JUST over a year ago, I boasted about our enormous crop of pumpkins and winter squash - more than a tonne.

Most were given away, especially the giant ones, which were far too big for our family.

There were many varieties and I was interested in seeing which would store longest before they went mouldy.

The crop included Queensland blue, sweet grey, triamble, butternut, buttercup, golden nugget, Thelma Sander's sweet potato, turkish turban, blue banana and Hubbard's green-warted.

Some looked even weirder than they sounded, but all tasted great.

I kept a couple of barrow loads and decided to store them on an exposed, breezy deck, open to the weather. To keep off the rain, I stretched a waterproof groundsheet over the top of them.

Believe it or not, I still have some left. They've been sitting there since April last year and are in excellent condition. Still solid, but a lot lighter because they've lost so much moisture.

The pumpkins (or winter squash) that survived best, did so because of the way they were stored and, more importantly, because of the variety.

In short, the winners were turkish turban, sweet grey, Queensland blue and, best of all, Thelma Sander's sweet potato.

If you've never before heard of the last-named, neither had I until a couple of years ago.

They are attractive, pear-shaped, golden-yellow pumpkins (winter squashes really), each weighing about 3kg.

The plants crop heavily, each producing a dozen or more dense, heavy fruit.

Flavour is sweetly delicious, roasted or steamed and they make a glorious pumpkin pie.

So, what was the storage method that allowed some of these pumpkins to keep for so long? The trick is in how they are harvested and treated afterwards.

Main crop pumpkins are still being harvested in backyards now.

If we don't get them in, they could suffer frost damage and they always rot immediately after this is allowed to occur.

Cut them free, but leave plenty of vine stems still attached to stalks - they wither within days.

The skins of newly harvested pumpkins have not yet hardened and are easily scratched, so handle carefully.

Any skin damage leads to early decay.

Never make the mistake of trying to lift pumpkins of size by those temptingly placed handles right on top.

Unfortunately, they are not a handles, just old, very fragile stalks that cannot take any weight.

Snap them off by mistake and circular wounds are left, allowing moulds to move in within days.

So, carry all harvested pumpkins carefully, but don't store under cover immediately.

If possible, leave them fully exposed for a week or so in maximum sunlight, where air can also circulate freely around them.

This allows skins to harden over a couple of weeks.

If it looks like a frost one evening, chuck a sheet of plastic or shade cloth over, just for the night.

Finally, the best long-storage places: A garage, shed or covered veranda is fine, provided there's plenty of good air movement.

Avoid concrete floors because they become too cold and clammy, causing pumpkins to rot from the bottom upwards.

Some people hang pumpkins in net-bags from rafters.

I place ours on top of wooden slats, or even on an old piece of lattice.

I also wipe the skins with a soft rag, soaked in olive oil.

This stops harmful moisture from clinging to them.

Above all, pumpkins should still be stored on their edges so they cannot collect water.

When stored under cover, moisture from the atmosphere forms tiny beads on skins, especially during cold nights.

If pumpkins are sitting stalks upwards, moisture tends to collect in the hollows surrounding each stalk. Unfortunately, this allows rot to set in from that point.

Propping them on their edges keeps these vulnerable hollows drained and dry.

With regular inspections and an occasional wipe, we can ensure that most long-keepers remain disease-free and in good condition until beyond the next pumpkin harvest next April or May.

Best of all, the longer pumpkins can be stored the sweeter and more richly flavoured they become.

It's worth the effort.