The bleach-water solution you use in your pumpkin bath can also be used as a daily spray to keep your pumpkins healthy. When cleaning out your pumpkin , make sure that the inside is completely free of guts. Before taking carving tools to your pumpkin, let the cavity dry out; moisture inside the pumpkin, paired with more air exposure from cuts, will lead to faster rot.
Ensuring that your pumpkins are properly moisturized will keep them fresh for a longer period of time. While carving pumpkins is a tradition we all know and love, unfortunately, it will speed up the decaying process—oxidation will happen as soon as the pumpkin is cut open and it'll dry out faster.
Another way to keep the rind properly moisturized is to spray your pumpkin with a peppermint-based conditioning spray. To make this, mix a peppermint soap we like Dr. Peppermint has anti-fungal properties that will keep your pumpkins soft and smooth when they begin to dry out. Not only that, but the peppermint will leave your pumpkin display with a pleasant smell! Don't let your Halloween get any scarier with pests around your pumpkins.
Unfortunately, because pumpkins are vegetables, pests want to snack on them just as much as they like to enjoy your homegrown tomatoes, zucchini, and other produce. The most effective way to avoid ground-lurking pests like ants and squirrels is to keep your pumpkins off the ground. Set them on a windowsill or stack them on haybales—this is your chance to get creative!
Pumpkins, especially carved ones, are particularly prone to fruit flies. The main thing that attracts fruit flies? This means that the first step to fruit fly prevention is to carve your pumpkin properly.
Make sure that the inside of the pumpkin is completely gut-free, which will lessen the chance of mold. To trap the flies, place an open dish of wine next to your pumpkins—yes, you heard us right. 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 works too. B ut 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. 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. As an even easier solution, spray it with a DIY pumpkin preserve spray daily to fight off mold. When you're not showing off your jack-o'-lantern on your porch, put it in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.
No room? Keep it in the basement or any other cool, dark area of your house. 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. 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. Avoid leaving your pumpkin outside during freezing temperatures.
The temperature should be between 59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Before that, clean the pumpkins thoroughly with warm water with a dash of dish soap in it.
Let the pumpkins dry thoroughly. If you put some small holes in them, the liquid can drain better. Put the pumpkin in a net so that the air can get at it from all sides and hang the net on the ceiling, if possible. Ideally, each pumpkin should have its own net. If the pumpkins are to dry lying down, do not forget to turn them over regularly.
Using the dried pumpkin you can carve the perfect Jack-o-lantern to which you then apply a layer of acrylic or paint spray. A Halloween pumpkin dried in this way may even last for several years. Spray the pumpkin well from the in- and outside using acrylic or paint spray.
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