Pumpkins

[Grow 4 Food]

I till several gardens in the area (have a 70in rear tine). The other day I was working up a friend of mines FIL's garden. He gave me a couple of plants that are pumpkins. They are suppose to grow a 50lbs plus pumpkin. It is my understanding that I am suppose to let them grow until I see 4 or 5 started. At this time decide which ine is the best and remove all others from that point forward. They are suppose to be in the ground right now to make a halloween pumpkin. Does the timing in this sound right? Seems to be aweful early for pumpkin planting. How anyone every grown this tyoe before?

 

[shortcake1806]

Sounds like an Atlantic Giant pumpkin. It does seem early for planting them but maybe you need the extra time to get those really large guys. 50lbs for and Atlantic Giant is pretty small though they are the world reccord holders at over 1000lbs.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Timing is about perfect. Beginning of May to have giant pumpkins by Halloween. The plant will probably starting producing flowers in about a month. However, this is for GIANT pumpkins growing in excess of 9 foot circumference. If you want smaller pumpkins then you can plant a little late. We're putting ours in the ground about right now too. Some giant, some smaller.

To achieve the "award winning" giant pumpkins, yes you do have to remove other fruits from the vine. How many fruits you leave on the vine all depends on how big you want them to grow. Also, make your selections carefully, wait till there are a few set fruits and figure out which ones are the best. I've never gone through so much trouble to keep tabs like that. If I want a bigger pumpkin I pick off a couple of fruits from that vine and they grow bigger.

Fruit rot from where they touch the ground is a big problem. Water the base of the plant and not from overhead. They are very susceptible to powdery mildew, especially if you don't allow time for the leaves to dry. If they do get powdery mildew copper spray will help with that. Grow them on hills, this helps with finding the base, watering and fertilizing. Make sure the ground is very fertile and well drained. Giant pumpkins require A LOT of water. I mean a lot.

We plant a bunch of radishes around the perimeter of our pumpkins (and all curcubits) to help prevent against squash bugs. Seems to help. Also, mulching around the base is okay but too much mulch harbors squash bugs.

So, the pumpkins that survive the season (which will be around mid-September) should be left on the vine until it dries to cure the fruit. Do not harvest until the pumpkin is bright orange and the rind is hard. The plant may wither and dry which is fine. Cut about 2-4 inches of stem, they then need to cure for about a week at around 70 degrees F. Remove any dirt or debris, then store them in a cool (45-60 degree) place on top of newspaper. The longer and more thorough curing process the longer they will last. Normally the whole process should be about 3-5 weeks, just in time for Halloween!

 

[Beekissed]

Plant nasturtiums around all your squash, pumpkins, melons!!! Keeps the squash beetles off very well! And so pretty....and edible blossoms!!! :rose

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Plant nasturtiums around all your squash, pumpkins, melons!!! Keeps the squash beetles off very well! And so pretty....and edible blossoms!!! :rose

I forgot about nasturtiums too!

Now I need to run out and plant a bunch!

 

[silkiechicken]

Never grown that type, but if the soil is warm enough, you can plant out. I just started my squash seeds and plan to put them out in about 2-3 weeks.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

What are nasturtiums?

 

[Rosalind]

A kind of edible flower. They taste a bit like watercress and come in shades of orange, yellow, cream. They are insanely easy to grow in most soil.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Are seeds pretty easy / common to find?

 

[Rosalind]

Burpee

Park Seed

Jung seeds