It's a little late to start growing your own pumpkins for Halloween 2010, but if you save seeds from your purchased pumpkins this year you can grow your own for Halloween 2011. You may even grow enough to share with the neighborhood or to sell.

Pumpkins are a warm-season vegetable that can be grown throughout much of the United States. They require a fairly long period (3 to 4 months) of hot weather and can not tolerate any frost. Besides being used as Halloween jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkins are used to make pumpkin pies, soup, bread, butter, custard, and even cookies

What do you need?

• 3 to 4 months of sunny weather, with day time temperatures of at least 70 F, preferably hotter.
• A very sunny location.  The won't grow under trees and in the shade.
• Rich soil, that doesn't sit under water.  Pumpkins like lots of organic matter: manure, grass clippings, leaves, compost should be worked into the soil ahead of planting.
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Water. Duh!  They do need to be watered, a good soaking, at least once a week.

When to Plant

Pumpkin is a very tender vegetable. The seeds will germinate in cold soil, and the seedlings are injured by frost. Do not plant until all danger of frost has passed, and the soil has thoroughly warmed. The packets of seeds tell you when to plant in your area, but basically, it is late April through July in the deep South; and from late May to mid June in the north.

Spacing and Depth

Pumpkins grow as a vine, which means they take up a LOT of space. Pumpkins require a minimum of 50 to 100 square feet per "hill". Plant four or five seeds per spaced an inch or two apart in one hole (called a "hill"). Leave 5 to 6 feet between each hill. When the young plants are well-established, thin each hill to the best two or three plants.

There are newer "semi-bush" varieties that do not vine quite so much (of course the yield is also smaller). Plant semi-bush varieties one inch deep (four or five seeds per hill) and thin to the best two plants per hill. Allow 4 feet between hills and 8 feet between rows.

Plant miniature varieties one inch deep, with two or three seeds every 2 feet in the row. Rows should be 6 to 8 feet apart, with seedlings thinned to the best plant every 2 feet when they have their first true leaves.

Plant bush varieties one inch deep (1 or 2 seeds per foot of row) and thin to a single plant every 3 feet. Allow 4 to 6 feet between rows.

Care

Pumpkin plants should be kept free from weeds by hoeing and shallow cultivation. Irrigate if an extended dry period occurs in early summer. Pumpkins tolerate short periods of hot, dry weather pretty well.

Bees, that are necessary for pollinating squash and pumpkins, may be killed by insecticides. When insecticides are used, they should be applied only in late afternoon or early evening when the blossoms have closed for the day and bees are no longer visiting the blossoms. As new blossoms open each day and bees land only inside the open blossoms, these pollinating insects should be safe from contact with any potentially deadly sprays.

Harvesting

Pumpkins can be harvested whenever they are a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties) and the rind is hard. If vines remain healthy, harvest in late September or early October, before heavy frosts. If vines die prematurely from disease or other causes, harvest the mature fruit and store them in a moderately warm, dry place until Halloween. Cut pumpkins from the vines carefully, using pruning shears or a sharp knife and leave 3 to 4 inches of stem attached. Snapping the stems from the vines results in many broken or missing "handles." Pumpkins without stems usually do not keep well. Wear gloves when harvesting fruit because many varieties have sharp prickles on their stems.

Avoid cutting and bruising the pumpkins when handling them. Fruits that are not fully mature or that have been injured or subjected to heavy frost do not keep. Store in a dry building where the temperature is between 50 and 55°F.

Common Problems

Q. The first flowers that appeared on my pumpkin plants did not form fruits. Why not?

Q. How can I grow pumpkins that weigh more than 100 pounds?

• Use one of the jumbo varieties.
• Get the richest soil, add lots of composted manure and dig it in deep and wide.
• Plant in the sunniest location you have.
• Plant in early June and allow 150 square feet per hill.
• Thin to the best one or two plants.

Q. My grandmother made pies with a green-striped, long-necked pumpkin. Is this variety still available?

Q. Will pumpkins, squash and gourds cross-pollinate and produce freak fruit if I interplant several kinds in my garden?

However, cross-pollination does not affect the taste, shape or color of the current season's fruit. Crosses show up only if seeds from these fruits are saved and grown the following year. Butternut squash, Small Sugar pumpkin, White Cushaw pumpkin, and Big Max pumpkin could all be grown in the same area without crossing because each variety comes from a different species. Because bees carry pollen for distances of a mile or more, in suburban areas where many gardens are in close proximity, fruits must be bagged and pollinated by hand if pure seed of non-hybrid varieties is desired.

Q. What is the difference between a pumpkin and a squash?

• Growing Giant Pumpkins in the Home Garden How to grow a really big pumpkin!
• Pumpkin Nook - The Internet shrine and library for pumpkins.
• The Pumpkin Patch - Everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins.
• BigPumpkins--The Best Pumpkin Site Out There, Period
• AGGC--Restricted Membership with Non-Member Tools
• Mallorn Pumpkin List--Email Discussion List
• Giants of the Garden--Brett Hester's Site
• Maine Restricted-Use Pesticide Licensing Info--Information and Study Materials
• Maine Soil Testing Service--University of Maine, Orono
• University of Mass. Soil Testing Lab--Another Soil Testing Service
• A&L Analytical Laboratories--Widely Used Soil Testing Service