Backyard Gardener: Harvesting the perfect pumpkin
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Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners. Fall is here! This time of year brings a new list of outdoor activities to keep us busy. Leaves will be filling the yard to be raked and composted into leaf mold. Adding mulch to flower beds and other landscaped areas will get you a step ahead for spring.
Do not forget about soil amendments for the garden! Apply lime and other nutrient such as compost or fertilizer according to soil test. Give the lawn a fall boost of fertilizer if needed and begin cleanup of the garden such as pulling tomato stakes and cages and planting cover crops.
The next few weeks is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils before the ground freezes. A little effort this fall will reap big rewards next spring with gorgeous color.
Are you searching at farmers markets and local pumpkin patches for the perfect pumpkin? Fall, especially the month of October, is all about pumpkins. I know, we are harvesting pumpkins now, not planting them.
They are on full display across the Mid-Ohio Valley as part of many fall traditions, such as picking pumpkins at local farms, carving jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween, or baking pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.
Speaking of pumpkin pie, The Guinness World Record for the largest pumpkin pie was made at the New Bremen Pumpkinfest in Ohio in 2010. This monstrous pie measured 20 feet in diameter and weighed 3,699 pounds! I wonder, how much whipped cream did they use?
The word pumpkin originated from the Greek word Pep∂n which means large melon. The pumpkin is native to North America, originating in Central America over 7,500 years ago. Archaeologists have discovered the oldest domesticated pumpkin seeds in the Oaxaca Highlands of Mexico.
This winter squash gets its typically dark yellow to deep orange color from pigments in the skin. Native Americans used pumpkins as a food source, but would also dry and weave them into mats for trading. The pumpkin and other squashes were a crucial winter food source for early Colonial American families.
On a national scale, most of the pumpkin crop is grown for processing. Illinois is consistently the United States largest pumpkin producer. In 2021, they produced 652 million pounds, more than a quarter of total U.S. pumpkin production and more than the next five States combined.
Most of Illinois' pumpkins are used for pie filling and processed for other food uses. The majority of the pumpkins grown here in the Mid-Ohio Valley are sold locally for decoration for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Pumpkins are a warm-season vegetable that can be fun for the family to grow in West Virginia. We tend think of pumpkins as a vegetable, but it is biologically considered a fruit. Similar to other forms of squash, pumpkins are easy to grow.
Most pumpkins are grown for carving at Halloween and for decoration, but pumpkins can also be used to make pumpkin butter, pies, custard, bread, cookies and soup. Keep in mind pumpkins are similar to melons and cucumbers and will vine out vigorously. They will need a little extra room in the garden because these vines will require plenty of space.
Pumpkins are in the Cucurbit family, which includes some of our most popular garden vegetables such as cucumbers, muskmelons, watermelons, summer squash, winter squash, and gourds. Cucurbit crops are similar in their appearance and requirements for growth.
They are prostrate, sprawling vines, usually with tendrils. Each vine bears many large, lobed leaves and all cucurbits except for the bottle gourd have bright yellow flowers. Each vine bears two kinds of flowers including the female (pistil) and male (stamen).
Pumpkins and other cucurbits are monoecious, producing separate male and female flowers on the same plant. As a result they must have some pollinating agent present, usually insects. Pumpkins need honeybees or other native pollinators for proper pollination and fruit set.
Honey bees may be brought in at the beginning of flowering to increase yield, especially for commercial production. Depending on the location, colony strength and the competitive plants in the area, somewhere around 1-2 hives of bees per acre should provide adequate pollination.
Many backyard gardeners are concerned about the first flowers which form on squash plants do not develop into fruit. This condition is natural for cucurbits such as cucumber, squash and watermelon.
The first flowers are almost always male. The pollen on these first male flowers attracts bees and alerts them to the location of the blooming vines. By the time the first female blossoms open, the bees' route is well established and the male flowers' pollen is transferred to the female flowers by the bees.
Male flowers bloom for one day, then drop off the plants. The male flowers may predominate under certain conditions, especially early in the season, or under certain kinds of stress. The small fruits, visible at the bases of the female flowers, identify them. There is no swelling on the bases of the male flower stems.
