How To Plant a Raised Bed Pumpkin Seed Garden
Pumpkin plants are vines and love full sun – at least 6 hours of sun per day -and lots of room to sprawl. Having run out of space on my own property, my little girl and I planted these pumpkin seeds in a raised bed mini-farm over at my mother-in-laws urban side yard.
We did not fertilize the pumpkins beyond adding rotted manure to the organic soil and compost mix. They are growing beautifully, so having a “no chemical” mindset seems to work just fine for these gorgeous vines.
It takes about 10 weeks for flowers to appear, and the pumpkins will be ripe and ready to pick by the end of August in the Midwestern region of the United States.
How To Plant A Raised Bed Garden:
Step 1 – Prepare garden bed by adding soil and compost. We add three parts Organic Mechanics Soil and one part rotted manure.
Step 2 – Make mounds of soil far enough apart to allow for vine growth.
Step 3 – Plant a few seeds in the top of each mound. We used Botanical Interests seeds. Pumpkin varieties include Jarrahdale, Musquee de Provence, Cinderella, Lumina and Sugar Pie.
Step 4 – Water and wait. It’s that easy!!
*Note – Because the FTC requires it, I am noting that Botanical Interests Seeds supplied the pumpkin seeds for this planting experience. Greenland Gardener sponsored the Double Bed Raised Garden. Organic Mechanics Soil sponsored the soil used for this project. However, I would use these products even if they had not been sponsored – I like the them.
I love your posts, Shawna! I'm a container gardener (townhouse, all deck backyard). I've been trying to grow jack-be-littles in big container pots w/trellises for the last two summers, but they just eventually turn yellow, shrivel and die off shortly after male flowers appear in midsummer. Is it just impossible to grow pumpkins in pots?
Thanks!
That's interesting! I didn't know that about raised beds. When is a good time to plant pumpkins?
Jerry – plant pumpkins in early spring.
K.B. – It sounds like too much water or not enough water. All veggies require consistency in watering and when they're in containers it makes it a particular challenge to keep them watered regularly. I wouldn't give up, but set that alarm to water regularly, letting the soil just barely dry out between waterings.
S