Pumpkins, Winter Squash And Gourds

Pumpkins, Winter Squash and gourds all need similar water, soil, fertilizer and sun conditions to produce an abundant harvest of fruit.

The people at Burpee seed said, “Pumpkins, Winter Squash And Gourds need a lot of direct sun. Choose the sunniest place you have, remember that pumpkins are sensitive and will need shelter from wind and frost.

They like and need a lot of water, but don’t plant pumpkins in wet or dense soil. They need good, well-drained soil. Pumpkin roots don’t go down very deep. Prepare the soil in early spring, as soon as the ground is warm. Fertilize the patch with a good four inches of rotting cow manure(compost). Pumpkins do best in soil that is slightly acid or nearly neutral.

Plant your seeds carefully following the planting instruction on the back of your seed package.

Pumpkins have male and female flowers.+ The male flowers show up first, followed by the females. Look out for the first female flowers. Look for vines to be strong and well established before letting a female flower set fruit. It might help to break off the first female on each vine and wait for the second or third flower. A female is easy to recognize she has a baby pumpkin at the base of each flower.

You need a big vine to produce big pumpkins, so in a sense you’re choosing the vine before the pumpkin. When two or three fruits on each plant reach the size of softballs, remove all but the most promising ones.

It is important to remember that the only thing that will increase the size of the fruit comes out of the vines and the vines must get support from the natural root. For growing really big pumpkins, the most important things to remember are seeds, soil, full sun exposure, and water.

By mid-August, the plants are pulling in water and nutrients at a great rate. Nighttime is when pumpkins do their growing.

If it’s a dry season, it may be necessary to give each plant as much as 15 to 20 gallons of water twice a week. Water in the evening, and water only the base of the plant to keep the leaves dry, which reduces the risk of disease.

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