how to plant pumpkins

how to grow pumpkin

Those who are already in the know understand that knowing how to plant pumpkins means knowing that the aesthetically pleasing orange fruit is high maintenance.Pumpkins don't get that big for no reason--they have voracious appetites and need high amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen but also moderate amounts of phosphorous and potassium.when learning how to plant pumpkins, mounds or ground area soil is(best at at pH of 5.5 to 6.5) where pumpkins are to be planted should be densely mixed with compost and/or well-rotted manure.

Pumpkin seed mounds or beds should also be made steadily, although not overly, wet. Once plants begin blossoming water their bases directly, not their vines, and water in the early morning. If pumpkins get too wet they are susceptible to mildewing.

Especially in the early growth stage pumpkins are susceptible to Squash Vine Borers and, even more prominently, Cucumber Beetles. Many growers recommend using the insecticide Sevin to control these pests.

In addition to mildew and the pests, pumpkins can contract anthracnose (or "leaf blight") or bacterial wilt. These are best controlled by thinning and making sure the soil and composting are rich from the start.

growing pumpkins

When it to comes to how to plant pumpkins, grow them in the corners. Some pumpkin planters train the vines so that they grow outside of the garden as these grow extremely large and may come to interfere with the growth of other plants in the garden. However, others cover over the vines with garden soil to induce secondary root growth which leads to even bigger pumpkins. Pumpkin plants need a lot of space, clearly,

so plant sets of two or three seeds each 12 to 18 inches apart. If you are growing pumpkins in a row, these should be spaced 18" apart and the rows themselves should be six feet apart. Eventually you'll want to thin the rows to just one or two pumpkin plants each.

If you're growing pumpkins in a pumpkin mound, make a rich mound of compost, manure, or nutrient-rich soil that is three feet by three feet with anywhere from 50 to 100 square feet of space for planting, giving the vines the growing space they need. Each mound should receive no more than five pumpkin seeds.

how to plant pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds need warm soil in which to germinate. The soil should be between 70° F and 95° F; if you live in a cooler climate with a shorter gardening season you'll want to begin pumpkin seeds indoors in peat pots, three per pot to be later thinned to one plant per pot. Seeds germinate in about a week to a week and a half. If a set of seedlings is slow to germinate add a little more phosphorous, and do the same after vines sprout if there are no female flowers or fruit by mid-August.

There need to be at least three months of frost-free weather for pumpkins to grow properly. If necessary, use black plastic over the soil to warm it up. Once pumpkin seeds have sprouted the plants only need between 65 and 75 deg F soil for healthy growing.

Sooner or later, when those who grow pumpkins want to try their green thumb at growing giant pumpkins. Beginning with a variety of jumbo pumpkin seeds such as PrizeWinner Hybrid, Big Max, or the Atlantic Giant, get these planted in a mound in June, giving each future plant at least 150 square feet of growing space.

Eventually you'll thin the growing plants to just one or two. Pick off the first two to four female blossoms so that the plants grow larger. Once the first fruit appears remove any additional female flowers. The vines need to be trained so that they don't root down by the growing fruit to prevent the eventually huge fruit from actually breaking off.

When to harvest

When the connecting stem on the pumpkin starts to wither and the pumpkin is a dark, rich color, it is ready to be harvested. If the vines stay robust, leave the pumpkin on the vine until after the first day of Autumn or into early October, as long as it gets harvested before the first frost. Knowing how to plant pumpkins also requires knowing what varieties of seeds there are. In addition to the above Giant Pumpkin varieties, there are: Winter Crookneck Squash; Butternut Squash; Cushaw Squash; and, among the most prominent of the "Jack O' Lantern" squashes, Connecticut field; Howden; Howden Biggie; gourds; Pattypan summer squash; Scallop summer squash; and Crookneck squash.sometime its not hard to know how to plant pumpkins.

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