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Pumpkins

Pumpkins

A larger member of the winter squash family that is native to North America, pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants. They are widely grown for food, as well as for aesthetic purposes. Pumpkins are mostly thought of as giant orange fall decorations, but they come in many colors and sizes.

There are many different varieties, but for the home grower’s purposes they fall into three main categories: Pie pumpkins, which are meant to be eaten. Large decorative pumpkins that can be carved into lanterns. The seeds in these pumpkins are edible, but the flesh is not flavorful. Small decorative pumpkins.
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Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Pumpkin seeds do not germinate in cold soil, so they need to be planted after the chance of frost has passed. Plan to plant pumpkins in late spring or early summer for a fall harvest. In climates with long winters it is helpful to plant seeds indoors and transplant into the garden in spring. With proper care, the pumpkin plants should sprout within about a week.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Choose soil with good drainage. Clay-based soils don’t absorb water quickly, and aren’t as conducive to growing pumpkins so in such cases sand would need to be added. Choose a spot that doesn’t have standing water after heavy rains. To give the plants an extra boost, prepare your soil beforehand by composting it. Dig large holes where you plan to plant and fill them with a compost mixture one week before planting.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Pumpkins grow on vines and need a good amount of space to thrive. Choose a place in your yard with 20 to 30 feet (6.1 to 9.1 m) of open space, such as along the side of your house, or along the fence in your backyard. Pumpkins prefer full sun. Don’t choose a spot under a tree or in the shadow of a building. Plant your seeds in hills which helps improve soil drainage and allows the sun to heat the soil faster, speeding up germination. To make a hill ,dig a hole where the hill will be, about the depth of the blade of the spade, and about one foot in diameter. Fill the hole with compost and well rotted manure and cover it with the removed topsoil, then shape it like a shallow volcano, making an indentation in the center where the seeds will go. Space the seeds or transplants evenly around the indentation. Plant the seed 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) deep and within a few inches of one another. It is helpful to plant four seeds per hill, in case one doesn’t sprout. Plant pumpkins in widely spaced apart. If your pumpkin variety grows along creeping vines, space the hills in the same row 12 feet (3.7 m) apart, and space the rows 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) apart, depending on variety size. “Bush-type” varieties that grow on shorter vines need 8 ft (2.4 m) of space in all directions.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Pumpkins are aided by lambs-quarters, radishes and nasturtium. Legumes, such as beans are nitrogen fixers in soil and will help the pumpkins. They were traditionally planted with corn as the vines make it difficult for foraging animals to get to the corn. Do not plant pumpkins with other heavy feeders or plants that will be overgrown by the vines.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

