Let this be the year that you carve a jack-o-lantern that you grew in your own backyard. Pumpkins are not difficult to grow – even in raised beds or containers. Start with a classic orange one or try something different. Today, you can find pumpkins that are yellow, white, blue-grey, green striped — even oddballs like Black Futsu, a 3 to 5-pounder with knobby skin.
Pumpkins are best grown from seed indoors but may be sown later outdoors in a sheltered spot. If you don’t have the space to raise pumpkin seedlings, garden centers often sell young plants.
How to grow a pumpkin
Step 1 - Sow pumpkins seeds on their sides in small pots of seed
compost at a depth of about 1inch.
Step 2 - Seal the pots inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 20C (68F)
until germination, which takes about a week..
Step 3 - Once germinated,
grow pumpkin plants on for about 4 weeks until they are large enough to be
transplanted outdoors.
Step 4 - Gradually
acclimatize them to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before transplanting
pumpkins into warm, well drained, humus rich soil in full sun, sheltered from the wind. Choose a spot that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, add plenty of well-rotted manure or
compost.
Step 5 - Planting distances
can range from 90cm apart to 3m apart depending on the variety, so you will
need to check the seed packet. At each planting station, pile the soil into
mounds about 15cm (6") high. Plant each pumpkin plant on top of a mound to
ensure good drainage and keep them well watered until they are established.
Step 6 - Pumpkins enjoy plenty of nitrogen so they will appreciate a feed of general fertilizer a few weeks after planting. They will begin to produce long stems which can be trained in a circle around the plant to prevent them spread too far. They have deep roots and are normally quite capable of finding their own water within the soil, but in very dry periods some supplementary watering may be required.
How much water pumpkins need?