was used as the model for Cinderella’s coach. The fruits are slightly flattened, heavily ribbed and make wonderful autumn displays. These big plump beauties need to mature properly before harvest. Wait to pick until their rinds are fully deep orange and tough enough to resist piercing with a fingernail. Cut from vines, leaving good stem handles. Let cure in the sun for 10 days then store in a cool dry place and they’ll keep for months. Steam or bake the rich orange flesh for baked goods, soups or casseroles. Hollow out the inside and use the ornamental pumpkin whole as a show-stopping serving dish for soup or stew.