It's fall, and we have a beautiful assortment of Arkansas Grown pumpkins and gourds at the Farmstand! Are you wondering how to keep your pumpkins looking fresh for long? Keep on reading for tips from our pumpkin growers.

Arkansas Pumpkins

We receive our first delivery of pumpkins in mid-September every year, and we will usually have them available until Thanksgiving. Our pumpkins are perfect for decorating or carving, and some are even wonderful to roast and eat!

This year our pumpkins are coming from:

• Holman Family (Arkansas Crop Technologies) - Lonoke and England, Arkansas
• Strack Farm - Conway, Arkansas*

*Please note that some of our pumpkins from Strack Farm have already been cleaned with the diluted bleach solution. If your pumpkin looks very clean, then it has probably was washed!

Tips to Keep Your Pumpkins Fresh

To keep your pumpkins fresh until Halloween or, in most cases, even until Thanksgiving, follow the following tips shared from our farmers:

1. Pick out your favorite pumpkins!
2. Look for bruises and soft spots on the top, sides, and bottom of the pumpkin. If you find any, pick out another.
3. Even though it is tempting, do not pick up pumpkins or carry them by the stem, the stems can break, and this will cause them to decay sooner.
4. Wash all the dirt off your pumpkin, let it dry, and then apply a diluted bleach solution to the whole pumpkin. Use about one tablespoon bleach to a gallon of water. This solution should kill any bacteria that can cause the pumpkin to begin to decompose. You can dip your pumpkin in the solution or apply it with a cloth.
5. Display your pumpkins in an area where they will be out of prolonged exposure to direct sun and rain.
6. If you plan to use a pumpkin for carving, you will want to wait until the week of Halloween to carve!

If you follow these tips, your pumpkins will last a long time! So, shop early to enjoy the best selection of pumpkins.

How to Dispose of Your Pumpkin

When you are ready to transform your fall decor to winter decor or are ready to get rid of your pumpkins, you can compost them! Because pumpkins are so big, it would be helpful to chop them up into smaller pieces before adding them to your compost pile.

So, stop by the Farmstand to pick the perfect pumpkins for your front porch and celebrate the start of fall.