Preparing for Fall Pumpkin Harvest
Fully formed pumpkin fruit on a vine
Traveling for the summer? Want to take a break from the Houston heat but still feel productive in the garden? Plant pumpkin seed! June is the perfect time to sow pumpkin seed for a fall harvest. Pumpkins typically take 90-120 days from seed to harvest, depending on the variety.
Tips for planting:
Select a spot in your raised garden with plenty of space for sprawling leaves and vines. We typically use a bed with room on all sides so that the vine can go wild and spill over to the gravel below. These plants require 6-8 hours of full sun daily.
Plant one or two seeds 3-5 feet apart and one inch deep. It is best to plant the seeds close to your drip line so that they stay moist while germinating.
When the plants are about 1 foot tall, you can begin fertilizing them with a nitrogen-based fertilizer. We like Microlife Ocean Harvest or a Seaweed foliar drench, like Microlife Super Seaweed
Once the vines are showing, switch to a fertilizer higher in phosphorous. We recommend Microlife Max Blooms
Prune the vines. When a few pumpkins have formed, you will want to stunt the vine growth to send energy to the fruit. To do this, use sharp pruner snips to cut the vine off just above a leaf node. The bury the cut end in the soil to prevent disease and insect infestation.
A few weeks prior to harvest, remove any leaves that are shading your pumpkin! This will allow the pumpkin to develop more color. You can also turn your pumpkin to develop color on both sides, or stand it up. It’s also a good idea to get the pumpkin up off the soil onto a stand to prevent potential rot.
How can you tell if your pumpkin is ready for harvest? The color will be deep and rich, the skin firm, the stem dry and beginning to shrivel.
To harvest, cut the stem 3-4 inches long (this will help it store longer). Then keep the pumpkin in the sun for 10-14 days to finish ripening properly. Then you’ve got a beautiful pumpkin ready to decorate your home, table, or plate. Yum!
