Summer Crops: How to Grow Pumpkins
Start in spring to grow your own fall decorations and have plenty left for pies
If you can grow squash, you can grow pumpkins; after all, they’re a type of squash. But they deserve their own category, if only for the number of varieties and the ways you can use them. Branch out from “pumpkin"-colored pumpkins and grow softer orange, redder or even gray or white pumpkins. There are tiny pumpkins that will delight children and adults alike, pumpkins for eating, pumpkins for carving, even warty pumpkins. And if you really have the space, you can try your hand at colossal-size pumpkins. What you do with a 750-pound pumpkin is up to you.
Use pumpkins labeled as pie pumpkins for cooking; the others, especially large ones, aren’t as tasty but are great for autumn decorations.
If you really lack space, you can try growing pumpkins up a trellis. Because the fruits are so heavy, the trellis needs to be very sturdy, and you will have to support the fruits with slings as they mature.
More summer crops to start in spring
Use pumpkins labeled as pie pumpkins for cooking; the others, especially large ones, aren’t as tasty but are great for autumn decorations.
If you really lack space, you can try growing pumpkins up a trellis. Because the fruits are so heavy, the trellis needs to be very sturdy, and you will have to support the fruits with slings as they mature.
More summer crops to start in spring
Favorites: Atlantic Giant, Baby Bear, Big Max, Connecticut Field, Cotton Candy, Howden's Field, Jack Be Little, Jack O’Lantern, Jarrahdale, Little October, Long Island Cheese, Lumina, Musqee de Provence, Prizewinner Hybrid, Red Warty Thing, Rouge Vif d’Etampes (Cinderella), Small Sugar (New England Pie), Sugar Pie, Winter Luxury Pie
Planting notes: Look for a warm, sunny site with well-drained, fertile soil. You’ll need plenty of space unless you’re growing miniatures; plan on about 20 square feet. Sow seeds about two weeks after the last frost date or when soil temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). Start indoors two to three weeks before then if you have short summers.
For traditional vining types, make hills 8 feet in diameter, 6 to 8 feet apart. Sow five to six seeds about 1 to 2 inches deep and 1 inch apart in each hill, then thin to two plants once seedlings develop. Semibush varieties can be set a little closer, with 4-foot hills set 6 feet apart. Thin to two plants per hill.
Miniature and small pumpkins can be grown in rows 4 to 6 feet apart. Sow two to three seeds every 2 feet along the row, then thin to one plant every 2 to 3 feet. You can also plant these smaller varieties in a large (15- to 20-gallon) container.
For traditional vining types, make hills 8 feet in diameter, 6 to 8 feet apart. Sow five to six seeds about 1 to 2 inches deep and 1 inch apart in each hill, then thin to two plants once seedlings develop. Semibush varieties can be set a little closer, with 4-foot hills set 6 feet apart. Thin to two plants per hill.
Miniature and small pumpkins can be grown in rows 4 to 6 feet apart. Sow two to three seeds every 2 feet along the row, then thin to one plant every 2 to 3 feet. You can also plant these smaller varieties in a large (15- to 20-gallon) container.
Care: Water regularly but avoid splashing the leaves, stems or flowers to help prevent mildew; watering basins, furrows and drip irrigation are the best options. Weed and walk around the plants carefully, as both the roots and stems are delicate.
Apply fertilizer once the plants start to bloom. Once the fruit forms, slip a piece of wood or form under each pumpkin.
Aphids, cucumber beetles, squash bugs and squash vine borers can all cause problems, while anthracnose, downy mildew and powdery mildew are fairly common diseases.
Care for extra-large pumpkins: Once the plants start to grow, cut off the stems until only one or two remain. When fruit forms, keep only one per stem. Build a hill of soil every 2 feet along each stem to encourage additional root growth. Otherwise the care requirements are the same as for smaller pumpkins.
Apply fertilizer once the plants start to bloom. Once the fruit forms, slip a piece of wood or form under each pumpkin.
Aphids, cucumber beetles, squash bugs and squash vine borers can all cause problems, while anthracnose, downy mildew and powdery mildew are fairly common diseases.
Care for extra-large pumpkins: Once the plants start to grow, cut off the stems until only one or two remain. When fruit forms, keep only one per stem. Build a hill of soil every 2 feet along each stem to encourage additional root growth. Otherwise the care requirements are the same as for smaller pumpkins.
Harvest: Pick the fruit 80 to 120 days before the first frost hits (pumpkins can take a light frost but not heavy cold. Stop watering about a week before harvest. The shell should be firm, with good color; usually the stem will have started to die back as well.
Cut the stem about 4 inches from the fruit with a knife or shears. Handle pumpkins with care; move them by holding the fruit itself and not the stem.
Cut the stem about 4 inches from the fruit with a knife or shears. Handle pumpkins with care; move them by holding the fruit itself and not the stem.
Place your pumpkins in a warm, airy place outdoors with a temperature of about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 27 degrees Celsius) for one to two weeks to allow the fruit to cure. Store in a cool, dry place with an average temperature of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).
More guides to edible gardening
More guides to edible gardening
Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Regular