How To Grow Giant Pumpkins

With Fall, comes halloween and the ever so popular pumpkin season. I have grown pumpkins in our garden every season, but always wondered why I could never produce any gigantic ones. This is what lead to the research on how to grow giant pumpkins.

There are a couple of interesting things I have learnt. For example, growing giant pumpkins is way more involved process than your ordinary pumpkins. They can grow up to 1000 lbs, however a lot of maintenance and care required, in order to produce these orange giants. Most people, who grow them successfully have had many years of practice too.

How To Grow Giant Pumpkins
.
---------------------- Advertisement ----------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • giant pumpkin seeds
  • small pots
  • potting mix
  • organic fertilizer
  • compost
  • piece of cloth
  • tarp
  • wood or metal stakes

With your seeds in hand, you will also need good soil preparation and weather to ensure success. Start your seeds indoors around the middle of April, they should be ready for garden planting in mid-May. Prepare a nice mound of soil at least a foot high and about 10 feet in diameter. This will help with the drainage.

Allow the main vine to make its way across the patch, cover all the tertiary vines with soil. This helps develop a double root system that provides more food for your pumpkin. Regularly prune and remove any extra tertiary vines. When it comes to pollination, it is recommended that you do it by hand.

Identify the male flower by its longer stem, remove all the petals and rub its pollen onto the stigma of the female flower which tends to have a shorter stem. To increase your chances, use at least 2 males for each female flower. The best time of the day to pollinate is the morning, after which you shut the female flower’s petals with a piece of cloth. Keep the plant well watered and cover the fruit with a tarp, which will protect it from the sun, slow down maturity and prevent the skin from cracking.

You can get step by step instructions on the National Gardening Association blog here…

Growing Giant Pumpkins

You can watch the video below on giant pumpkins…

You can watch the video below on how to grow a giant pumpkin…

You can watch the video below on growing giant pumpkins step by step through the year…

.

---------------------- Advertisement ----------------------