Vegetable Planting

How to grow pumpkins

If you have ever wondered how to grow pumpkins, read on and you will discover that it is not as difficult as you might think.

Frost sensitivity

Pumpkins are very sensitive to frost, so when planting the seedlings take care not to transplant them out into the garden until you are confident that the last frost has passed. To be on the safe side, consult other gardeners in your neighborhood about the frost patterns of the previous year. 

Doing the groundwork

When you were wondering how to grow pumpkins, did you imagine yourself shovelling manure? In fact, the nutritional content of the soil where they are planted is crucial to the success of your gardening mission. Unless it is full of clay, poor quality soil will be very crumbly. If this is how you would describe your soil, get hold of some decaying organic matter and start digging it in. It’s what you need for good pumpkins!

Planting

Sow the seeds in small pots in a greenhouse, and transplant to the main bed after about four weeks. The next couple of months will be a battle to keep slugs off your young pumpkins, so be vigilant.

Caring for your pumpkins

If you have prepared the soil well, you should not be tempted to feed the plants. However, pumpkins do require lots of water, so if you have a particularly dry growing season, water the plants every couple of days.

Harvest time!

Deciding when to harvest your pumpkins is a waiting game.  On one hand, the pumpkins should be left on the stem for as long as possible to develop a thick skin and develop that irresistible sweetness. On the other hand, if you leave them long enough to be affected by frost,   the plants and fruits could be damaged. If you are blessed with a large number of pumpkins, do not worry, they will not go to waste as they keep for a very long time if stored in a cool, dry place.