So, you’ve saved your first pumpkin seeds! Or, maybe you’ve got that pumpkin from last fall still sitting by the back door, melting into the ground? Yes, growing pumpkins from your own seeds is easy, and I’m going to help increase your odds to be successful. This article will take a look at everything from collecting and storing seeds to planting and growing.
Growing pumpkins is super rewarding. First of all, they grow big and fast. Once they start going it gives you a real sense of accomplishment that you have a green thumb. But another benefit? Pumpkins at the store or even at a pumpkin patch can be super expensive! Especially if you do a lot of fall decorating like we do here at Montegatta.
Seeds are so much more reasonable. And after the first year, you can save your seeds from your own crops for free. You only need to buy the seeds for the gourd varieties you don’t already have.
Depending upon your zone, sowing your seeds directly in the ground (or raised bed) is your best bet. Plant after the chance of frost is past.
Preparing the Pumpkin Seeds
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. The best pumpkins are the ones which sat the longest on the vine. If there are a lot of strings, remove the seeds from the strings through your fingers. Rinse the seeds with water and allow to air dry.
If storing the seeds, put them in an envelope and keep them sealed in a dry spot through the winter. Usually, pumpkin seeds last for about 6 years.
When you are ready to plant, take the seeds out 24 hours prior to planting. File the edges of the seeds lightly with a nail file. File all edges except the pointed end. This allows the moisture to enter the seed, and also allows the leaves to emerge from the hard seed shell faster and without damaging the primary leaves (cotyledons).
Soak the seeds in warm but not hot water overnight. 12 hours is usually sufficient soaking.
Planting the Pumpkin Seeds
Choose a very sunny spot. Amend the soil to a 50/50 fresh compost to garden soil blend. Pumpkins need lots of nutrients as they grow, and the compost is the best way to ensure the plant has enough nutrition to last through the entire summer.
Plant the soaked, filed pumpkin seeds 1-2 inches in the soil. If you can, put the pointed end of the seed down. On its side is OK too. Water thoroughly. Assuming the soil is warm enough, you should have a sprout in 5-7 days.
The growing pumpkin seedling immediately needs a lot of light. The more light, the faster it will grow. Make sure the seedling has water every couple of days and that the soil continues to be well-draining. The soil should just dry out a little on the top inch before you water again.
Pollinating the Baby Pumpkins
Soon enough, you have a large, glorious plant with lots of flowers. Unfortunately, you see no sign of fruit. Or worse yet, maybe you see baby fruit, but they all wither off the vine after a few days, never getting more than an inch or two long. Not to worry, we will fix this problem!
Pumpkins, like other cucurbits, do not self pollinate in the same way that a tomato does. That means it has two different types of flower – a male and a female flower. The pollen from a male flower must get transferred to the female flower in order for the baby fruit to grow. Usually, bees do this for you.
But if the bees aren’t around, because it’s too hot or too cold, or there just aren’t enough of them, you will need to manually pollinate your baby pumpkins yourself. But it is very easy and it is actually kind of fun!
First you need to identify the male and female flowers. The female flower has the baby pumpkin at the base of the flower and the male flower does not! Easy peasy.
Next we need a small paintbrush. Take the paintbrush and rub it around inside the male flower. Check to make sure you got some pollen! Then just rub the pollen around inside the female flower. Voila! You’ve just pollinated your first pumpkin. You matchmaker, you.
Harvesting Pumpkins
If you are looking for big pumpkins, you will want to select one or two of the best fruits and remove all of the others, so that the energy of the plant can go solely into these remaining pumpkins. Alternatively, for a larger crop, you can leave all of the pumpkins on the vine to maturity. Just know that any individual pumpkin might not get quite as big as it might if you were to prune. Regular feeding and fertilization through growing will help to ensure larger pumpkins.
Try not to let the pumpkin directly touch soil. Roly Polys and other bugs love to mar the skin if directly touching the soil. Given the longer growing time for large pumpkins, they could make quite a bit of headway by the time the pumpkin is ripe. Grow along a path or place cardboard under the ripening gourd. You can also use pumpkin cradles to increase airflow.
The pumpkin is ripe when it turns a deep solid color. One of the lovely things about growing pumpkins is that they can stay on the vine until you need them. Unlike young squash or cucumbers, there is no need to remove the pumpkin from the plant until you are ready to bake a pumpkin pie or carve a jack-o-lantern. Very accommodating!
Leave as much of the stem on the pumpkin as you can to delay decay.
Enjoy growing pumpkins!
