Pumpkin farming guide

Binomial Name:Cucurbita pepo

Varieties - Atlantic Giant, Baby Pam, Big Max, Cinderella, Connecticut Field, Jack Be Little, Small Sugar, Spookie Pie.

Conditions- Prefers well-drained, fertile, loose soil, high in organic matter with pH between 5.8 and 6.8.

-Plentiful and consistent moisture is needed from the time plants emerge until fruits begin to fill out.Tender annual.If you have plenty of space, good soil and a long enough growing season, pumpkins are easy to grow.

-Most varieties grow on vines that spread 8 feet or more. Even smaller bush types spread 5 feet or more.

Planting - Sow 4 to 5 seeds per hill. Space hills about 4 to 8 feet apart, depending on the size of the vine. (Even some of the mini-fruited pumpkins grow on very large vines.) When the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones.

-In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 feet apart. Snip off plants to thin to one plant every 18 to 36 inches.If you need to start plants early, plant inside in 2- to 3-inch pots or cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Sow 3 or 4 seeds per pot and thin to one or two plants by snipping off the weaker plants to avoid damaging the roots of those that remain.

-Harden off by cutting back on water and reducing temperature before transplanting. Plant transplants out in the garden at the same final spacings above after all danger of frost has passed.Black plastic mulch can speed growth, especially in cool, short-season areas.

-At the end of the season, remove or till in vines to reduce mildew. Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. Remove before flowering to allow pollination by insects or when hot weather arrives.

-Mulching plants helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. Mounding soil around the base of the plants can discourage squash borers from laying eggs.

Steps to Minimize Squash and Pumpkin Rots

1.Maintain a fungicide - and insecticide-spray program during the growing season to minimize foliar diseases. Sulphur-based fungicides will control the most common surface-infecting fungal problems such as powdery mildew, blackspot, apple scab and rust.

2.Avoid Blossom End Rot of fruit by fertilizing and liming fields when needed.

3.Harvest fruits when they are mature and the rind is hard.

4.Do not harvest or handle wet fruit. Do not let harvested fruit get wet.

5.Harvest fruit by cutting the peduncle (stem) with pruning shears to leave a 3- to 4-inch handle for pumpkins .

6.Destroy pumpkins that are immature, injured, or have rot or blemishes. These pumpkins should not be harvested, stored and by all means don't put them in the compost pile !.

7.Do not pick up freshly harvested fruit by the peduncle, because it may separate from the fruit and provide easy access for rot organisms.

8.Do not permit harvested or stored fruit to get wet.

9.Washing is only necessary prior to consumption or cooking, but if washing is necessary, be sure the water is chlorinated (one part 5.25% liquid bleach to 999 parts water). Prepare fresh wash solution when the water becomes cloudy and chlorine cannot be detected. Dry thoroughly.

10.For better keeping, some growers cure pumpkins for 10 to 20 days at 80 to 85oF with good ventilation (e.g. four air exchanges per day).

11.Storage life of healthy pumpkins is typically 2 to 3 months without significant loss in quality.

12.Mulching with organic matter such as straw or dry grass clippings helps control weeds, conserves moisture and keeps fruit from direct contact with the soil, where they could be infected by diseases.

Pests and diseases

Diseases

1.Black rot - is a phase of the disease called gummy stem blight that infects pumpkins. Caused by a fungus.

-Black rot is the most serious disease contracted during storage of squash, pumpkin, and gourds.

-Affected fruit may show black rot lesions in the field before harvest, collapse soon after harvest, or exhibit lesions some time later in storage.

-Because infection originates in the field, control practices include the use of disease-free seed, a minimum 2-year rotation, and fungicide sprays as required.

-When powdery-mildew-resistant (PMR) varieties are released, the losses from black rot are reduced. Fungicides containing chlorothalonil, as an active ingredient will help control Black rot and most other fungus issues that effect Pumpkins and Squash.

