When To Plant Pumpkins? Autumn is all about the sight of pumpkins adorning the veranda. Bright white pumpkins, deep orange jack-o-lanterns and dainty pumpkins are waiting to be turned into cakes, and there are many varieties to choose from. In order to prepare for the autumn decoration, it is important to plan and plant pumpkins in good time.
To plant pumpkins, the best time to plant pumpkin seeds in the garden is between mid-June and the last spring frost, which usually occurs in mid-May. You may want to plant your seeds indoors to give the tiny plants a better chance of survival. In this case you can sow your seeds at the end of April and transplant them in June.
Pumpkin plants need warm soil and a soil temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You have to wait until the soil temperature is about 90 degrees for your pumpkin to be happy. Once planted, the pumpkins are ready in about 100 days.
PLANTING PUMPKINS IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES TROPICAL CLIMATE
Pumpkins react well to humidity. Cultivating pumpkins in tropical climates produces larger fruits because the plant likes warm soil.
In tropical climates, the dry season is before the rainy season. Pumpkins grow best in the dry season to avoid mould and rot problems.
DRY CLIMATE
Growing pumpkins in a dry climate can be a bit difficult, but it is doable. Be sure to monitor your pumpkins and give them plenty of water on these hot days, although this should be done early in the morning or evening so that the water does not bring the pumpkins to the boil. Pumpkins need full sun in a dry climate, but they also appreciate some shade.
TEMPERATE CLIMATE
Temperate climates are some of the easiest cultivation areas for pumpkins. As soon as all frost danger is eliminated and the ground is warm above 75 degrees, pumpkin seeds can be planted outside.
CONTINENTAL CLIMATE
However, the winter season can be quite hard, and therefore the risk of frost can persist well into spring, so it is best to plant the seedlings indoors. Another nice aspect of continental climates is that their summers are much hotter, meaning pumpkins enjoy warmer soils.
POLAR CLIMATE
Pumpkins love warm soil, but polar climates are not conducive to their cultivation. If you have a green thumb, you might want to invest in a greenhouse that might be able to keep warm-loving plants.
CHOOSING PUMPKIN SEEDS
The decision as to which seed to plant is always exciting. While we all think of the iconic bright orange pumpkin, there are many different varieties to choose from. To get your decision-making process going, consider eating the pumpkin or using it for decorative purposes.
The Halloween pumpkin is the obvious choice, the Jack-in-the-Olattern pumpkin. Another option for cakes is Autumn Gold. These pumpkins weigh between 10 and 13 pounds, and their deep orange color makes for a spectacular dessert. Those who love pumpkin pie should try the baby bear pumpkins. Despite the smaller size, its flesh is beautiful and fine and easy to scoop out.
It weighs between 12 and 16 pounds and is easy to skim off. The biggest variety is the winner. It’s so easy to grow that it can easily become a 200-pound pumpkin. The Big Moon variety can reach a whopping 100 pounds, so make sure you have enough space to grow it. If you love competition, I don’t see you growing a bigger pumpkin.
HOW TO PLANT PUMPKIN SEEDS
The first step to sowing a pumpkin seed is to find the right place for sowing the pumpkin seed.
Pumpkins are long vines that take up a lot of space. On average, pumpkin vines need 50 to 100 square meters of space to grow. This may seem a lot, but remember that even plants with roots need little space. In fact, they like to grow on sidewalks and paths, so that you do not have to do without valuable garden space for growing wine. Pumpkins need full sun, but if you have room for a bit of shade, that’s fine.
If you have little space in the garden, you can grow pumpkins in 5-gallon buckets. As the plant grows, the vines migrate into the buckets and the roots receive the food they need from their soil.
