How to Grow Pumpkins From Seeds
- 1). Start your pumpkin seeds indoors, if you live in a location with a short growing season. You can get a two-to-three week advantage when you start seeds in containers inside. Use store-purchased peat pots, or plastic cups, recycled from yogurt or butter. Fill the containers with potting soil and cover them with 1 inch of soil. Use a mister to keep the soil moist, and set them in a sunny window sill. Plant them outdoors after the last frost.
- 2). Prepare a rich soil mixture in your garden for your pumpkin seeds. Mix in compost and manure. Fertilize according to seed packet directions for the variety you are planting. In the beginning, use a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen. Change to one that is high in phosphorus when the blooming is about to begin.
- 3). Plant your seeds (or pre-planted seedlings) directly into the outdoor soil, after the last frost in your location. Make a mound of dirt that's 8 to 12 inches high. Plant your pumpkin seeds at the top. Plant four to six seeds, separated by a few inches, per mound. Different seeds require different procedures; follow the information on the back of the seed packet. Space the mounds 4 to 6 feet apart.
- 4). Water your outdoor pumpkin seeds right after planting. Be careful not to disturb the new seeds or seedlings, once germinated. Continue watering every two to four days. Adjust your watering schedule if you have rain, keeping the soil moist, but not soggy.
- 5). Keep insect pests away with natural plants. Grow garlic, onions and/or mint around the pumpkin patch to keep pests away.
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