A pumpkin is a cultivar of winter squash that is round with smooth, slightly ribbed skin, and is most often deep yellow to orange in coloration. The thick shell contains the seeds and pulp.
Description
Pumpkins are widely grown for commercial use and as food, aesthetics, and recreational purposes.
Pumpkins require quite a long period of frost-free weather (75 to 120 days) to mature, and they also require warm soil temperatures (at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit) for the seeds to germinate. For this reason, they are typically seeded into the garden just as soon as the soil is sufficiently warm in the spring. In regions without the necessary long growing season, pumpkins are often started from seeds indoors, two to four weeks before the last spring frost.
Watering
Give your plants at least 1 to 2 inches of water a week, especially when they're blooming and setting fruit. Watering should preferably be done through drip irrigation or ground-level soaking rather than from overhead.
Fertilizing
Pumpkins feed heavily in order to develop their extensive vines and large fruit. Feed regularly (every two weeks), beginning with a high-nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are about 1 foot tall, to support good foliage growth. Just before the plants begin blooming, switch to a high-phosphorus fertilizer to support fruit development.