In the 20x20 plot I'm renting from a city garden project, we have 9 pumpkin plants that we started around May 10th or so. I realize now that 9 is way too many since we have tomatoes, corn, potatoes butternut squash and zuchini in there too. Anyway, the vines are all over the place, climbing corn stalks and taking over. We have the dreaded SVB I have heard so much about, because all the leaves are yellowing and shriveling up. I've dug a couple of those nasty little things out of the base of the vines and covered with dirt as people suggested, but I think I caught them too late.
We have about a dozen small-ish pumpkins - everywhere from softball size to basketball size - and I'm wondering if they will continue to ripen once the vines die off. Will the borers get into the pumpkins themselves, and should I pick them now to avoid losing them entirely? The larger ones are turning orange already, while the smaller fruits are mostly green still. Can I stick them in a bag or in the sun to ripen like we do with other fruit?
I was hoping for halloween pumpkins, but I'm afraid we're going to have to use these well before October and then buy jack-o-lanterns again this year.
I would say to leave them on as long as possible to get as much growth as you can. I've never heard of the borer getting into the fruits (is it a squash "vine" borer, after all 
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For the ripening of the fruits, I really can't say. Keep them on until the plants die and then harvest and find out. Good luck and I hope you get at least one good-sized one out of the batch.
). For the ripening of the fruits, I really can't say. Keep them on until the plants die and then harvest and find out. Good luck and I hope you get at least one good-sized one out of the batch.