Harvesting

• Normally, it takes 15-20 days after fruit set or 90-120 days from planting for fruit to reach marketable age.
• At harvest, the fruits should be light green, thick and juicy, and the seeds should be soft and white.
• Harvest once in every 2-3 days using a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to cut the fruit stalk and 8-10 harvests are possible in a crop life.
• If a fruit remains too long on the vine, it will turn spongy, sour, yellow or orange, and split open.

Yield

• It can vary depending on variety and crop management.
• Under average management snake gourd yields 30-40 t/ha. Fruits of snake gourd do not keep long and should be sold in the market immediately.
• Remove damaged and deformed fruits. Store the fruits in a cool place at 12-13°C with 85-90% relative humidity. Under this condition, fruit storage life can be extended 2-3 weeks.
• Snake gourd is chilling sensitive and damage may occur if kept below 10°C.
• Keep harvested fruits away from other fruits (such as banana, pineapple and apple) that release large amounts of ethylene, a ripening hormone.