How to Grow a Milk Fed Pumpkin

Planting pumpkins and watching them grow is always a fun project. The plants grow to an enormous size and your pumpkin can, too, if you give it the proper care and nutrition it needs. One way to enhance the growth of your pumpkin is to use the milk-fed method. There are several ways to do this and it's an interesting learning experience for yourself and your children.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Sharp knife
• Clippers
• String or wick
• Covered pan
• Milk, preferably 2%
• Manure
• Spray bottle
• Syringe

1. Decide on the method you would like to use to grow a milk-fed pumpkin. You can also select several plants and use different techniques to see what works best. Who knows, maybe you'll find your pumpkin sporting a blue ribbon at the state fair.

2. Use the classic method to grow a milk-fed pumpkin. Choose a healthy-looking pumpkin about the size of a softball and trim all other flowers from the vine. You want the all of plant's energy and nutrition directed towards the one pumpkin.

3. Make a small slit in the stem approximately 3 inches from the pumpkin. Do not cut too deeply since you only need to insert the wick or string 1/4 of an inch into the stem. Insert one end of the wick into the slit and the other into a covered pan placed in a small hole next to the pumpkin.

4. Fill a bowl with milk and one tablespoon of sugar. Check the bowl every day to make sure the milk has not soured or been soaked up by the pumpkin. Two percent milk is recommended, but you can dilute whole milk if you choose. Check the wick to make sure it hasn't come loose from the vine.

5. Use milk as fertilizer if you choose not to use the bowl and wick method. This works best if mixed with manure and ground-up fish. Another approach is to pour a cup of milk around the roots of the pumpkin every day. It's believed that bacteria grow in the enzymes because the milk is warm.

6. Spray the leaves of the plant with milk. This method is used in New Zealand and is believed to strengthen the leaves of the plant and enhance fruit production. Scientists claim the phosphates in the milk are responsible for the positive effects. Another way to grow a milk-fed pumpkin is to inject milk into the stem with a syringe.