Picking the perfect pumpkin: 5 things you need to know

Pumpkins have been creeping up earlier than usual this year because of the hot and dry weather. The news has some pumpkin patch farmers worried the early start will make for a disappointing Halloween. 

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"They've been ready to pick for a while, at least three weeks early this year. We need to move Halloween up a little bit," said Albert Anderson of Aldor Acres in Langley.

Anderson opened up the gates to his seven-hectare pumpkin patch a week early. He says customers will have to be a little pickier this year when picking their jack-o'-lantern. 

Top 5 things

He has some tips on how to make your pumpkin survive until Halloween.

1. Pick a nice hard pumpkin that doesn't have any holes
2. Wipe it down with a mild bleach solution, especially around the stem to kill any bacteria 
3. Don't put the pumpkin on concrete or black top surface where it will get more heat 
4. Instead put the pumpkin in soil, on the lawn or on top of a piece of cardboard on your deck
5. Pumpkins bruise. Give them space by putting them in a corner

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled Picking the perfect pumpkin with the CBC's Rick Cluff on The Early Edition.