As pumpkin vines develop, they can be pruned to strategically focus the energy of the plant towards the developing fruit. For areas with winter, about three weeks before the first fall frost, begin pinching off growing tips, flowers and new fruits, as they will not mature before the end of the season. Pumpkin flowers, like squash flowers can be cooked and eaten.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Pumpkin plants need a lot water, but they shouldn’t get too much. Make a habit of watering them when the soil seems a little dry, rather than adding more water to wet soil. Deep, infrequent watering is ideal. When you do water the plant, use a lot of water and let it soak deep into the soil. Pumpkin plants’ roots run several inches or feet down, depending on the stage of growth, and it’s important that the water reaches them. Pumpkins would benefit from a soaker hose. Try not to get water on the pumpkin leaves. This encourages the growth of a fungus called powdery mildew, which can cause the leaves to wither and the plant to die. Water in the morning, rather than at night, so any water that gets on the leaves has time to dry in the sun. When the pumpkins themselves begin to grow and turn orange, decrease the amount of water you use. Stop watering entirely about a week before you plan to harvest the pumpkins.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Plan to weed a few times a week, especially when the seedlings are small. As the pumpkins mature the large leaves will create shade that reduces weeds and the vines will easily overgrow them. Keeping larger weeds clear of the main hill will leave more nutrients for the developing plants however lambs-quarters is a weed that is helpful to pumpkins. Mulch around your pumpkins to keep weed pressure down and conserve soil moisture. It will also help later to have the pumpkins sitting on mulch and not dirt.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
When the plants first sprout (in about a week or two), adding fertilizer encourages health pumpkin plant growth. As a member of the winter squash family, pumpkins are heavy feeders. Cover the planted seeds with compost. If you composted the soil before planting, you can skip this step. If not, add a thin layer of compost or mulch in the areas where you planted seeds. The compost will help keep weeds out and nourish the seeds.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Check the pumpkin leaves and blossoms for beetles, which eat plant tissue and ultimately kill the pumpkin plant. Scrape them off the plant a few times a week. Radishes planted with pumpkin and other members of the squash family will help to repel the striped cucumber beetle. Aphids are pests that threaten a lot of garden plants. They can be found on the undersides of the leaves, and if you don’t take care of them, they’ll kill the plants quickly. Nasturtium can be planted with the pumpkins as a trap crop. Insects feed and lay their eggs on the plant which can be removed and destroyed.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Pumpkins typically take 95 to 120 days to mature. The pumpkins should be bright orange in color (depending on the species) with a hard shell. Their stems and often the vine itself should be starting to dry out and wither.
How to Harvest:
Use a pair of shears to cut the stem, leaving it a few inches (5 cm) long. Don’t break off the stems, since this will cause the pumpkins to rot.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Store the pumpkins in a cool, dry place. Keep them away from humidity, damp, and direct sunlight. They do not need refrigeration. Pumpkins keep for many months after they have been harvested. Washing before storage can discourage mold and fungi. Oxygen bleach (food grade hydrogen peroxide) is safe for cleaning produce and can be purchased at many grocery stores. Use a 50/50 mixture of water and oxygen bleach that is labeled as 3 hydrogen peroxide solution. Spray or soak the pumpkins in the 50/50 mix, rinse, and dry.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Pumpkin can be cooked and processed in canning jars as a pie filler that will store long term in the pantry.
Seed Saving:
Use a sharp knife to carefully cut open your pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem. If you’re not using your pumpkin for decorative purposes, you can also just cut it in half for easier access. Then, dig in with your spoon and scoop out all the seeds and place them in your strainer. Don’t worry about getting pulp mixed in with the seeds; you’ll separate them in the next step. Rinse the pumpkin seeds in the strainer under cool, running water to get rid of the pulp. Some pulp will be stubborn and stick to the seeds, so you may need to use your hands to rub it off completely. The end goal is to have clean seeds without any orange residue. Prepare your cookie sheet by placing a layer of paper towels, paper plates, or waxed paper on top. Then, dump your clean pumpkin seeds onto the sheet in a single layer, breaking up any clumps of seeds. Keeping individual seeds separate will help them dry completely. Set the cookie sheet with seeds aside in a cool, dry area to allow the seeds to fully dry. The drying process should take about a week, but the total time will vary depending on how cool and dry your space is. Keep an eye on your seeds until they are all completely dry. Stir them at least once a day and flip seeds over to allow them to dry on both sides. Break up any clumps that form and continue allowing them to dry in a cool, dry area. If mold appears, you likely don’t have a cool or dry enough storage spot and need to move them to save the non-molded seeds. You’ll know your seeds are completely dry once they’re white in color on all sides and they feel papery. Place the dry seeds into a sealable envelope, label it with the date and the pumpkin variety, and store the seeds in a cool, dry place until it’s time to plant them. Pumpkin seeds will germinate at 60°F (15.5°C), so avoid storing your saved seeds in an area that will exceed this temperature at any point. If needed, you can store your seeds in your refrigerator in an airtight container. Stored in a cool, dry place, dried pumpkin seeds can successfully last one year. If you save seeds from a large pumpkin or two, you’ll likely have many more seeds than you need for next year’s garden. There could be hundreds of seeds in each one. Save your extras to roast in the oven for a delicious (and nutritious) crunchy snack.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

There are 4 main types of pumpkins: Pepo, Moschata, Maxima and Mixta. These large groups are further divided in dozens of species. In general, pumpkins belong to the plant family called Cucurbitaceae, or cucurbits for short. Cucurbits contain four sub-groups with all the different pumpkins we use for lanterns, pumpkin pies, and winning prizes at county fairs. Cucurbits include a total of around 960 distinct species of plants, including melons, summer squash, cucumbers, winter squash, decorative gourds, and all varieties of pumpkins. Pepo – Orange, green, small and medium size, used for carving, pies, cooking. Moschata – Tan, yellow, medium size, used for pies, carving. Maxima – Orange, blue and blue-green, small to large size, used for carving, winning prizes. Mixta – Orange, blue, red, multi-color, small to medium size, used for decoration, cooking. Varieties: Baby Pam – excellent for pumpkin pie with a smooth-skinned fruit also suitable for painting or carving. You’ll find dark orange inside and outside. Early Sugar Pie – a classic New England style variety for pies. It has a string-less interior with bright orange flesh that also carves well. Winter Luxury – a popular pepo heirloom weighing around 6 lb (2.7 kg). with a netted, buff-orange skin and sweet flesh. Orange Princess – a fast-growing variety with slightly flattened fruits and deep-orange flesh and fruit averaging 5 lb (2.27 kg). each.

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