A Pumpkin resembles a gourd, but is actually a squash. You will find pumpkins in various sizes. The size depends on the genetics behind the pumpkin, the amount of nutrition, and the amount of light and water it receives. The climate and soil your pumpkin is planted in plays a huge role in how big it turns out for the Harvest and Halloween season. Some climates are better than others but pumpkins can be grown anywhere except in Antarctica. That is the only place on earth where pumpkins will not grow. If you are living in a dryer climate and want to grow your beautiful Halloween Pumpkin you will want to plant the pumpkin seeds a little deeper.
If you are in a hot dry climate with very little moisture or anywhere where soil doesn't hold moisture very well, plant your seeds a little less than two inches deep. This will get them down below the dry soil and into the more moist areas. Build up little mounds to plant your seeds in. This will make it so water can be absorbed all around the seed rather than just from the surface. Plant your pumpkins seeds about four feet from any other pumpkin plants. You do not want to have your Halloween pumpkins competing against each other. Once the cold season has ended, you may begin planting. Pumpkin seeds are very sensitive to cold and should not be planted until the soil is all warmed up, generally not before the second week in May.
The soil you plant in should be slightly acidic with a ph of about 6 to 6.8. Be sure to have the proper ph balance for your pumpkin patch, because if you do not it could affect the color and the flavor of your Halloween pumpkins as well as stunting their growth. If you would like to find out the ph of your soil take two cups and fill them with the soil from your garden. Pour vinegar in one, and water and baking soda in the other. If your soil with vinegar fizzes, it is alkaline. If the other one fizzes, the one with water and baking soda, you have acidic. For pumpkins you will want a slight reaction with the baking soda and water. If you need to amend your soil to make it more acidic add sulfur and if you need to make it more alkaline add lime. Understanding about proper ph for plants will help a lot when it comes to gardening and producing your Halloween pumpkin for the following season.
Your pumpkin plants will produce a profuse amount of flowers, this is to be expected. You can also expect about two pumpkins from each vine. These are great for culinary delights or just for decorating your Halloween pumpkin. They are packed with beta-carotenes too, so that's a plus.
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