I know that summer is finally coming to an end when gardeners begin to ask how to harvest and store certain crops. Over the last couple of weeks I've talked to several gardeners about the best ways of handling pumpkins, winter squash and sunflowers.

Harvest pumpkins and winter squash varieties such as 'Acorn,' and 'Butternut' when the mature fruits have a hard outer shell. Learn to judge your varieties by color. Most of the green varieties get some brown or bronze, and 'Butternut' should lose all its green and turn a distinct tan. It's best to leave all of the fruits on the plants until they are fully mature, then harvest all at one time. When you harvest pumpkins and winter squash, handle them carefully; cuts and bruises in the rind are entry points for decay organisms that can cause the fruit to rot in a short time. Use a sharp knife or a pair of sharp hand pruning shears to cut the fruits off of the vine, leaving a short piece of stem attached to the fruit.

You should store pumpkins and winter squash in a cool (50 to 60 degrees F), dry room. They keep best when not piled on top of each other. Spreading them out on shelves in a single layer with a small space between fruits is a good methods of storing the fruits. With the proper storage, you should be able to keep pumpkins and winter squash for up to 6 months.

Sunflowers are fun to grow because there're pretty and produce edible seed too. Harvest them as soon as the backs of their heads are brown and dry and when their petals have dropped. At that time the inner rows are ripe, but need drying. To harvest, cut off the heads with about a foot of stalk attached. Then tie the stalks together and hang them in an airy place to dry. A cloth bag may be tied around the heads to catch any seeds that may drop during drying.

When the heads are completely dry. Remove the seeds by rubbing the heads lightly over 1/2 inch hardware cloth mounted over a bucket. If the seeds are stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator, their food content and vitamins will remain in good condition a long time.