How to Grow Pumpkin Plants

Pumpkin plants are closely related to squash. Both plant varieties are in the Cucurbitaceae family and are native to North America. Early European settlers learned to grow pumpkins from the Native Americans who cultivated them for food. Many varieties of pumpkins exist, and they vary in the lengths of their growing seasons. Once you know the number of days it takes your particular variety to get from planting to harvest, count backwards from the time you want your pumpkins ready, for instance by Halloween, to know when to plant them.

Compost
Insecticide
Fungicide
Hoe
Knife

Instructions

- 1
  Clear an area for your pumpkins in full sun, with wind protection good drainage. Pumpkin vines grow to between 20 and 30 feet long, so they need enough space to grow, too. Allow about six square feet for each pumpkin plant.
- 2
  Work the soil into a fine texture a few weeks before planting. Mix in compost or a general-purpose fertilizer. The soil pH should be between5.5 and 7.5. Your county extension service can test your soil.
- 3
  Make a mound of soil about 8 inches high for each pumpkin plant you have room for. Space the mounds 6 feet apart. Do not compact the soil. Wait until all danger of frost has passed and daily high temperatures reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 4
  Press a pumpkin seed into the soil about an inch deep. Plant several seeds in each mound 6 or 8 inches apart. The seeds sprout in seven to 10 days.
- 5
  Thin the seedlings to just one or two of the largest plants on each mound. Cut off the smaller seedlings at ground level. Do not pull them out because it may disturb the roots of the stronger seedlings. Spread compost around each seedling left to grow.
- 6
  Water the pumpkins only when the plant begins to droop. Water them well at this point. Do not water them more often because this can cause fungus and mildew. Water the ground only. Keep water off the plant itself. Taper off the amount of water gradually when the pumpkins start to turn orange. Do not water for about a week before you harvest the pumpkins because they will store longer.
- 7
  Inspect your pumpkin vines frequently for insects, mildew and fungus. Your local nursery or county extension service can tell you what kinds of pests and diseases are prevalent for pumpkins in your locality. They can also provide you with recommended treatments for these problems. Use organic remedies whenever possible if you are going to eat the pumpkins.
- 8
  Hoe the soil between the pumpkin mounds to keep weeds at bay and disturb insect nesting conditions.
- 9
  Harvest your pumpkins when they are mostly orange and the vines look like they are beginning to decline. The pumpkin skin should be hard enough so that you cannot easily push your fingernail into the flesh. Cut each pumpkin from the vine with a sharp knife as many inches as possible from the top of the pumpkin. Do not pick up the pumpkins by the stems because, if it breaks off, the pumpkin will rot quickly

Garden Slugs Are Eating My Peppers and Tomatoes

Overwatering of Cucumber Plants

Vegetable Garden