The Pumpkin, a versatile squash, gourd, fruit, and berry is used in pies, and soups. The pumpkin is used in two holidays and in any various competitions like Punkin Chuckin contest. The Chucky III and team hold the record at 3,636.39 ft. Whether your growing out of curiosity or because you want to beat a record. It's actually not that hard to grow a pumpkin, a little planning and weekly routine, and nature does the rest. Humans have been growing gourds and pumpkins for thousands of ears. The Three sisters method is a common tried and true approach to grow beans, corn, and pumpkins together. If conventional growing is to boring then consider growing giant pumpkins. The cost for this interesting hobby is upwards of 8Gs and requires plenty of land and grafting to get the giant size the growers want.
Plant and Go
Botanical Name: Cucurbita
| Depth: 1" | Spacing: 18-36" | Row: 6-8' | Temp: 65-95F |
| Germ: 6-12 days | Sun: Full/ 6-8 hrs | pH: 6.0-6.8 | Harvest: 90-120 days |
| Soil: well drained | Container: 5-gallon | Fertilizer: 5-15-15 | Water: 1in |
| Fert Freq: 2-3 wks |
Details
Growing is straight forward and germination takes about 6-12 days. Sow 1” deep, space 18-36in, rows 6-8 ft. For a fall harvest sow in May or June. Transplant after last frost. If space is an issue a 5 gallon bucket or equivalent sized container might be a solution to make things easy. You can use a trellis system if space is a issue. The key is to train the vine up or along your trellis. The variety of pumpkin is also important, like the Jack Be Little is great for smaller spaces. Water about 1 inch a week , avoid over watering. Its best to water in the morning and on very hot afternoons. Fertilize every 2-3 weeks, with a 5-15-15 formula. Thin seedlings to 18-36in. Pumpkins like full sun for 6-8 hours. Once your pumpkin is off and growing its time for pollination. Pumpkin is not a self pollinator, so you’ll have to let nature take its course or pollenate by hand. Since a pumpkin has both female and male flowers hand pollination is easy. The female flower has a bulb behind it, the male is just a flower. Basically pick the male flower or stamen, remove the flowers and gently brush on the inside of the female flower or pistol flowers are usually open in the morning to midmorning. For the next 90-120 days keep a eye on your pumpkin plant, water and feed on a schedule. Pumpkins is prone to mold and aphids, prune . Pumpkins love to grow and will take up a lot of space. Consider pruning once you have 4-5 flowers, or a few budding pumpkins.
Harvest
Pumpkins mature in about 90-120 days. You’ll know there ready when the rind is hard and it has reached the desired color. You can test by jabbing your finger nail against the outer skin. It should resist punctures. Then just cut off the vine.
Tips
If you really want to grow a pumpkin the best tip is to learn about them. There’s a whole world of growing techniques, uses, completion the more you learn the easier it will be to grow quality pumpkins no matter the type or space situation.
Pumpkins can get out of control if there not watched at least weekly you don’t have to do a in-depth inspection, just keep a eye on the amount of space the vines are taking up.
Fun Facts
-Factoid: World Record for largest Giant pumpkin is 2,703 pounds grown by Stephan Cutrupi
-Factoid: Clarke Broke holds the Guiness world record for speed carving a Jack ‘O Lantern at 16.47 seconds
Conclusion
Pumpkins are surprisingly fun to grow. They are heavy feeders, and love compost piles. If you’re growing for Halloween or contest it’s best to do a little research. Pumpkins aren’t difficult to grow.