Many varieties of pumpkins are available for planting, depending on what you want. Varieties are available in many colors, sizes and shapes. They can be categorized into five
main groups including Jack-o'-lantern types, pie pumpkins, white pumpkins, specialty pumpkins and giant types.
Most of our Jack o'Lantern and pie pumpkins are classified under the species Cucurbita pepo. Heirloom varieties such as 'Connecticut Field' are not recommended due to extreme susceptibility to disease. New hybrid varieties will produce a higher yield, improved quality pumpkin in most cases. Recommended Jack-o'-lantern varieties include 'Aladdin', 'Gladiator' and 'Goldrush'.
Pie Pumpkins such as 'Pam", 'Iron Man' and 'Pik a Pie' work great. Some of the specialty varieties are actually popular heirlooms like 'Long Island Cheese' and 'Galeux d'Eysines' (the peanut pumpkin).
The giant pumpkins grown for competition and decoration like 'Atlantic Giant' and 'Big Max' are classified as C. maxima.
When you are choosing your variety, read descriptions carefully when purchasing seed. Jack-o'-lanterns types are usually 15-40 pounds and are carved or used for decoration. The flesh is bland and stringy, although the roasted seeds are good to eat. Pie pumpkins often have smaller, sweeter fruit.
Pie pumpkins varieties like 'sugar pie' are usually smaller, about four to six pounds with sweeter flesh. In recent years many varieties have been developed for resistance to powdery mildew, a fungal disease which can reduce fruit yield and quality.
The optimum soil pH range for vine crops is between 6 and 6.5. Pumpkins and winter squash will produce well in heavier soils but the area should be well drained. Nearly all garden soils benefit from the incorporation of well-rotted manure or compost before planting.
Remember, a soil test always helpful to plan fertilizer applications. In midseason, you can apply a side dressing one half a cup of nitrogen fertilizer such as 46-0-0 (urea) each 25 feet of row. If you use manure or compost, additional fertilizer applications may be reduced or eliminated, depending on how much organic matter you apply.
Pumpkins are a very tender vegetable so don't plant until all danger of frost has passed, and the soil has thoroughly warmed. Seeds do not germinate in cold soil and seedlings are injured by frost. If pumpkins are planted too early, they may soften and rot before Halloween.
Many pumpkins are long season, usually requiring 90-100 days from planting to harvest. Plant pumpkins for Halloween from late May to late June. Vining pumpkins require a minimum of 50 to 100 square feet per hill.
Spacing of the plants or seeds in the row depends on the growth habit of the pumpkin. For bush type squash and pumpkins, hills of two plants should be spaced three to four feet apart with rows on four to five foot centers.
For vining types, hills of two plants should be spaced five feet apart with rows on seven foot centers. Plant one inch deep (four or five seeds per hill) and thin to the best two plants per hill. Pumpkin plants should be kept free from weeds by hoeing and shallow cultivation. Pumpkins tolerate short periods of hot, dry weather pretty well.
There are some pests to watch for which may cause trouble for pumpkin production. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that causes a white, powdery mold growth on the upper surfaces of the leaves. The growth can kill the leaves prematurely and interfere with proper ripening.
Cucumber beetles and squash bugs attack seedlings, vines and both immature and mature fruits. Be alert for an infestation of cucumber beetles and squash bugs, as populations build in late summer, because these insects can damage the mature fruits, marring their appearance and making them less likely to keep properly. Contact the WVU Extension Office for recommendation on pest control methods.
Harvest pumpkins before a hard freeze. A light frost that kills the vine will usually not harm the fruit. Cut the fruit from the vine, leaving a few inches of stem attached. If you are wanting to save some pumpkin this winter for pies, soups and other recipes find some good sugar or pie pumpkins that have not been cut or bruised.
Pumpkins and other squash are considered low acid foods, so Extension does not recommend canning. To be safe, only pressure canning methods are to be used for canning cubed pumpkin.
Freezing is the easiest way to preserve pumpkin, and it yields the best quality product. Wash, cut into cooking-size sections and remove the seeds. Cook until soft in boiling water, in steam, in a pressure cooker, or in an oven. Remove the pulp from the rind and mash. To cool, place the pan containing pumpkin in cold water and stir occasionally. Pack into Ziplocç bags or containers and freeze.
Are interested in more information about growing pumpkins? Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Until next time, Good Luck and Happy Gardening!