Time for a gardening post!
Are you growing pumpkins for Halloween? In the 40th installment of Gardening Tips & Tricks, I put together a list of tips about pumpkins, especially preventing squash bugs, which are nasty critters that will decimate your pumpkins, squash, or other viny vegetables.
Let's get into this!
🎃 Tip #1: Plant at the right time - if you're in the north, mid to late May is best; in the south, late June is best, so you should have yours already well underway. If you don't, here are tips for next year. One thing to note is that plants will rot before Halloween, so time it right!
🎃 Tip #2: Pumpkins will spread rapidly, so you need tons of room. They will crawl on the ground and send out shooters, and can take over entire gardens. Pumpkins can grow upwards of 40 feet! If there's not enough room, the plant will start shading itself and then rot as it needs a lot of sun.
🎃 Tip #3: Halloween pumpkins need a ton of sunlight - I'm talking at least 8-10 hours a day to grow big and healthy. And one plant can produce several pumpkins, so space them.
🎃 Tip #4: Pumpkins love water, so if you live in a drought-free area, have at it, but if you don't (like me) and still want to grow them, do it with a drip system. It saves tons of water and money. They need at least 2-4 inches per week, which, if you're not getting that type of rainfall, it's necessary to supplement them.
🎃 Tip #5: Plant your Halloween pumpkins with companion plants. The reason is to help prevent squash bugs, which are the #1 killer of pumpkins. Ones to try include the following:
- Catnip
- Marigold
- Nasturtiums
- Petunias
- Radishes
- Mint
🎃 Tip #6: Keep the stem. When harvesting pumpkins, keep a long, healthy stem on the vine. This will help reduce the rotting process.
🎃 Tip #7: After Halloween, smash the pumpkins and use them as compost for your garden; they offer nutrients to help keep your soil and plants healthy and growing strong.
Okay, if you're growing Halloween pumpkins, let me know in the comments and post a pic. This is one plant I have a hard time growing, so if you have had success, congrats! Next time, it's decorating time with pumpkins, so stay tuned!
Happy Gardening!
#gardening #gardeningtips #gardeners #gardener #Halloween #halloweenpumpkins #pumpkins
____________________________________________________________
Hi, I've been a gardener for 30 years and love posting about my successes (and failures), so join my group, Gardening Tips & Tricks. Like, comment, share, and hit the 🔔 for when I post. If you love murder mysteries, sub to my newsletter, Musings & Mysteries, where I post my journey of finding a job and my novel, Asters & Arsenic: A Patrice Summers Mystery. Follow me on IG @hotmamagardner and check out my blog @ jewelswrites.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment