The nice thing about growing pumpkins is that you can use almost every part of it. The flesh of the pumpkin can make mouth-watering soups for the cold weather, and the seeds can make healthy snacks, when you roast them. Growing pumpkins is actually ideal for people who are just starting to learn how to grow a vegetable garden. This is because growing them is very easy and fun. They also grow in most regions in the country, and their seeds are also inexpensive. You can even use the seeds from a pumpkin that you have bought from the grocery.
Here are a few simple steps for growing pumpkins in your own backyard:
Planning Your Planting
Pumpkins do not grow healthy during the cold weather, so this is the best time for you to start planting your seeds. Spring is actually a good time for you to plant your pumpkin seeds so that you will have a good harvest just in time for the Halloween carvings.
Preparing Your Soil
Since pumpkin plant crawl and they grow in vines, you have to make sure that there is an ample space in your garden for you to plant pumpkins. 20 to 30 yards of open space is good enough for one pumpkin patch. Make sure that this area also has enough sunlight during the day, because pumpkins love the warm temperature. You should also make sure that the soil is well draining. Ideally, pumpkins grow better when your soil is clay based.
Seeds
There are different types of pumpkins that you can plant at home. If you intend to use the pumpkins for the Halloween carving, then you might want to get seeds of larger pumpkins so that you can make nice decorative jack-o-lanterns for the holiday.
Planting
Your pumpkin seeds should be planted at least 2 inch deep in the soil. You should also make sure to give space in between seeds, so that their roots under the soil will have an ample space to grow. After planting the seeds, cover the soil with compost to give your soil enough nutrients, to ensure healthy and abundant pumpkins during the harvest.
Nurturing & Nourishing
Make sure that you water your pumpkins are watered regularly to keep the ground moist. Try to avoid the pumpkin leaves when watering, because the moist can often attract fungus, which can hurt your plant. This being said, it is best to water pumpkins early in the morning, so that it will have enough time during the day to dry out. Remember, fungus love moist and dark places. So fungus are likely to attack during the night time.
Harvest Time
It is easy to tell when the pumpkins are ready for harvesting. If you see them in full size already, and that they have turned into orange already, then this is already a clear sign that your pumpkins are ready for picking and carving to make nice jack-o-lanterns.
image courtesy of ginnerobot/flickr
