  |
|
|
|
Pumpkins for Florida
This archived discussion is "read only".
» jfinn - Growing Pumpkins in Florida While most Halloween pumpkins purchased at supermarkets are produced up "north" and shipped here, it is possible to grow your own.Pumpkin culture requires diligent pest, weed and disease control. All varieties require well-drained soils. Vines grown on sandy soil require addition of liberal amounts of organic compost and supplemental irrigation. Most pumpkins prefer slightly acidic soil, with a pH reading between 6.0 to 6.5. Plants should be fertilized monthly with a handful of 10-10-10 for optimal growth. Many gardeners get good results by incorporating a cup of fertilizer into the hill before sowing. Varieties best suited for Florida gardens include 'Spirit,' 'Half Moon,' 'Big Moon,' 'Howden' and 'Jackpot.' Miniature varieties, with 3 to 4 inch fruits, include 'Munchkin' and 'Jack-Be-Little.' Pumpkins are a warm-season crop and are intolerant of frost. Since pumpkins are sensitive to nematodes, successive crops should be rotated. Make sure that the seeds you purchase have been treated with a fungicide to prevent rotting. Treated seeds will be coated with a neon pink color. Gloves should be worn when handling treated seeds to prevent exposure. Treated seeds will not affect the edibility of the fruits, nor will the fungicide be "translocated" to other parts of the vine. Plant three seeds to a hill, removing all except the strongest plant when they are 4 inches tall. Give the remaining vine plenty of room - typically 8 feet in all directions. Pumpkins have both male and female flowers on the same plant. Bees are the pollinators; in their absence it is necessary to hand-pollinate with a small paintbrush. If you desire size over quantity, then only allow 2 pumpkins to develop per plant. Since most varieties mature in 3 to 4 months, seeding should occur by July 4th for Halloween sales. In Florida, pumpkins planted in late March/early April produce the healthiest, quickest (under 110 days) and largest crops. Because of our summer rainy season, summer-sown plants are susceptible to a myriad of virus and fungal diseases as well as fruit-setting problems. If you seed a crop during this time, be prepared to spray plants with fungicides and insecticides. -- posted by jfinn » Sharon_Sanderson - Julie. Julie...you are a wealth of information. I am going to have to create a Julie binder to hold all this great stuff I print out.This drought has killed my pumpkin patch and it was doing beautifully. There were some small pumpkins (tennis ball size) forming but the dorught got to them. I could not keep enough water going in that area. I wonder if I could plant some seeds now for say Thanksgiving. hmmmm. Thanks for the info. -- posted by Sharon_Sanderson
Please follow the guidelines set forth in the Suite101 Posting Etiquette when adding to the discussion. |
|
|
|
