Pumpkins are amazing to have as deserts and other edibles; you must have seen them on Halloween, as they are one of the most desirable things of the event. Planting and growing pumpkins is a rewarding and fulfilled experience – however, you can only grow big pumpkins if you exactly know how to grow them. The excerpt talks about the basic tips that can facilitate your aim of growingpumpkins from seeds and make the harvest a success:
1: Make sure the soil is well done:
If the growth is planned for the spring season, make sure you prepare the soil from fall. The soil must be worked out with raw manure and dried leaves; rot tiller is also an essential need here. Kitchen wastes when mixed with soil also help in growing big pumpkins and of various types.
2: Know your space:
Know one thing from the beginning; growing pumpkins always require larger spaces. The railings of the pumpkin plants may go up to 20 feet, so be prepared. Also, the area must be getting around 8 to 10 hours of full sun each day, otherwise you won’t be able to get the desired results.
3: When to plant Pumpkins:
When to plant pumpkins? Well, this might be based on your need of having miniatures or larger ones. As mentioned before, there are various types of pumpkins; many keep on posting how to grow a giant pumpkin, probably they are competition goers. If you are amongst these, make sure you start sowing in mid may to mid June. In case you want smaller ones, your period can be extended to July 1st. It would be ready to harvest during the late September.
4. Frost protection:
How to grow pumpkins if your area is likely to have late frost, it is better to start the growing process indoors and transplant seedlings later.
Frost would destroy the pumpkin plants, so it is ideal to have indoor setup. You can keep the soil warm and ideal; just make sure you have covered the soil with some black plastic one week before planting pumpkins. Keep the sheet over the soil until the frost goes away completely.
5. Where to plant:
As mentioned before, the vines of the pumpkins have the capacity to grow aggressively and cover large spaces around them. Therefore, choose the areas where if the vines spread, does not affect the other plants. The heavy wind can harm the leaves of vines so if are living in an area where you experiences a lot of wind then plant them in the same direction as normally the wind blows.
6. Growing in smaller space:
If you have smaller spaces, you can trellis the vines. This is one popular way that is used by pumpkin farmers, but strong support is needed to handle the ripen ones.
7. Supply plenty of water:
Other than inquires like how to grow pumpkins, one major question is about its care. For that, make sure you provide enough water to the soil so that they can easily grow. The soil used for planting pumpkin seeds has to be rich in nutrients and minerals, and definitely water is required too. Make sure you plant your pumpkin plants early in the morning. However, make sure you keep the foliage dry, otherwise fungus may infect your entire farm.
8. Look after the pumpkin patch:
Just like all the other plants, pumpkins would need your love and affection so that they can grow. Make sure you weed the rows and the patches on weekly basis. However, do not use too much fertilizer or nitrogen contents.
9. Careful Harvest
If you try to harvest your pumpkins before the right time, you will end up eventually losing the entire thing. Make sure when you are about to harvest it, it has a deep color and same thing you can find around it. Also, the rind has to be tough; you can check by pressing it with your nail, it has to resist it from getting scratches and dents. Make sure you have harvested your pumpkins before it is fall or frost. You can check out the vines, if they start to freeze, don’t be scared your fruit is still protected. Simply use some sharp cutting tools and cut off your fruit from the vines. Do not cut from the stem; leave around 4 to 5 inches in between.
10. Proper storage
The cure duration for pumpkins is about 8 to 10 days. During this period, they must be placed in those areas where the temperature remains between 80 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit and there is little humidity. This helps in keeping it for storage. Once this process is done right, make sure you select the place for storage which is cool and dry. The suggested temperature for this period is between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The tip that you must know here is, never store pumpkins in double or more layers. They must be kept in single layer, otherwise they may get spoiled. It is because due to constant touch with each other, they would release some sort of heat, and ultimately it would cause decay. If you follow proper guidelines, you can easily store a pumpkin for about 3 months. You can enjoy your Halloween, in fact Christmas too with them.