How to Plant Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes.

Grow your own pumpkins and you'll have plenty to use for decorating your home and garden when Halloween rolls around. Choose traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkins, miniature gourds, white pumpkins or even one of the huge 300 pound varieties for your garden.

You can grow all one type of pumpkin, or grow several different types to use for fall decorating. Use the same growing techniques no matter what type of pumpkin you choose to grow. All pumpkin types should be planted after any danger of frost has passed.

Things You'll Need

• Pumpkin seeds
• Shovel
• Spade

Instructions

Prepare the Soil

1. Use the shovel to turn over the soil in the planting location. Turn the earth in an area at least 3 feet wide by 10 feet long. If you have soil that requires composting or other soil amendments, mix them in. Every garden is different, so you may not need to add anything -- only add amendments for pumpkins if you have tried to grow them in the past and they did not perform well in unamended soil.

2. Use the shovel to mound the turned dirt into a long hill of about a foot tall. The hill doesn't have to be perfect, but the top should be at least a foot above the ground on either side.

3. Pat the hills gently to lightly compact the soil, preserve the shape and make it easier to plant the seeds.

4. Repeat the steps as needed to create additional hills. Each hill can host one or two pumpkin plants, depending on the size and type of plant. Hills should be placed from 5 to 6 feet apart for best results.

Plant the Seeds

1. Use the spade to make a 1-inch groove in the center of the hill.

2. Drop pumpkin seeds in the groove, spacing them a foot apart.

3. Gently cover with dirt and tap with the back of the spade to secure. Depending on the variety, seeds should sprout in about a week.

4. When the seeds have sprouted, thin the seedlings by pulling the smallest and weakest from the ground. Leave one or two seedlings in place on each hill.

Care

1. Water your growing pumpkins twice a week until the soil is saturated. Weed regularly to keep the beds clean.

2. Pumpkin plants flower and bear the fruit. Place newspaper under growing fruits to protect them from rot. If you want large pumpkins, trim away the fruits until there are three or four per plant.

3. Pumpkins are ready when the fruits are firm and deep orange. Leave pumpkins on the vine until early October if possible, then pick for Halloween.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want giant pumpkins, start seeds indoors a few weeks before the last frost date in your area to give them a good head start.

• You can plant different varieties together. While cross pollination is possible, it won't affect the look of the pumpkins.

• Give large and giant varieties plenty of growing room, they will spread out. Use the recommendation on the back of the seed packet to space your pumpkins properly.

References

• "The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers"; Christopher Brickell, Trevor Cole, and H. Marc Cathey; 2002
• University of Illinois Extension: Growing Pumpkins
• "Halloween: Costumes, Parties, Activities, Recipes (1000 Hints, Tips and Ideas)"; Susie Johns; 2005
• "The Backyard Homestead"; Carleen Madigan; 2009