How to Grow Pumpkins in Containers (Even in Small Spaces)

[@PTLPROVO]

First off, I love this video. I've tried to grow pumpkins so many times and failed. But, I have to say that I think its hilarious how the video started out with him saying that he just threw seeds under a tree and always ended up with a full pumpkin patch without doing anything, and then proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes going through all of the specific soils/composts/timing/bugs/mildews/etc. and everything that can go wrong if things aren't done carefully. 😄 Here's hoping I can actually get a pumpkin this season!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

=) The hypocrisy is not lost on me! Among gardeners, pumpkins have a sort of mythic lore around growing best in unattended compost heaps. Alas, hard to count on those volunteer plants^^ I'm sure yours will do great this season! I was out babying ours today =)

[@helenharrington5641]

Appreciate the time you spent here , teaching a novice gardener like myself I've gone nuts in my backyard Growing everything I can fit in, in my season that is Not just for my family, hoping to help my neighbours out too I'll be watching a few of your clips as my step to step guide on the do's and don'ts As my garden matures

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I love this! We're going nuts in our front yard growing everything we can fit in. And that's awesome that you plan to share the harvest with your community =)

[@MommyBee1589]

Very helpful and you seem so kind! Thanks for taking the time to help me ! Second year gardening and really enjoying learning about things I haven’t planted before!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

=) This comment just put a huge smile on my face. Also, I just watched your Full Garden Tour video and have to say your garden looks amazing! I only wish I had plants that looked that nice in my second year. It also really made me want to record some video of me and the little ones gardening together. Happy gardening!

[@homebodyjen752]

I bought little mini pumpkins during a seed sale and I had no idea where I would actually plant them… now I have confidence in planting them in containers and letting them sprawl on the ground. I need to search for this mesh trellis you keep mentioning in the videos.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Best of luck! Don't forget to give them some supplemental feedings if they start to go a bit yellow =) I love mini pumpkins and wish I had some growing right now!!!

[@miacreech3585]

We have °110 weather right now and I have a crap ton of seeds sprouting, so happy!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

NICE! 110 in June is rough - good on you for getting things to grow in that =)

[@tednisbeth3088]

you are an excellent teacher , thanks so much .

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Well thank you kindly. That's really lovely to hear =)

[@slow-mo_moonbuggy]

I have a feeling bugs like the one you mentioned just arise from the earth because of the pumpkins. I think this creation we live in is way more interesting than we realize.

[@genellegarcia419]

this is the best break down of growing plants thank you so much!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Well that's just awesome to hear! Thanks for watching and sharing 😁

[@renedeleon3232]

That’s exactly what I was thinking! ❤

[@NYC_Urbanista]

Great video, thank you! Not wanting to waste them, I discarded a small variety of halloween pumpkins in a small patch of my garden for the birds to enjoy the seeds. Much to my delight they loved them, especially the cardinals. And now, even more to my surprise, I seem to have cultivated a small pumpkin patch. The spot is a bit shady but the vines seem to be thriving .. we'll see! Perhaps, I'll have my own homegrown pumpkins this year. Happy gardening!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh that's awesome! And I bet you will =) There's something magical about volunteer Jack-o-Lanterns. Ours mostly go to the chickens these days but we'll still get the occasional survivor in the compost buckets.

[@Buick59]

Love your videos, had an accidental pumpkin show up in the raised beds this summer. Delicious, when steamed, or fried. Pulled out all the dead anasazi beans, planting 6 different winter squash species in the nitrogen rich soul the beans left behind. How has the trellis thing worked for you? Going to try it this time.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I wasn't familiar with anasazi beans - thanks for the inspiration. I don't grow shelling beans myself but know some folks in their native region that might enjoy 'em. These little nylon trellises really surprised me. They worked out great so long as you don't expect miracles. Worked great for the pie pumpkins, beans, and cucumbers (amongst other plants). The only thing I don't like about them is they are a bit challenging to clean, take down, store, and put back up.

[@ahtemmathehun3506]

Thank you for all of the comprehensive information. My daughter found a mystery seed in our laundry room and it sprouted this week. I have no idea what breed of winter squash it is, pretty sure it is a pumpkin tho. I'm pretty sure its going to be very late in the season and we may not be able to harvest from it, but we're planting anyhow. If it wasn't for this video, I would have chosen the wrong sized container. Unfortunately I'm going to have to string trellis it. Crossing fingers this works! Thanks again!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

How fun! I'm rooting for y'all and the laundry-seed pumpkin=) We just gave away some late-season winter squash seedlings to family and neighbors; I think it's worth the shot!

[@slow-mo_moonbuggy]

Any update on what it turned out to be?

