The Great American Pumpkin

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Pumpkins need full sun, protection from wind, and rich, well-drained soil. Seeds sprout best in 70°F soil but rot quickly in cooler soil. If your growing season is short, give your pumpkins a jumpstart by planting seeds indoors, moving plants outside after the danger of frost has past. Use individual pots to minimize root disturbance when you transplant. But don't start your seeds more than a month before you plan to set them out. Pumpkins grow fast—if plants become root-bound, they won't do well when transplanted.

To prepare your soil for planting, dig it to a depth of eight inches and work in a generous amount of compost or rotted manure. Then plant pumpkins either in rows or in hills. For rows, space plants four feet apart (two feet for bush varieties); space rows at least eight feet apart (five feet for bush). When planting seeds, put them one inch deep and six to 12 inches apart, thinning as the strongest plants emerge.

One of the intriguing aspects aboutpumpkins is that each plant has both maleand female flowers.

Hills, which are flat mounds of heaped dirt with a depression at the center, should be at least 10 feet apart (four feet for bush varieties). Plant six seeds per hill, thinning to no more than three plants when seedlings are two-inches high. Each vine will grow to a diameter of 12 to 25 feet, overlapping and shading out weeds. Minimize weed growth and dried soil by spreading a generous layer of clean straw or other mulch.

One of intriguing aspects about pumpkins is that each plant has both male and female flowers, requiring crosspollination.

If you have plenty of bees around, they'll do the trick. Otherwise, hand pollinate: Pick a male blossom (one without a round bulge at its base) and rub the center against that of a female blossom (one with a babypumpkin bulge).

Pumpkins require 90 to 120 days to mature. Ideal growing temperatures are 80°F to 85°F days and 60°F to 65°F nights. Plants also need lots of water. In areas of low rainfall, water thoroughly at least once a week.

Growing the Big One

Competitive gardening is big business. Prizes for giant pumpkins run as high as $10,000, and seeds from a record-breaker are worth as much as $25 each.

Ed Gancarz of Wrightstown, New Jersey holds the world-record with his 816.5 pounder. Like most competitive growers, Gancarz plants the maxima, Atlantic Giant. The rest of us would be happy with 100 to 400 pound maximas such as Big Max and Big Moon, or with Prizewinner—Burpee offers an annual $10,000 prize for the largest Prizewinner over 500 pounds. Whenever you grow pumpkins for competition, find out whether or not the rules allow you to enter a maxima. Bringing the wrong kind of pumpkin can get you disqualified.

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