Tips For Growing Pumpkins

Soil

The best soil for growing plants, especially pumpkin and other cucurbits, are acidic or neutral with a pH of 7. You must prepare the soil meticulously, ensuring that it remains moist without being soggy. Select a sunny spot to sow the seeds. Add neem solution to the soil to keep insects away. In addition, mix wood ash with rotting manure. Lastly, raise the soil slightly and create a depression at the centre to form a rounded base. This spot will be ideal for sowing the seeds.

Sowing

Be sure to soak the pumpkin seeds in warm water a day in advance. Consider sowing the seeds in a nursery before transplanting the vines to the prepared bed. Alternatively, you may sow the seeds directly into the prepared soil. Ensure at least 3 feet of space between the vines to facilitate propagation. When planting the seeds on top of a soil ridge, press the mound and insert the seed an inch into the soil.

Lunar Phase

To grow a pumpkin plant properly, sow the seeds at the right time. Agriculturists recommend studying the phases of the moon before planting the seeds. For best results, plant seeds during the second phase. The intensity of moonlight increases during this phase and the gravitational pull is minimal.

Pollination

You will find both male and female pumpkin flowers on a single plant. Often, pollination occurs via insects. You don't have to do anything. In rare cases, pollination is done manually. To ensure perfect pollination, here are two tips:

• Identify the female flower.

• Vigorously rub the male flower over the identified flower to transfer pollen.

Harvesting

Almost all pumpkin varieties ripen on the vines and are ready for harvest within three months.

Growing Pumpkins in Containers

The pumpkin is a huge vegetable that requires a lot of space to grow to its full weight. While growing pumpkin indoors is not an ideal option, it is the only choice when you do not have a garden. In this case, sow the seeds directly into the soil and put them into a 30-litres container. Make sure that you sow seeds that would yield small-sized pumpkins. Alternatively, use a 50-litres to a 60-litre container for growing larger pumpkins. Check out the table below for more information on growing pumpkins indoors:

Important Information

Ideal Value

Growing Temperature

23-32 °C

Germination Temperature

30-32°C

Germination Time

7-12 days.

Soil pH

6.0 to 6-8 (7 is neutral and ideal).

Sunlight Need

6-10 hours per day.

Preferred Planting Method

Direct sowing.

Container size

30-60 litres depending on the variety.

Time to Harvest

60-130 days from germination.

Harvest Period

30-40 days for the first crop.

Pollination

Bee pollination or hand pollination.

Pests Affecting Growth

Ants, Aphids, Squash bugs, Leaf Minor.

Best season to plant in India

Summer and monsoon.

Caring for the Pumpkin Plant

The growing vines don't need round-the-clock care once the seeds are planted properly. However, the following steps will ensure a good yield and that the pumpkin develops properly.

• Use organic mulch around the newly sprouted seeds to limit the growth of weeds.

• Pull out the weak seedlings at the earliest.

• Trim the vines regularly and remove the yellow leaves from them.

• Use a drip tube for watering the vines.

• Water the pumpkin plant in the evening.

• Do deep drenching to remove excess water from the soil.

• Use organic pest repellents by spraying the vines.

• Use compost tea or wood ash/organic products to nourish the vines.