General Tips on Growing Pumpkins

[rwwkv6]

To the veteran Pumpkin Grower,

I'm going to be starting my first pumpkin patch this spring, and I'm stocking up on all of the general 'how to's' I can get. Any suggetions, or tricks of the trade would be great. Thanks.

Rob.

[William Wagner]

I've seen local folks feed their pumpkin's milk. Also pruning down to less fruit per vine a possibility to consider.

Bill

This came today Enjoy!

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1. Exploratorium: Science of Gardening [Macromedia Flash Player, Quick Time] "Like all great endeavors gardening is both a science and an art", and this new feature from the Exploratorium uses video clips, interactives, photos, and articles to make this point in way that will appeal to visitors of all ages. For example, the interactive Garden Variety presents basic facts (vitals), information on seeds, and lore, for vegetables and fruits such as peas and carrots, corn, strawberries, and pumpkins. Visitors can also virtually tour a hydroponic greenhouse located in the arctic, where fancy lettuces and herbs are growing despite sub-zero temperatures, read a photo essay about a pumpkin-growing competition in California, and learn how grafting, hybridizing, and genetic engineering are used to develop new plants. [DS]

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[Oxymel of Squill]

this year I bought seeds advertised as 'giant', prepared a patch with horse poo under a raised bed, lots of fresh compost, watered every day and fed often result bugger all will be interested to see what the successful folk advise

[Fragile Warrior Sports Suppli]

OLD horse poo, right?

And why *under* the bed? Wouldn't the benefits go straight downward instead of up to the plant?

[Fragile Warrior Sports Suppli]

My father always swore that the big growers split the stem above the chosen fruit, threaded a small piece of cotton rag through the split. The other end of this strip of material was in a gallon jug of water. This, he said, fed the fruit a direct and steady supply of water to plump it up.

I never tried it but I still might some day. :)

[Marty]

Remember to put seeds in the dirt. ;-) I grew great pumpkins as a kid and didn't do anything other than plant the seeds. So, my point is that it's going to be easy. And I'm looking forward to the tips that would have made my pumpkins bigger and better.

[sarab]

My daughter's "Highlights for Children" magazine has an article about growing giant pumpkins. Best advice in it - bury each leaf joint so that new roots will form to help feed the giant pumpkin.

This is going for size, and removing all but one pumpkin per vine.

[Jmagerl]

Every year I try to grow pumpkins and every year I never get any. THe female flowers don't seem to come until September even though I have plenty of vines. I've planted seed at one week intervals from May1 to June 15 (thinking it was a soil temp thing) but no luck. I've started the plants indoors, no luck. WHat gives? Chicago area