7 ways to make your Halloween pumpkin last longer

Want your jack-o’-lantern to look its best on Halloween?

Don’t carve your pumpkin until Oct. 30, says Mark Ruben, director of Gilcrease Orchard.

“Seriously,” he says, “we’ll get people that will buy (a pumpkin) in early October, carve it, and then come and get more, because they just don’t last.”

Ruben knows pumpkins. Gilcrease Orchard sells around 400,000 pounds of them each fall.

A carved pumpkin will last three or four days at the most, he says. But there are ways to delay its inevitable rotting.

“If you find one with a green stem instead of a dried-out brown stem, that will last longer,” Ruben advises. “And make sure there’s no soft spots.”

Where you put that jack-o’-lantern matters, too.

“If you’re putting it out on your porch, and your porch faces west, that’s going to kill it faster than anything,” he says. “It’s just going to cook.”

If you just can’t stomach the idea of staring at a plain pumpkin until the end of the month, Ruben has a suggestion.

“If you want a decorated pumpkin, paint it right now,” he says. “And then on the 30th, carve it.”

Here are some more suggestions from the internet to keep your carved pumpkin from turning into a real horror show as long as possible.

1. Hands off

Oils from your fingers can speed up the rotting process, so try to touch it with your bare hands as little as possible. When you do handle it, do so gently by grabbing it around its middle to avoid damaging the pumpkin or its stem. (bhg.com)

2.Change where you cut

Cut your hole in the bottom of the pumpkin rather than the top, then discard that piece and place your carved pumpkin over a light source. That way moisture can escape rather than pooling at the bottom of the pumpkin, which speeds up the rotting process. (farmersalmanac.com)

3. Dig in

Clean out your pumpkin as best as you can, removing all the guts and seeds, and scraping the interior walls. The cleaner its insides, the longer it will last. (farmersalmanac.com)

4. Cover it up

When you cut a pumpkin, the soft, gooey parts are exposed to the air, which starts the process of decay. There are several ways to combat that, including:

— Make a Castile soap spritz by combining 1 tablespoon of Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap with six drops of peppermint oil in an 8-ounce spray bottle, filling the bottle with water and spraying the pumpkin inside and out. (MarthaStewart.com)

— Fill a bottle with a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water, then spray the cut surfaces and the insides. (farmersalmanac.com)

— Spray it down with a white vinegar solution, then apply petroleum jelly or vegetable oil to the exposed areas. (MarthaStewart.com)

— Spray cut surfaces with hairspray. (farmersalmanac.com)

— Cover the pumpkin with a clear acrylic spray. (SouthernLiving.com)

5. Skip the candle

Using a real candle will cook the inside of your pumpkin. Try a battery-operated candle or glow sticks instead. (menards.com)

6. Location, location, location

If you’re keeping your pumpkin outside, put it in a dry, shaded spot — preferably a place that’s off the ground to make it more difficult for pests to reach. (bhg.com)

7. Rejuvenation

When your pumpkin starts looking a little rough, putting it in a bag inside your refrigerator at night will help. Submerging it in cold water and letting it soak overnight will, too. (hgtv.com)

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on X.