It’s Pumpkin Season!
The Planting Time for Pumpkins
By Jacob J. Wright
Pumpkins are the close kin of zucchini, gourd and squash.
Pumpkins, a form of winter squash (Cucurbita pepo) are annual vines native to the Americas. Appropriately, the pumpkin serves as a central piece of American fall festivals, including Halloween decorations and as sweet filling for Thanksgiving pie. Pumpkin vines are frost sensitive, so must be planted as seeds in warm soil and the 75 to 100 days following must not include freezing temperatures. Sow pumpkin seeds the same time you plant tomatoes outdoors in your region.
Planting Time
Sow pumpkin seeds or set out small pumpkin seedlings in spring after the last expected killing frost date and the garden soil is warmed to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. When gardeners in your region are planting sweet corn, watermelon, eggplant, pepper or tomato, it's also time to plant pumpkins. A fertile, organic-rich soil promotes the best growth and productivity of pumpkins. Do not plant in soggy areas or where flooding occurs after rain. Place both bush and vine types of pumpkins in full sun settings, receiving at least eight hours of direct rays.
Timing the Harvest
Besides not growing well in extremely hot conditions, gardeners in the United States in regions with long growing seasons often delay planting pumpkins. Looking at seed packets, you can deduct the number of days it takes for any pumpkin variety to grow to maturity and yield the orange fruits. You don't want pumpkins to ripen on the vine too early in the late summer or fall, since they might succumb to fungal rot and leaf diseases. Once the fruits ripen, the vine naturally deteriorates and dries up. Americans tend to want their fresh pumpkins from late September until late November.
It’s Pumpkin Season!
The Planting Time for Pumpkins
By Jacob J. Wright
Pumpkins are the close kin of zucchini, gourd and squash.
Pumpkins, a form of winter squash (Cucurbita pepo) are annual vines native to the Americas. Appropriately, the pumpkin serves as a central piece of American fall festivals, including Halloween decorations and as sweet filling for Thanksgiving pie. Pumpkin vines are frost sensitive, so must be planted as seeds in warm soil and the 75 to 100 days following must not include freezing temperatures. Sow pumpkin seeds the same time you plant tomatoes outdoors in your region.
Planting Time
Sow pumpkin seeds or set out small pumpkin seedlings in spring after the last expected killing frost date and the garden soil is warmed to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. When gardeners in your region are planting sweet corn, watermelon, eggplant, pepper or tomato, it's also time to plant pumpkins. A fertile, organic-rich soil promotes the best growth and productivity of pumpkins. Do not plant in soggy areas or where flooding occurs after rain. Place both bush and vine types of pumpkins in full sun settings, receiving at least eight hours of direct rays.
Timing the Harvest
Besides not growing well in extremely hot conditions, gardeners in the United States in regions with long growing seasons often delay planting pumpkins. Looking at seed packets, you can deduct the number of days it takes for any pumpkin variety to grow to maturity and yield the orange fruits. You don't want pumpkins to ripen on the vine too early in the late summer or fall, since they might succumb to fungal rot and leaf diseases. Once the fruits ripen, the vine naturally deteriorates and dries up. Americans tend to want their fresh pumpkins from late September until late November.