Growing Pumpkins

Growing Pumpkins

Pumpkins need about four months to grow, so plant the seeds three to four weeks after the last spring frost.

• Soil and compost
• Pumpkin seeds
• Compost tea
• Leaves or grass clippings
• Newspapers or straw mulch

Directions

1. Choose a sunny area for your pumpkin patch.
2. Help your child use soil and compost to make a hill.
3. If you have a large garden, make three or four hills spaced about three feet apart.
4. Plant three or four pumpkin seeds in each hill.
5. Water the hill(s) each week and watch for seedlings to appear. When they do, pull out the weaker looking ones to leave one strong seedling growing in each hill.
6. When blossoms appear, remove all but three from each plant. Each blossom will become a pumpkin.
7. Water your plant(s) with warm water every week and with compost tea every few weeks.
8. Spread compost, leaves, or grass clippings on top of the soil around the growing pumpkins. Make sure the grass clippings don't touch the stem(s) of your plant(s).
9. To ensure that the pumpkins won't rot on the moist soil, place newspapers or straw mulch under the pumpkins as they grow. Turn them frequently so they ripen on all sides.