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It's fall and time for pumpkins!
Nothing says autumn like the sight of a pumpkin or the smell of pumpkin pie. When English settlers came to the New World they found Native Americans growing a variety of pumpkins and squash. Pumpkins were easy to grow and stored well so they were a favorite of pioneers. In the fall many acres of pumpkins can still be seen across the land. Today most of the pumpkins you see in the fields are for fall decorations and Jack- O -Lanterns, although Americans still like their pumpkin pie. The pumpkin capitol of the world is Morton, Illinois, where the Libby canning factory is located.
Early pumpkins did not look like the smooth, bright orange fruits piled outside every store in the fall. They were flatter and heavily ridged. The color was more of a pinkish orange or red. If you look at the illustrations in an early copy of Cinderella, you can get an idea of what early pumpkins looked like. True pumpkins and winter squash are often very similar and can cross breed. The astoundingly huge pumpkins grown for competition are really squash. They are generally large blobs of pale yellow instead of the round orange globes favored for seasonal decorations. A winning pumpkin may weigh over 1500 pounds
Growing Pumpkins
Pumpkins can be grown over much of the Untied States. In Michigan, the quickest maturing varieties must be chosen and the plants may need to be started indoors a few weeks before your last frost. Pumpkin seeds are generally planted in the ground in Zone 5 and above, after the danger of frost is over and the soil is warm. Mounding the soil and covering it with black plastic a week or so before planting pumpkins there will warm the soil and get plants off to a good start. Pumpkins must have full sun to grow well. They prefer rich, fertile soil with lots of organic matter. Pumpkins are heavy feeders and benefit from a little 5-10 -5 fertilizer worked into the soil at planting and fertilizing with a slow release fertilizer about half way through your growing season. Pumpkins need regular watering if rainfall is less than an inch a week. Try to water at the base of the plants and early enough in the day so that the leaves dry before night, as pumpkins are susceptible to fungal disease.
Unless you have lots of room, don’t plant too many pumpkins. Each vine will cover large amounts of space. Even the mini pumpkins have large vines. The pumpkin leaves are huge, with three lobes. The vines are thick, dark green to black and both the leaves and vines are covered with sticky, scratchy hairs. Pumpkin blooms are golden yellow; male flowers start opening first, then the females with the tiny pumpkin attached to the back of the flower begin to open. The flowers need to be pollinated by insects to produce pumpkins. Removing some of the later fruits that start to develop will help the first fruits grow larger.
As the pumpkin vines grow longer, mound soil over them in various places. The vines will put some roots down there to help feed the plant, which may save the plant if squash vine borers attack. These insects lay eggs on the plants, which hatch into little worms that feed inside the pumpkin vine, causing the leaves to wilt. Eventually the plant will die beyond the damaged area. If you notice your pumpkin vines wilting and the soil is moist, check the vines for tiny holes with sawdust around them. You can sometimes kill the worm with piece of wire, then mound soil over the damaged area and save the plant.
Harvest pumpkins when the leaves have been killed by the first frost. You can harvest earlier if the fruit has a mature color and the rind is firm. Cut the pumpkin from the vine leaving several inches of stem. Longer stems help pumpkins store better. Let them cure in a sunny area for a few days if possible, then store out of the sun in a warm, dry area. Don’t let pumpkins freeze or they will turn into mush. Pumpkins that are almost ripe will continue to ripen a little after picking, but green pumpkins will not turn orange after picking.
Choosing Varieties
There are over fifty pumpkin varieties on the market and most are decorative types. There are large pumpkins, tiny ones, and yellow, red, blue, tan, and white ones. There are some varieties, however, that are still being grown for eating There are also special varieties of pumpkins that are grown for producing seeds. For Jack- O- Lanterns choose varieties such as ‘Howden,’ ‘Wolf,’ ‘Expert,’ ‘Connecticut Field,’ ‘Phantom.’ For large white pumpkins try ‘Lumina’ or ‘Full Moon’, ‘Rouge Vif D’Etampes’ is a reddish, flattened Cinderella type, ‘One Too Many’ is orange and white striped, ‘Jamboree’ is blue-gray. For cooking plant ‘Amish Pie,’ ‘Winter Luxury,’ ‘Small Sugar’, or ‘New England Pie.’ Mini pumpkins include ‘Baby Boo,’ (white), ‘Wee Be Little,’ and ‘Jack Be Little.’ For huge competition pumpkins try ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant,’ ‘Wyatt’s Wonder,’ or ‘Prizewinner.’ ‘Kakai’ and ‘Snackjack’ produce hull-less seeds for eating.
Using Pumpkins
Long before pumpkins were turned into scary decorations, Europeans were hollowing out turnips and gourds as candleholders for “Hallows” Eve. When the tradition was carried to the New World it was found that pumpkins make an excellent substitute for turnips.
Pumpkins and squash are high in vitamins A and C and potassium, as well as a good source of fiber. Pumpkins can be canned, frozen or dried, or whole fruits can be stored. Pumpkin pie probably evolved from the way early settlers would fill a hollowed out pumpkin with milk and sugar and let it cook in the coals. Pumpkins can also be roasted with meat and cooked in soups. The seeds can be removed and roasted or boiled in salt water and dried.
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