Pumpkins produce a large orange fruit that is commonly grown for pies, Halloween decor and competitions. It is a crop that is entered in almost all country fair contests. Gardeners that grow this crop for competitions take a lot of pride in the techniques they use.
There are a large variety of pumpkins that you can choose from and for specific needs. These varieties range from the small tasty pumpkin used for baking pies to the heavyweights that are grown for competition in your local country fair. No matter what your choice is, pumpkins are a crop that can be easily grown in the home garden.
Pumpkins like a soil with a ph level of between 6.5 and 6.8, a soil with plenty of composted manure and a good healthy soil structure that will retain moisture well as well as drain well.
You can sow seeds directly into the garden once all dangers of frost are over in your area, or start seedlings indoors in peat pots about 4 weeks before the last expected frost. If you choose to grow your own transplants, you can plant them in the garden once the first true leaves appear and protect the seedlings by building a mini greenhouse over them. This can be simply done by placing a large jar over the plant, building a wooden frame and covering it with clear plastic or taking 2 old windows and fastening them together in the shape of a teepee. This will shield the plant from the dangers of frost and wind damage, along with giving them that extra length to the growing season when wanting the trophy at the next fair.
Another method that can be used to boost your crop along is once the first female flower appears, about 10 weeks from when the seedling emerges, you can hand pollinate the flowers. The female flower can easily be distinguished by the small pumpkin at it’s base. Early morning is the best time to do this. Find a freshly opened male flower, pick and remove the outer petals and gently swab the stigma of the female flower with the stamen of the male. This is a big advantage in extending the growing season needed to produce large pumpkins.
When growing large pumpkins, the stem location is very important. You want the stem to grow perpendicular to the vine. Coach the pumpkin slowly over the period of a weeks time to the right position if needed. Be careful, at early stages a pumpkin is very fragile and you can injure the stem.
Pruning the vines is another way to help increase the productivity and size of your pumpkins. Prune back any vine length that has reached beyond 12 feet past a set fruit, not 12 feet from the plant, and any side shoots off the main vine that are longer than 8 feet ad bury the cut ends to reduce any water loss.
A good healthy fertile soil with plenty of composted manure should supply your pumpkin crop with the nutrients they need. Feeding them with a compost or manure tea during the growing season will give them an extra boost that can benefit your crop, just don’t over do it.
Harvesting is done at the end of the season once the vines have withered, the stems turn brown and start to dry.