![]() The female flower should then be tied up or covered to prevent any other introduction of unknown pollen. If you choose to hand pollinate, you should choose about 3-5 fresh male flowers, remove the petals and then gently ‘paint’ the pollen all over the ovaries of the female flower until there is a good coating of pollen. If you choose not to hand pollinate, the bees will do a good job for you. This should be done early in the morning while the pollen is fresh and female are most receptive to pollen. Many growers will hand pollinate these females to control the genetics in the pumpkin. The female flowers are easy to detect, as they will have a small pumpkin at the base of the flower. This usually occurs around the end of June/early July. Usually the best location to pollinate a fruit is at about 10’ out on the main vine. When the first female flowers appear, it’s time to think about pollinating. Be careful not to bury the terminal buds when doing this. This promotes extra rooting at each leaf inter node. 6) Dig TrenchesĪs the plant is growing, you should dig trenches about 3”-4” deep ahead of each vine (main and secondary) as the vines lay in the trenches, bury the vines. This keeps the plant neat and tidy and easy to manage. This involves running your main vine out and keeping only the secondaries at a 90 degree angle to the main stem. Most growers choose the ‘Christmas tree’ style. Once the main vine is established, you will want to begin pruning your plants. Remove the cold frame when all possibilities of frost have gone. Some growers use small heaters or lights to provide heat during the cold nights, depending on your cold frame this may or may not be necessary. Water occasionally to keep moist, but not too wet. Remember to open your cold frames on warm days to avoid heat stress to the plants. Handle these plants with care when transplanting! A mild fertilizer can be added at the time of transplanting, but avoid over fertilizing early in the plants life. Plant the seedling in your cold frame with the fold of the first true leaf pointing away from the direction you want the plant to go. A day or two of acclimating to the outdoor temperature wouldn’t hurt the plants prior to actual planting. Once the seedlings are beginning to show the first true leaf (the two cotyledons appear first, the first true leaf will appear in the middle.) it’s time to transplant the plants outdoors in your cold frame. While you are waiting for the seeds to germinate, you should put small cold frames out in your garden where you intend to grow the plants. Seedling heat mats are the best source of heat for this process. These pumpkin seeds germinate best when the soil is kept at around 85 degrees. Plant the seed pointed side down in your planting medium about 3/4”-1” deep. Soak the seeds for approximately 1 hour prior to planting. You should use an emery board to file the edges of the seed in improve germination. Start the seeds indoors in late April/early May in 4”-6” peat pots or other suitable container. ![]() Good tilth is also important, avoid compaction. A good amount of organic matter in the soil is beneficial and desirable. His favorite thing about growing giant pumpkins is seeing the smiles on people's faces when they see a giant pumpkin! ![]() Jim has paddled in the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta 4 times and has had a pumpkin in every race since the event began in 2004. He is one of only 29 worldwide that have had that honor. He was recently honored by being inducted into the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth Hall of Fame. His personal best weighed in at a whopping 1,868 pounds! Jim has been growing giant pumpkins for over 20 years. Jim Sherwood is a founding member of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers.
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