How to Plant Your Own Pumpkin Patch
- 1). Start pumpkin seeds or seedlings after the frost lifts in spring. Pumpkins fail in frost or cold soil, and do best with 65-degree temperatures at planting. Plant pumpkins 100 to 120 days before average fall frost to give the plants time to mature and bear their colorful fruit.
- 2). Set aside at least 20 square feet of space for multiple plantings in the pumpkin patch. Choose a spot with an even surface for quick drainage, good air movement and full, bright sunshine. Pumpkins grow best with plenty of room and air around them.
- 3). Place pumpkin-growing rows every 5 to 6 feet in the site and amend the soil. Dig into the top 12 inches of soil in a 2-foot-wide band for each row. Mix 5 to 6 inches of organic compost or well-rotted manure into the natural soil for a moist, loose and nutritious foundation. Turn 10-10-10 granular fertilizer into the top 4 to 6 inches of soil for more nutrition.
- 4). Plant pumpkin seeds or seedlings according to your preference and growing season. Plant standard quick cultivars like Baby Bear and Sugar Treat for small, orange pumpkins, Harvest Moon and Bushkin for larger pumpkins, and Casper and Lumina for unique, white pumpkins. Plant giant cultivars only in areas with long growing seasons. Put the seeds or seedlings at every 2 to 3 feet in your prepared rows.
- 5). Water each planting site with 2 inches of water every week, and spread 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch between plantings and rows to keep soil moist and warm. Weed the site every week to reduce competition and keep the pumpkins healthy.
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