You can grow pumpkins at home, however they can get out of control and take over your garden if you don’t pay attention. Pumpkins are vines, so they love to creep and crawl as long as you will let them.

If you decide to grow your own pumpkins, here are the most common mistakes people usually make.

1. Growing spot with too much sun or shade

Pumpkins want a place where there is partial sun and shade. Pumpkin vines like to creep and grow quickly. Don’t grow pumpkins next to your roses or any other plant you don’t want to have a vine potentially creep through. They won’t ruin a plant, but they can get fairly overwhelming and will overtake delicate, small plants in their path.

2. Aggressive planting

Pumpkin seeds grow in most climates fairly easily. They thrive almost anywhere! If you only have room for one or two pumpkin vines, only plant that many. If more grow, rip them out. If you let too many grow then you’ll have a tangle of vines and it will become quite messy.

3. Letting the pumpkins sit on the ground

When a pumpkin rests on the ground for a long time, the bottom can get soft and even rot. Just slip a piece of cardboard under the pumpkin to serve as a barrier between the pumpkin and the dirt. This won’t harm the pumpkin and will help keep the bottom dry.

4. Underwatering

Pumpkins grow quickly and aggressively, so they like to be watered daily. The best kind of watering method is a steady drip hose or a watering can. It is hard to over water a pumpkin vine. Make sure they have good drainage and that’s it.

5. Harvesting too early

A lot of pumpkins grow quickly, but they don’t turn orange until they are ready to be picked. Don’t pick them too early (when they are yellow) thinking they will continue to ripen without the vine. You want to leave them on until they are a bright autumnal orange.

Source: www.momtastic.com