How to Grow Pumpkins
Instruction & Advice for Growing Pumpkin Plants
in Your Vegetable Garden
| Nutrition | Watering Instructions | Harvesting |
| Climate | Fertilizing Instructions | Storage |
| Soil | Challenges | Tips |
| Planting |
This fun vegetable requires requires a sizeable patch to grow in your garden. Technically, pumpkin is a fruit, although, it is most commonly refered to as a vegetable. It's vines can reach 20 feet in length (or more!). Since pumpkins require so much space, you way want to try growing them among your corn crop.
Pumpkins are not suited for container gardening.
Do not plant with (or very near) potatoes. Consider reviewing the companion planting guide when picking a location for the pumpkin patch in your garden.
Nutrition Information: (back to top)
Under optimal growing conditions, pumpkin offers: Dietary Fiber, Chromium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese, Vitamin E, C, A, B6, Folate, Thiamin, Niacin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Riboflavin
Climate & Growing Conditions: (back to top)
Pumpkins are a warm weather crop. They do not tolerant frost or cold weather. You can grow them in most climates. However, once the season starts getting cooler, your growing season will shorten (and your pumpkin yield will be smaller).
You'll find that growing pumpkins is most successful in a very sunny location. They will accept partial shade.
How to Prepare the Garden Soil: (back to top)
Good drainage is absolutely a must for this vegetable.
Several weeks before planting, prepare the garden soil by digging in lots of rotted manure, compost, and/or a complete fertilizer. Try to prepare the garden soil for your pumpkin patch so that the pH is between 5.5 and 7.5. (Instructions for testing your garden soil's pH level)
How to Plant Pumpkin: (back to top)
If you're in a gardening climate that has a short growing season, get a jump start on your pumpkin patch by starting the seeds indoors 4 or 5 weeks early. Plant the seeds in pots, 1” deep in the seed starting mix.
Or you can plant the pumpkin seeds directly into the garden soil. Mound up "hills of soil", and plant a handfull of seeds 1" deep at different locations in the "hill." The pumpkin vines will take up a lot of space, so be sure to leave 6’ between hills.
When the first true leaves appear, thin your "hill" to 2 or 3 plants. Be careful not to disturb roots when you thin the plants… instead, consider cutting off the plants you want to thin at ground level.
How to Water: (back to top)
Drip watering (irrigation) works well for pumpkins. When watering, it is important that you try to keep the water off the leaves and vines.
You may notice that during very hot weather, the pumpkin plants wilt. However, if your garden soil is kept moist (not soggy though), the plant will soon recover.
How to Fertilize: (back to top)
Pumpkins are heavy feeders and require a healthy supply of fertilizer. When you see the first fruit forming on the vines, apply a dose of fertilizer (watered into the ground).
If you apply too much fertilizer, you will have a great crop of pumpkin leaves, but very little fruit.
If you have very rich garden soil, occassionally pinch off some of the pumpkin leaves to encourage the plant's growing efforts to go to the fruit instead.
Gardening Challenges: (back to top)
Pumpkin is commonly troubled by powdery mildew or bacterial wilt. Both can be prevented by not handling the vines while they’re wet, and keeping the garden clean.
You may find that aphids or pumpkin beetles enjoy your pumpkin patch.
Also, pumpkins can catch Viral Mosaic, wich is spread by insects from plant to plant.
Gardening Advice Tip: Practice good vegetable gardening by rotating your crops within your garden space with each new season. This will prevent many plant diseases.
How to Harvest Pumpkins: (back to top)
On average, pumpkins take from 3 to 4 months to grow to maturity. You will need to harvest them before the first frost. When the vines die down, cut the pumpkin from the vine. For easy handling, leave a portion of the stem on the pumpkin.
How to Freeze Pumpkin (back to top)
Peel pumpkin and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Mash the pumpkin, cool, then pack into plastic containers, leaving headspace. Freeze pumpkin for up to 3 months.
Or Bake pumpkin until nearly fully cooked. Cool. Pack into freezer bags, remove the air, seal and label. Freeze pumpkin for up to 3 months.
Cold Storage (back to top)
Store in a well ventilated space with temperatures a little over 50 degrees (F).
Gardening Advice Tips (back to top)
Have a helpful gardening tip (or even a fun story) to share about your pumpkin growing experience? Share it with us at: gardeningtips@howtogardenadvice.com
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