How to Grow Pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Pumpkins come in different varieties, some with big pumpkins and some with smaller pumpkins. If you have mammoth pumpkins, they will take up a lot of space in your garden, whereas, if you are looking to grow smaller varieties you can do this in a smaller garden space, some can be planted in containers. Pumpkins are reliable and they are easy to grow. They need a good supply of water and fertile soil, and they need some protection against slugs and snails. People always think of pumpkins at Halloween, but the fruit has tasty sweet flesh and they will store well during the winter.

Getting started

You can get pumpkin plants in spring, but they are usually grown from seed, and there are many varieties to chose from. If you want large fruit to choose from. If you want pumpkins for carving, you will need to pick a variety that produces large fruit and thin the fruit to one to two per plant. If you want one for eating, pick your variety, and let each plant develop four or five fruit.

Four varieties of pumpkins

Baby bear pumpkins is a small one the size of a soccer ball.
Jack be little makes small brightly colored fruit that are ones that can be tasty and decorative.
'Rouge Vif d' Etampes' is a heirloom variety that you can eat and used for decorations also.
Atlantic giant is one of the largest fruiting variety of pumpkin and it can be eaten if it is picked early.

Sowing under cover

When you are planting pumpkin seeds you will need to sow the seed individually. The seeds needs to be planed 3/4 inch deep in a 4 inch pot and they have to be placed in a warm propagator set of 68 - 77 degrees.

Pumpkins need a long time to develop full-size fruit. If you lived in cold areas, you will need to start them off under cover in the spring and you plant them outside after all the frost has stopped. Planting your seeds on their sides will keep them form decaying in the compost.

Sowing outside
You can sow your seeds directly into the soil, as long as it in the lat spring. While you are waiting for the night time to sow your seeds, you will need to sow your seeds, you will need to get your soil ready to be planted n. The soil needs to  get improvement and you can achieve this, by using well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost. After you plant the seeds 1 1/4 inches deep and 3 feet apart. They need to be water real well, and cover with a large cut-off clear plastic. Keep well-watered as they grow. If you space is limited for your pumpkin plants, you can train them by using old nets to support the swelling fruit. You need to tie the stems in as they grow.

Training

If you do not have a problem with space, you can let the plants run over the ground along with other plants. If the space is limited, you will need to tie the stems to stakes that needs to be set out in a circle and pushed the stakes into the soil.

Harvesting

When it gets mid-fall your fruits will be ready for harvest. To cut your pumpkins, you will need to cut them with a short stalk so that will prevent the stem form rotting back into your pumpkin and this will provide a carrying handle. If you are not going to used them right away, you will need to dry the skins by leaving them outside in a sunny spot for a week. If it is going to rain, you will need to bring them to a bright location where it is cover. They will store well for months.

My family and I grow some pumpkins about three years ago. We had a lot of room for them to grow in, so we didn't have to train the vines. We had a bunch of pumpkins that were both of the large types and small types of pumpkins. We all like different ways that you can enjoyed your pumpkins whether in eating them in different recipes or to carve for Halloween.

Here is a video on how to grow your Halloween Carving Pumpkins or to make your Pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.