How Do I Grow a Pumpkin?
Growing a pumpkin can be a fun choice for the beginning gardener or for young children learning about plants. There are many different types of pumpkins, and most are relatively easy to grow. There are several tips and strategies to help the beginning grower to create a large pumpkin to use as a Jack-o-Lantern, or several small pumpkins for use in pies.
The pumpkin requires lots of sun and good soil for best results. Choose a sunny spot in your yard and consider using a little bit of organic compost to fill the hole once you dig. You should also choose whether to grow the plant from seed or from seedlings. Growing the pumpkin from a seedling is easier, while seeds should be started inside before being transferred to the growing site. Usually you should allow the seedling to become several inches in height prior to planting.
Pumpkin seedlings can usually be purchased in gardening stores and sometimes in hardware stores with gardening departments. Planting in the US should begin in early July for a good yield by early fall. There are many pumpkin varieties to consider, and it is best to take the advice of the gardening department on which plants are most successful in your specific area. In most cases, if you are planting pumpkins for pies, the small, dense sugar pumpkin variety is preferred.
When purchasing seedlings, buy at least two. Pumpkins need to be pollinated in order to produce fruit. If you purchase only two seedlings, you will get one plant that yields a pumpkin or pumpkins.
The next step is to mound the soil. You should make a small hill about 2 inches (5.08 cm) in height. This gives the plant more space to expand its roots and discourages the development mildew, which can destroy the growing pumpkin. The seedling should be inserted about 1 inch (2.54 cm) into the mound.
The two pumpkin plants should be separated by at least 1 foot (30.48 cm), but not much farther. The goal is to make sure that honeybees will pollinate the flowers to produce pumpkins. The chance of pollination increases with more planted seedlings. Avoid using pesticides like malathion in your garden, which can kill honeybee populations.
Pumpkins require watering every few days, but you should not over water the plant. Unless the weather is particularly hot and the leaves seemed withered, the plant should receive water no more than every other day. The pumpkin will quickly spread in the hot sun, and flowers will appear within a month to six weeks, depending on the size of the initial seedling.
If you are trying to grow a large pumpkin, you will need to eliminate all but one of the small fruits when they develop. You should choose the best looking of the pumpkins to remain, and neatly trim off its companions. Be sure to inspect the vine of the pumpkin you intend to keep, and choose the one likely to receive the most sun. If the vine looks unhealthy, choose a different pumpkin. Smaller varieties do not have to be trimmed off, as they can produce four to five pumpkins from a single plant, and occasionally produce up to a dozen.
Once you have trimmed off the excess pumpkins, the only task left is to continue watering the plant until it has developed to the size and color you want. You can pick green pumpkins, because once off the vine they will become orange quickly, especially if you turn them into jack-o-lanterns. Smaller varieties will turn orange more quickly, and are ready to pick once they are orange. Once picked, the hard shell will keep the pumpkin good for several months. It is better to pick pumpkins earlier when your area starts to receive significant rain, as left on the vine they will begin to mold and rot.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
