Pumpkins can be used in a variety of dishes and serve as fall decorations.Pumpkins grow well in many different regions and are easy to grow.Find an environment that will help your plants thrive, as well as growing and harvesting pumpkins, and read on for information on choosing a variety of pumpkin.
Step 1: Pumpkins can be planted in your region.
Pumpkin seeds need to be planted after the chance of frost has passed.Pumpkins can be planted in late spring or early summer.Pumpkins can take up to 120 days to mature.If you want to have pumpkins in time for Halloween, plant them in late July.If you want it in July, plant in March.
Step 2: Prepare the soil by selecting a planting spot.
Pumpkins need a lot of space to grow.20 or 30 feet (6.1 or 9.1 m) of open space is what you need to choose a place in your yard.It's not necessary for your pumpkin patch to take up your whole yard.You can plant it on the side of the house or in the backyard.The sun is full.It's not a good idea to choose a spot under a tree or in the shadow of a building.Make sure the pumpkins get plenty of sun.The soil has good drainage.Pumpkins aren't as likely to grow on Clay-based soils.After heavy rains, choose a spot that doesn't have standing water.Composting your soil will give pumpkins an extra boost.One week before planting pumpkins, fill the large holes with a compost mixture.
Step 3: Pumpkin seeds can be chosen.
You can order seeds from a catalog or go to your local nursery.Pie pumpkins, which are meant to be eaten, are one of the main categories of pumpkins.Pumpkins can be carved into jack o'lanterns.The seeds are tasty, but the flesh is not.Mini pumpkins are small decorative pumpkins.
Step 4: You should plant your seeds in the hills.
Plant the seed in a small mound of dirt.The sun is able to heat the soil faster because of the hill.In case one doesn't grow, plant 2 or 3 seeds within a few inches of each other.The point of the seeds doesn't matter.The seeds will grow either way if they are viable.
Step 5: Pumpkins are planted in rows.
If you have a pumpkin variety that grows along creeping vines, you should put the hills in the same row as the rows 6 to 10 feet apart."Bush-type" varieties that grow on shorter vines need 8 ft of space in all directions.
Step 6: Put the planted seeds in the compost.
You can skip this step if you composted the soil before planting.In the areas where you planted seeds, add a thin layer of compost or mulch.The compost will nourish the seeds and keep weeds out.Pumpkin plants should grow within a week.
Step 7: When the soil is low, water the pumpkin plants.
Pumpkin plants need a lot of water.Make a habit of watering them when the soil seems a little dry, rather than adding more water to wet soil.It's ideal to have deep, infrequent waterings.If you don't water the plant, let it soak into the soil and use a lot of water.Pumpkin plants' roots run several inches or feet down depending on the stage of growth, and it's important that the water reaches them.Water can get on pumpkin leaves.This encourages the growth of a fungus called powdery mildew, which can cause the leaves to wither and the plant to die.The leaves have time to dry in the sun if there is water on them.When pumpkins start to grow orange, reduce the amount of water you use.About a week before you plan to harvest pumpkins, stop watering completely.
Step 8: Pumpkin plants should be fertilized.
Addingfertilizer encourages pumpkin plant growth when the plants first start to grow.If you want to add a pumpkin bed to your garden, you have to go to a local nursery.
Step 9: Control pests and weeds.
Monitoring your plants throughout the growing process is necessary to make sure they produce healthy pumpkins.It's a good idea to weed the patch.Don't let the growth of weeds affect the pumpkin plants.It's a good idea to weed a few times a week.Pumpkin leaves and blossoms can be eaten by beetles, which kill the pumpkin plant.You can remove them from the plant a few times a week.Keep weed pressure down by covering pumpkins with mulch.A lot of garden plants are threatened by aphids.If you don't take care of them, they will kill the plants quickly.The leaves have time to dry so spray them off with water in the morning.An organic pesticide can be used to rid your plants of pests.You can ask about products at the nursery.
Step 10: Check to see if the pumpkins are ready.
The pumpkins should be bright orange in colour and have a hard shell.The vine's stems should be starting to dry out.
Step 11: Don't harvest pumpkins that are still soft.
They won't keep for more than a few days.
Step 12: The pumpkins' stems should be cut.
The stem can be cut with a pair of shears.The pumpkins will rot if the stems are broken.
Step 13: The pumpkins should be stored in a dry place.
Keep them away from the elements.They don't need cooling.Pumpkins are kept for many months after harvest.A chlorine rinse can discourage mold.A mix of 1 cup of chlorine bleach and 5 gallons of cold water is needed.