How are pumpkins harvested?

Pumpkins are members of the gourd family which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons, and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico. Since pumpkins have seeds which will grow into new pumpkins, they are considered a fruit. 

Pumpkins are not native to North America but have been growing here for five thousand years! Pumpkins are native to Central America and Mexico. Even though they originated in the western hemisphere, they are now grown on all continents except for Antarctica. 

There are hundreds of different types, or varieties, of pumpkins around the world today! They can range in size from less than one pound to more than 1,000 pounds. Most pumpkins are grown primarily for processing and turned into canned pumpkin and canned pie mix. 

Pumpkins are pollinated when a pollen grain from a male flower lands on the stigma of a female flower. The most common way that pollination happens with pumpkins is by insects! As insects search for food, pollen from the flowers rubs onto their legs and bodies. Then, when they visit other flowers, the pollen is rubbed off without them even knowing it. 

Pumpkins start out as seeds. With plenty of sunlight, water, and soil, the seeds will grow into a vine and produce flowers. After pollination, a tiny baby pumpkin will begin to grow between the stem and the female flower. Over the next few months the pumpkin will grow and change in color. 

Depending on the type of pumpkin, it can take 85-120 days (3-4 months) to reach maturity. Once pumpkins are fully colored and have a firm rind (outer shell), they are ready to be harvested. 

Illinois is #1 in pumpkin production! Followed by California, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, and Texas.

Pumpkin farmers have to use a specialized harvest machine that picks the pumpkins up from underneath the machine and then uses a conveyor belt to move the pumpkins into an open trailer.

Ornamental pumpkins, like the ones we use for jack-o'-lanterns, are hand-picked so that the pumpkins are not damaged. Processing pumpkins are harvested with machines. First, a tractor with a specialized attachment goes through the fields and pushes the pumpkins into nice rows. Then, a specialized harvesting tractor pulls the pumpkins up onto a conveyor belt that dumps the pumpkins into the trailer of a tractor driving next to it. Once the trailer is full, those pumpkins are dumped into a semi-trailer and then taken to the processing plant to be pureed into pumpkin filling and then canned.