Pumpkin blog post

Pumpkins: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

Pumpkins are a fun plant for the whole family to watch grow out in the garden. They're great to use in autumn as a decoration, and once you're done with the decoration, you get to enjoy the taste!
Pumpkins are a fun plant for the whole family to watch grow out in the garden. They’re great to use in autumn as a decoration, and once you’re done with the decoration, you get to enjoy the taste!

How to Grow:

Sow seeds directly into the soil outdoors as early as 2 weeks after your last spring frost in the spring and throughout the summer up to 14 weeks before your first fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App.

Sow 1 seed per 2 square feet about 1 inch deep to try and ensure that you have enough space. You can can place a trellis by the squares for the vines to help to save space and grow vertically. Make sure to plant in a space that has full sun. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. It will take approximately 5-10 days for your seeds to sprout. Provide your pumpkin plant with constant moisture to ensure that it grows adequately.

Companion Plants:

Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these. Herbs are especially great companion plants because they help to repel pests from your other plants!

         Good Bad
Banana Peppers Nasturtiums Potatoes
Beans (Pole) Okra Rosemary
Bell Peppers Onions  
Catnip Oregano  
Corn Radish  
Hot Peppers Sunflowers  
Leeks Sweet Peppers  
Marigolds Tarragon  
Marjoram    

See companion plants for 70+ foods in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web app!

Pests:

Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common ones for pumpkins:

Learn more about pests and beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!

Harvesting:

You will begin to be able to harvest your acorn squash approximately 90-120 days from first sprout. The best time to harvest is when the temperatures start to dip down close to freezing at night and the leaves and vines begin to die off. Cut the pumpkin from the vine and leave the stem as long as possible. You may cure the pumpkin if desired by leaving it sitting in the sun for a few days.

How to Prepare:

Pumpkins can be used for both decoration and baking. You can use and eat everything on the inside of the pumpkin, including the seeds!
 

Learn more about growing over 70 different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or new Universal Web App!

pumpkin

 

 

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4 thoughts on “Pumpkins: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

  1. Hey, I am just a few miles from Half Moon Bay, the Pumpkin Capital of the World! I went to school with the Pumpkin Queen 1985!
    Okay, not so much to brag about now.

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