Pumpkin

Pumpkins thrive in compost-enriched, well-drained soil at pH 6.0-6.8 with room for their vines to spread. Apply moderate fertilizer before planting and a nitrogen side-dressing as vines run, then avoid excess nitrogen that favors leaves over fruit.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Even moisture; about 1 in/week including rain

Spacing

48 in

First harvest

90–120 days

Tips

• Sow seeds 1 inch deep in soil at least 65°F and thin large vining types to 4-6 feet apart.
• Water deeply at the root zone, supplying roughly 1-2 inches weekly during fruit enlargement.
• Leave vines largely intact and keep developing fruit off wet soil with a board or dry straw.
• Inspect leaf undersides for squash bug eggs and stem bases for squash vine borer damage.
• Harvest when the rind resists a thumbnail and the stem hardens, cutting with several inches of stem before a hard freeze.

Hear about it on the show