Pumpkins, the Quintessential Fall Vegetable

When many people think of the Fall season they think of carving pumpkins, spooky Halloween costumes, and brightly colored trees. Pumpkins are an essential part of the Fall season. Besides going to a local farmer’s pumpkin patch or grocery store there is really no other way to get a pumpkin. That is however not the case if you grow your own pumpkins.

Growing pumpkins isn’t as hard as you may think. Pumpkins are actually one of the easier garden vegetables to grow.

What to Plant: The first step when planting pumpkins is deciding what type of pumpkin you want your plant to bear. There are all types of different varieties. Baby’s Pam is a good variety if you want to make pies with your loot. Connecticut Field is a good carving pumpkin variety and Jack-Be-Little’s are a good variety for decorating. The Jack-Be-Little’s will live up to their name and turn out tiny, making them great for fun and festive decorations.

Where to Plant: Pumpkins need full sun to grow properly. You will need to choose an area that will be large enough to accommodate the growing pumpkins. An area of 20 or 30 feet will work great. Choose a spot in the center of the area to plant the seeds so that the plant has room to spread.

When to Plant: Now is not the time to plants. However, it is a good time to start planning for the next growing season. You want to plant pumpkin seeds when the daily temperature is averaging 70 degrees. The beginning of June is usually a good month to plant. You can plant anywhere between May and June. If you plant any later than June your pumpkins won’t be ready for the Halloween season.

If you want to grow your own pumpkins for next year’s Halloween now is a great time to start planting. As you are tidying up your garden for the winter, brainstorm what types of plants you want to grow next year. This will help you to plan out spacing and can help you to make decisions on where to plant.

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