Discover the wonders of pumpkins
Pumpkins are not common food on the menu of most homes despite the fact that they are rich in nutrients. They can grow literally anywhere, as long as there is enough water. The planting can be started in a nursery or indoor and then transferred to the garden.
Growing pumpkins requires a space which receives direct sunlight for at least six hours daily in order for them to do well. They take about 110 to 140 days to grow but the amount of time depends mainly on the variety, weather and the condition of the soil.
A single trailing plant can grow as long as 30 feet, sending out many vine shoots all along the way. From the top, a grown pumpkin plant will appear as a carpet of green leaves. But a farmer can prune, train, and redirect the plant to live harmoniously with other plants.
While pumpkins usually keep low to the ground, they can be encouraged to grow where other plants might never venture. They can climb over shrubs, up fences and onto roofs. They do this with the help of their tendrils, which develop like a hand at every leaf node.
The huge leaves of the pumpkin plant can serve as floating mulch that holds down weeds and keeps the soil moist. Pumpkin seeds can be planted on a flat or hilly land to help but must contain water around the roots.
A farmer can sow four to five seeds and space them. One can soak the seeds for a night before planting and this will soften the outer shell and make sprouting easier and faster.
But don’t let this little step hold you up if you are suddenly ready to plant. Cover the seeds with little soil to block out light and hide them from birds.
It takes a backyard farmer close to four months to start harvesting the pumpkins but within a month after planting the seeds, a farmer will be already harvesting leaves for vegetables and the immature pumpkins are good for vegetable ingredients.
Seed generation can be done locally by cutting a mature pumpkin and scooping out the seeds. You then dry them and put them in a nursery bed.
It does not require constant watering or chemicals apart from space to enable it spread.
However, it is vital to note that some pumpkin plants do flower without fruiting. It is therefore advisable that even though this type of plant may be providing out leaves for sauce, a farmer can substitute it with a newly acquired seed.
Additional information from the net