2.Anthracnose - occasionally infects squash and pumpkin. Anthracnose, caused by a fungus similar to gummy stem blight, it is favored by warm temperatures and high humidity. Most commonly when the weather is cool and wet.

-Lesions usually develop while fruit is in storage. On pumpkin, lesions are mostly circular, sunken, and measure 2 to 5 mm in diameter or larger.

-Because the anthracnose fungus overwinters in debris, a minimum 2-year rotation out of all cucurbits is required for control.

-Fungicides are rarely used, even by commercial growers, they are of limited value against anthracnose - proper sanitation practices and crop rotation should suffice.

3.Powdery Mildew - The surface of affected leaves are covered by a white mass of the fungus, which has a powdery texture. Symptoms may also be found on petioles.

Pests - Many insects will feed off Pumpkin and Squash, these are the more common ones.

1.Squash Bugs feed by sucking sap from the leaves and stems while injecting a toxic substance into the plant causing a wilting known as Anasa wilt.

Effective Controls are rotenone, pyrethrin, Neem Oil which prevents the larvae from developing normally , or insecticidal soap.

2.Cucumber Beetles will feed on cucumber, as well as related crops such as pumpkin.

3.Squash vine borers are the larval stage of a moth. The body and wings of adult moths are colored with red and black scales, and they are frequently mistaken for wasps. This species of moth is active in the daytime. The larvae have been known to feed around the clock.

-A number of products are available that will help control squash vine borers. Sevin, Asana, Pounce, are a few. Rotenone is the eco-friendly alternative.

4.Aphids are Yellowish-pink to pale green plant lice that suck plant juices. They are a soft-bodied, oval/pear shaped insects and are commonly found on nearly all varieties of plants, vegetables, field crops, and fruit trees.

-Neem is helpful in controlling Aphids and other pests.

5.Cutworms
6.Wireworms
7.Leaf hoppers
8.Plant maggots

Harvesting - A pumpkin should be left on the vine until its desired color is reached. Once the pumpkin is picked, the color stops developing.

-You can tell if a pumpkin is ripe by thumping the pumpkin and by examining its skin. If it makes a hollow sound when thumped, the pumpkin is ready to be picked.

-Additionally, the pumpkin is ripe is if the skin feels hard, almost like a shell. When you press your fingernail into a ripe pumpkin, it should resist puncture.

-When harvesting a pumpkin use a sharp knife or scissors to cut the fruit from the vine. When cutting, be sure to leave a long handle on the pumpkin.

-To ensure the pumpkin lasts for a long time, clean it, using a 10 percent bleach solution. The pumpkin can be sprayed with the bleach solution or dipped in it.

-Curing involves elevating storage temperatures to 25 to 30°C with 75 to 80 percent relative humidity for approximately 10 days. Curing heals wounds, helps ripen immature fruit, enhances color, and ensures a longer post-harvest life.

-After curing, the pumpkin can be coated in edible grade food wax ifit is going to be eaten or with shellac if it will not. Store the pumpkin on its end out of direct sunlight. Following these simple steps, a pumpkin can be stored for two to three months.

Seed saving - Remove the pulp and seeds from inside the pumpkin.

-Place this in a colander.

-Place the colander under running water. As the water runs over the pulp, start picking out the seeds from the pulp.

-Rinse them in the running water as you do. Do not let the pumpkin pulp sit in non-running water. There will be more seeds inside the pumpkin than you will ever be able to plant, so once you have a good amount of seeds rinsed, look over them and choose the biggest seeds.

-Plan on saving 3 times more pumpkin seeds than the number of plants you will be growing next year. Larger seeds will have a better chance of germinating.

-Place the rinsed seeds on a dry paper towel. Make sure they are spaced out otherwise the seeds will stick to one another.

-Place in a cool dry spot for 1 week. Once the seeds are dry, store pumpkin seed for planting in an envelope.

Like our Facebook page for more: Greenfarm Organics

Follow us on twitter: @nicokirui1