My first pumpkin patch! So excited to watch these grow in...
My first pumpkin patch! So excited to watch these grow into the fall season!! #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #NewGrowth #pumpkins #JackOLanternPumpkin #halloween #fall #jackbelittlepumpkin #pumpkinpatch #pumpkinplant
2
@Rezmeck I’m excited for you! Having your own pumpkin 🎃 patch can be REALLY fun, I had a huge harvest one year, but the next I didn’t because of some issues.
If you’re open to advice, I can share the things I learned! (Or if not needed, maybe someone else could find this useful)
Plant companion plants!! They are SO important, plants aren’t meant to grow by themselves, they need their helper plants too ☺️ Don’t feel like you need to add ALL of these at once but these plants are quite helpful around pumpkins: Marigold (deters several kinds of pests), nasturtiums (deter squash beetles), borage (attracts many kinds of predatory insects), dill/yarrow (attracts beneficials like lacewings and lady beetles 🐞 and pollinators), sunflowers 🌻 (attracts pollinators), beans & peas 🫛(fix nitrogen in the soil for the pumpkins which need a lot of nutrients), corn (grows fast, and acts as a sturdy vertical pole for beans/peas to climb).
I highly recommend throwing down a layer of straw (not hay! Hay is for horses. 🐴 Straw is less likely to mold and it doesn’t have weed seeds in it) as mulch around your vines. It helps keep your future pumpkins from being stuck touching the bare earth, which can attract pests, or give you rot problems, and it helps keep the earth shaded, and moisture from evaporating too fast. Powdery mildew is also more likely to take hold if there’s not good airflow in and around your vines.
Check EVERY day for squash beetle eggs underneath your leaves!! I would take a piece of duct tape and pick off all the eggs that way, and either squish or drop in soapy water. You can soon get over run with squash beetles if you’re not checking regularly.
Here’s me, a little while back, with some of my pumpkins 🥰 (and my one very special Cinderella pumpkin, lol!) Good luck!!
If you’re open to advice, I can share the things I learned! (Or if not needed, maybe someone else could find this useful)
Plant companion plants!! They are SO important, plants aren’t meant to grow by themselves, they need their helper plants too ☺️ Don’t feel like you need to add ALL of these at once but these plants are quite helpful around pumpkins: Marigold (deters several kinds of pests), nasturtiums (deter squash beetles), borage (attracts many kinds of predatory insects), dill/yarrow (attracts beneficials like lacewings and lady beetles 🐞 and pollinators), sunflowers 🌻 (attracts pollinators), beans & peas 🫛(fix nitrogen in the soil for the pumpkins which need a lot of nutrients), corn (grows fast, and acts as a sturdy vertical pole for beans/peas to climb).
I highly recommend throwing down a layer of straw (not hay! Hay is for horses. 🐴 Straw is less likely to mold and it doesn’t have weed seeds in it) as mulch around your vines. It helps keep your future pumpkins from being stuck touching the bare earth, which can attract pests, or give you rot problems, and it helps keep the earth shaded, and moisture from evaporating too fast. Powdery mildew is also more likely to take hold if there’s not good airflow in and around your vines.
Check EVERY day for squash beetle eggs underneath your leaves!! I would take a piece of duct tape and pick off all the eggs that way, and either squish or drop in soapy water. You can soon get over run with squash beetles if you’re not checking regularly.
Here’s me, a little while back, with some of my pumpkins 🥰 (and my one very special Cinderella pumpkin, lol!) Good luck!!
Wow!!! Those look awesome!! Thanks a bunch for the advice. I did not know any of this and as a new gardener anything is helpful. You’ve given me a lot of good info that I will definitely look into more. If you were to plant some would you recommend pot or in the ground along the fence line? @DreamMachine
