Growing a pumpkin can be fun for children as they get to experience its lifecycle, to then preparing it for Halloween. Of course, pumpkins have many uses from pumpkin pie to bird food to treating your skin. To grow a pumpkin, we have below broken it down into the three stages of seeds, maintenance, and finally cultivating.
Seeds
Getting the correct seeds is of course very important. The seeds you will need are normal winter squash seeds. Although some people will start the initial stage of growing the seedlings indoors, pumpkins are best started directly outdoors, unless you live in an area that has a shorter growing season, (in this case, you could start them indoors for around 2 weeks before you move them outside). When starting the process outdoors, you should mound your soil into little hills, around an inch wide, using additional mulching to help your seedlings you should use mulching around your plants. The hills will improve drainage around the seedlings and will also warm the soil more quickly. As pumpkins tend to be very heavy feeders, their seeds are very sensitive to temperature and temperature changes. Plant 3 to 4 seeds, one inch deep in each hill. Your seed packets should tell you to space them 4 to 6 feet apart.
You can also redirect the vines around your garden if it was desired to make the vines grow along walkways, fences, or lawns. It is important to note that if you are intending to grow pumpkins in rows, rather than small hills, then the seedlings should be planted at least 6 inches apart.
Maintenance
When the plant has grown to around an inch tall, you should then thin the seedlings to one per mound. To take care of your seedlings you will need to provide them with lots of sun and water them regularly, and they’ll do the rest of the work.
As pumpkins are large bulky fruit, it is important to note that each pumpkin plant should need around an inch of water per week (Or, 0.623 gallons per square foot). Watering your pumpkin seedlings should be taken with care, as getting the leaves wet will encourage fungal diseases.
If your pumpkin starts to get bigger than expected it would be a good idea to provide it with additional support. It would be a good idea to use hammocks for better support.
Cultivating
On average it should take around 100 days, from the initial planting of the seeds until harvesting. Your pumpkins will be ready to harvest when they have reached full color, and the vine has begun to die. It’s best to harvest pumpkins just before the first Autumn frost. When harvesting your pumpkins, cut them off at the vine using a sharp knife. To get your pumpkins to last as long as possible make sure to Leave 3-4 inches of the stem on. After cutting the pumpkin from the vine make sure to allow them to cure in a dry place in the garden for around a week or two before further preparations.
When you grow a pumpkin you will appreciate this fruit a lot more than you ever had, and will find endless usage for it. We hope you have enjoyed this quick guide on how to grow a pumpkin.