8 Pumpkin Growing Mistakes to Avoid

by Jennifer Poindexter

Are you considering growing your own pumpkin patch? Sounds like a fun idea, right? Pumpkins are great for baking, pureeing, and for decorating, too. Though growing pumpkins can be a fun experience, it’s important you avoid a few mistakes.

Learning the mistakes gardeners commonly make growing this plant can help you avoid making them yourself and save you a lot of time, hassle and money. So let’s dive in to learn about what you shouldn’t do.

You’ve made it to the right place because I’m going to share mistakes I’ve made, and many other gardeners have made as well, when adding this crop to our gardens. Here are the common mistakes gardeners make when growing pumpkins.

1. Don’t Make a Misstep with the Lighting When Growing Pumpkins

Most plants need light to thrive. There are a few varieties which seem to do better in full shade. However, pumpkins aren’t one of them.

Yet, pumpkins need to be planted where there’s a balance of light. If given too much sunlight it can have negative effects. Learn how to strike the balance on lighting prior to planting pumpkins.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

You can avoid lighting issues by choosing a growing location which receives partial sunlight. This should give pumpkins enough light to thrive.

However, it shouldn’t overwhelm them to the point of scorching. If you plant pumpkins where there’s too much shade, it could cause them to become leggy.

Find a location with approximately four hours of sunlight throughout the day. This ensures your pumpkins receive enough light without receiving too much.

2. Don’t Discourage Pollinators When Growing Pumpkins

Pollination is a vital part to success when gardening. If pumpkins don’t receive proper pollination, they won’t produce any fruit.

Therefore, you must find ways to encourage pollinators to visit your garden. Doing this can make all the difference in how much of a harvest you receive.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

You can avoid this mistake by planting items which invite pollinators to visit your garden. Any type of vegetable, which flowers, will invite pollinators.

However, you can also include annual flowers around your garden plot. Bright colors and sweet smells will encourage bees and other pollinators to visit your garden frequently.

3. Don’t Plant Pumpkins in Close Proximity to Other Plants

Have you ever seen a thriving pumpkin plant? It produces large vines which can take over an area quickly.

If you’re planting pumpkins, take this into consideration. When planting vining plants, near smaller plants, it can become a problem.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

Pumpkins need their own bed. This will allow them to sprawl without causing concern or issues for other plants. Most pumpkin plants need at least one foot of space between each plant and each row.

Hence, why pumpkins should be planted by themselves. If you plant pumpkins with other crops, the vines can cause the smaller plants to suffocate. Avoiding this will ensure you don’t have to sacrifice one harvest for another.

4. Don’t Sow Too Many Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkins are typically planted from seed. They germinate easily and take approximately two weeks for the germination process to occur.

Therefore, most of the seeds you sow will form a pumpkin plant. This can become overwhelming quickly.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

Pumpkin seeds can be planted using two different methods. If you choose to place the seeds directly in the soil, place a foot of space between each seed.

However, if you choose to plant pumpkin seeds in hills, mound the hill of dirt to where it’s a foot tall. Leave two feet of space between each hill. Plant two seeds per mound.

If they both germinate, pick the stronger plant, and remove the other. This will help you to avoid over planting pumpkin seeds in your garden area.

5. Don’t Ignore Pests and Diseases When Growing Pumpkins

You should never ignore signs of pests or disease in your garden. If you do, you could open your plants up to quite a few problems.

Pests and disease can take over your garden area in very little time. This is why it’s vital to pay attention and avoid this mistake when raising pumpkins.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

This mistake can be avoided by understanding what threatens pumpkins. Unfortunately, there are quite a few things to be on the lookout for.

Pumpkins are susceptible to cucumber beetles, slugs, flea beetles, aphids, hornworms, and cutworms. Each of these pests can be treated with an insecticide and diatomaceous earth.

The main diseases which impact pumpkins are fungal based. Powdery mildew is probably the most common threat. 

If you encounter this disease, ensure there’s enough space between the plants for adequate airflow. You should also water your plants earlier in the day, plant in well-draining soil, and treat any signs of fungal disease with a fungicide.

6. Don’t Skip Watering Your Pumpkin Plants

Pumpkins need water. Depending upon where they’re planted will have an impact on how much water each plant needs.

Pay attention to your plants to look for signs that they aren’t receiving enough water. By watering adequately, you should be able to avoid this mistake.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

You can avoid this mistake by applying water to your pumpkin plants. In most cases, you should practice the deep watering method.

Apply water, for longer periods of time, fewer days of the week. This will encourage the roots to dig deeper, into the soil, to retrieve water.

In turn, this creates stronger plants. If you must plant pumpkins in full sun, be sure to water more frequently. Without enough water, the plants may become scorched.

7. Don’t Harvest Your Pumpkins Too Early

Another mistake to avoid is harvesting pumpkins too early. You might think it best to harvest the pumpkins before they reach their full color.

Some people do this assuming it will avoid rot. However, once pumpkins are picked, they don’t ripen any further. Take this into consideration around harvest time.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

You can avoid this mistake by waiting until your pumpkins reach their full color before harvesting. Be patient with your plants, and pick the pumpkins once the growing process is complete.

If you’re concerned about your pumpkins rotting, from sitting on the ground, slide a piece of cardboard beneath them.

This will keep moisture from reaching your pumpkins while allowing them to remain on the vine to ripen. When it’s time to harvest, use a sharp knife to cut the pumpkins from the vine to avoid any damage.

8. Provide Adequate Growing Conditions and Care for Pumpkins

Did you know when you choose to grow pumpkins, will depend greatly upon where you live? Planting zones matter a lot when choosing to grow this plant.

You should also be aware that pumpkins need basic maintenance to keep the crop healthy and thriving. Miss these two things, and you could have a negative experience raising pumpkins.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

You can avoid this mistake by understanding what planting zone you’re in. If you live in a northern climate, you’ll plant pumpkins in late spring or early summer. 

This ensures the plant has time to grow before cooler weather moves in. Planting around May should allow you to harvest pumpkins which can still be enjoyed around Halloween. If you plant too early, they might rot.

If you live in a southern climate, you won’t plant pumpkins until approximately the Fourth of July. This is when my family plants our pumpkins, and this will allow you to harvest them in time for autumn. 

When growing pumpkins, you can’t skip their basic care. We’ve discussed watering earlier in this article.

However, you can’t forget to fertilize your crop. Pumpkins are heavy feeders and must be fertilized bi-weekly, but it’s a process.

In the pumpkin’s beginning stage, it needs nitrogen. This will produce a lush plant. As the pumpkin plant begins to flower, you should apply phosphorus to ensure the plant produces fruit.

After the fruit is forming, add fertilizer rich in potassium. This will encourage the fruit to remain healthy while on the vine. Understanding when to plant and how to fertilize pumpkins could make a large impact on your experience with this crop. 

This concludes the mistakes many gardeners make when raising pumpkins. By staying aware of these mistakes, you can hopefully avoid making them yourself.

Use the tips, for avoiding the mistakes, as tools while taking this journey of growing a new crop. Hopefully, you’ll have a gorgeous harvest to display your efforts and hard work.

Learn More About Growing Pumpkins

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/pumpkins/growing.cfm

https://extension.psu.edu/pumpkin-production

https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/pumpkins-and-winter-squash