1. Home
About.com
Gardening

Discuss in my forum

Pumpkins - How to Grow All Kinds of Great Pumpkins

By , About.com Guide

Overview:

The term ‘pumpkin’ can be confusing, meaning different things to different areas. Here I am referring to the round or oval, orange fruits which are member of the squash family. They are best known as Halloween decorations and holiday pies, but there is a lot more variety to pumpkins than just the common orange Jack-o-lantern.

Latin Name:

Most belong to Curcurbita pepo, but there are some pumpkins in Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita mixta and Cucurbita moschata Common Name(s) Pumpkins

Zone:

Annuals

Size:

Varies greatly from miniatures of a few ounces (‘Jack Be Little’) to giants (‘Atlantic Giant’)weighing in at over 1,000 pounds.

Exposure:

Full sun

Days to Harvest:

Long season growers. Vary from about 90 - 110 days. Check before purchasing to be sure the variety will have time to mature in your garden.

Description:

Pumpkins seem as American as apple pie, but they've been grown around the world for centuries. Orange is the commonly know color, but pumpkins come in white, red, pink and blue and can be smooth, bumpy, oval, flattened or round. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash, but some are simply grown as decoration.

The variety grown by most commercially is ‘Connecticut Field'. They are usually between 10 and 20 pounds each and orange color. Watery, with bland taste, this is not a great pie pumpkin.

Harvesting:

Harvest when the color is uniform and the shell doesn’t dent when pressed with a finger nail, or when the vines have dried and shriveled. . Pumpkins can withstand a light frost, but always harvest before a hard frost. Cut with a pruner, leave 2 -4 inches of stem.

Pumpkins need to be cured, to store well. Place in a warm, sunny spot (low to mid 80s F.) And space so they are not touching. Allow to cure about 10 days. Then they can be stored in a cool, dry spot (50 F.)

Suggested Varieties:

  • Carving Pumpkins : 'Connecticut Field', 'Ghost Rider' or (yes) 'Jack O' Lantern'.
  • Giant Pumpkins : 'Atlantic Giant’
  • Cooking Pumpkins : 'Small Sugar', aka 'New England Pie'.
  • Heirloom ‘Cinderella’ Pumpkin : ‘Rouge vif D'Etampes’, ‘Musque de Provence’
  • White Pumpkins : ‘Baby Boo’, Lumina, Casper
  • Other Colors : ‘Australian Blue’ & ‘Rouge D’Etant’ (Red)
  • Hull-less Varieties : ‘Hungarian Mammoth’, ‘Lady Godiva’, ‘Triple-Treat’,

Cultural Notes:

Pumpkin plants take up a lot of space. You’ll need a 6 x 8 foot area. Pumpkins will grow up a fence or trellis, but make sure it is strong and study, since there can be as many as 9 pumpkins per vine. The vines of small pumpkins can sprawl as far as large pumpkins.

Pumpkins like full sun and a rich, well-draining soil. Soil ph should be slightly acidic, 6.0 to 6.5.

You can start seeds indoors about three weeks before the last expected frost. If your growing season is long enough, sow seeds directly in the garden when the soil temperature reaches about 60 degrees F. Plant 3-6 seeds in a hill, or slightly raised mound. Spacing varies with the variety (check the seed packet), but in general allow at least 5 feet between plants in each direction. Vines and roots can easily spread 15'. Maintenance: Thin the seedling to the strongest 2 -3 plants. Mulch around the plants to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and keep the fruit clean. It also helps to place boards or old roof tiles under the fruits, to keep them from touching the ground and rotting.

Give your plants at least 1 to 2 inches of water a week, especially when they're blooming and setting fruit. Once the first fruits appear, you can pinch back the vine tips, to limit vine growth and to put the plant’s energy into maturing the existing pumpkins. However, this may limit production of more fruits.

Turn the pumpkins slightly every week or so, to keep them growing symmetrical. Do this gently. You don’t want to snap the vines.

Problems: Squash bugs and cucumber beetles. Avoid planting close a relative, like cucumbers or squash. Companion Planters can try planting petunias or nasturtiums nearby to repel the squash bugs and circling each hill at planting with radishes, to ward of squash beetles.

©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.