Pumpkins!

            Recently I noticed a couple of volunteer pumpkin plants coming up in the back yard. Last year I had a single vine that I babied along so I could get a few Jack O’Lanterns. I wasn’t really planning on growing more this year as they are a lot of work for me since we don’t have lots of bees and they need a lot of watering. Unfortunately, the spot from last year (and this year) is not well irrigated so I have to it daily by hand during summer months. But they are here, so I will feed ‘em and watch ‘em grow.

            Pumpkin seeds or sprouts can be planted as soon as the ground thaws. The more time they have to grow, the greater the size of the vine and, theoretically, the more pumpkins you will have. Don’t be surprised if they grow very slowly at first because they are growing much more rapidly underground. The roots need to establish well before summer. 

Warm weather really gets them going. By June their roots should be very developed and ready for the warm sun. Vines will grow quickly, unfurling lots of beautiful leaves used to collect sunlight ready to be transformed into energy for growing and depositing in the pumpkin fruit. I’ve seen vines grow nearly a foot in a single day, so you need lots of space. I usually “train” mine to fit in a smaller area by re-routing the extending vines back and forth along the same path. 

Once blooms develop, you better start seeing bees. Pumpkins have separate male and female flowers. The females must be pollinated by the males if you are going to get a pumpkin there. In the absence of bees, like my yard tends to be, you can hand pollinate the females with the male pollen yourself. Look for the female flower first. It will be like all the rest except the area beneath the petals, the carpal, will be swollen like a rose hip. Grab the pollen from a male by pinching the anthers (you’ll see them covered in pollen in the middle of the bloom) and getting the pollen on your fingers. Then gently rub the pollen on the center protrusion (stamen) in middle of the female bloom. That should be enough to do it. If you would rather do it at night, I don’t blame you.

By the end of summer you should be seeing small pumpkins. It will be very sudden. One day, no pumpkin. A day or two later, a softball-sized pumpkin. They will continue to grow until October or November. I like to roll mine a touch to make sure they are growing into that nice, pumpkin shape good for carving.

As far as varieties go, I suggest PumpkinNook.com. They are one of my favorites for learning about pumpkins. Just remember, if your pumpkin is for eating, you may want to go with a variety other than the traditional Jack O’Lantern type. You can eat them, but there are others better for it.

Keep on Growin’!