[@MiWri]

The pumpkin, in my country, is a very popular vegetable. We roast, boil, steam fry and make soup. It's one of my favourites

[@NextdoorHomestead]

What's your favorite eating pumpkin? We grew lots of winter squash this year and we're loving them roasted up!

[@renedeleon3232]

You literally explained EVERYTHING perfectly and answered all the questions I had. ❤

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Happy pumpkin planting! What variety did you go with? And so glad we could be help btw =)

[@aprilm3848]

Thank you so much! You’re a wealth of knowledge about growing these pumpkins and I really needed your help! I’m in Florida, where our torrential rainstorms have killed pumpkins grown in my flower garden for two years now. I never intended to grow pumpkins; they started from seeds after Halloween! Now, I’m determined to grow one or two…or however many survive. Going to use the 30 gallon container and all of your helpful tips. Thank you!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

No problem and thank you for the kind comment April! I really hope your volunteer pumpkins thrive 😁 I have a tiny bit of experience with Florida rainstorms and they are no joke!

[@janicejurgensen2122]

I subscribed within 1 minute when you shared your story! Ty

[@NextdoorHomestead]

That's awesome! I hope you enjoy our future videos as well =) And good luck with your pumpkins!

[@pjpugapillarfan2750]

Having a super cool set summer up here in Anchorage. I am using my aerogarden to get my Pumpkin seeds to pop. I have never sern a summer like thid in 30 yrs here. Its July 4 th so here my little seeds go!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Ah good luck! I can't imagine how tricky that must be with an already short growing season. I hope you get a good harvest anyhow =)

[@darleneprecious3661]

Best video I’ve seen on growing pumpkins! Thanks so much!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

This just made my day! Thanks for watching and happy gardening =)

[@TheWoodlandGardener]

Great video!! I've not tried growing pumpkins in containers yet, but now I will - this coming week. Appreciate all the great info. Have a good week!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

That's awesome! I love to hear it and hope it works great for you 😁

[@judithdriscoll2934]

@@NextdoorHomestead h

[@mattcontrera9710]

Lots of helpful tips, I'm growing my first pumpkins this year in a raised bed and I've learned a lot about expecations for them in limited space. Now I know adding mulch and realizing the realistic number of pumpkins I should keep growing will hopefully help me though the season. I'm attempting to grow giant atlantic pumpkins and at first I tried to get them to grow vertically like squash or cucumbers and I have found through various videos that I'm being ambutious to say the least. I have two growing now about soft ball sized fruit that I'm going to try and keep alive, but theres one growing above the main plant in a trellis that I think I'll have to cut down and direct the vines toward the ground. Man, these plants are finicky, I had a lot of leaves die off because I think it wasn't getting enough water consistently so hopefully the mulch helps. I'm hoping I can get atleast three pumpkins to get big from my set up so I can give one to my niece for her first halloween (she can have the biggest one) and save the seeds to grow them more efficeintly next year. Never thought I'd learn so much or be so invested in a plant, but the challenge is so fun.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

So glad it was helpful Matt! This sounds like such a cool experiment, I think I might need to try growing one of the giant varieties next year 😁 We got a lot of leaf scalding this year and lost some leaves too. Best of luck to you and your pumpkins!

[@rosewood9839]

More of mine grew in straw than in dirt! I have a lot of large cannas. I cut some of those, chop them up, and put those in the bottom of my fabric pots, along with a little straw. I give it a day, then stomp on it carefully. Then I add the soil. Push the dirt in as much as you can. Wait another day, because you’re dirt level will drop. Add more dirt and your ready to plant. It works really well and uses a lot less soil. I love growing pumpkins, too!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Love this! Our neighbors actually planted one of our pumpkin seedlings into a straw bale and it's growing beautifully =)

[@ellacloud2850]

Thanks for a great video. I’ve been literally nose deep in the internet trying to find good videos on sugar pumpkins for the last few months and thank god I found this one. I was really worried when my female flowers were turning yellow and dying off when they weren’t pollinated, but now I completely understand, and I’m excited for the next one to open. How long do the females stay open, btw? I have school and I feel like I keep missing them when they’re open

[@NextdoorHomestead]

So glad it proved helpful! The female blooms are only open and viable for the one day so it is important to catch them at the right time. I personally see mine much more frequently in the early morning and that seems to be the common consensus too. Climate and conditions play a part in that - it's still extraordinarily hot where we live and that probably contributes to the shorter window.

[@ellacloud2850]

@@NextdoorHomestead yesss it’s still so hot where I am, like it’s been in the 90’s and 100’s for a while now. And thank you so much, I’ll be sure to look out for the female blooms!

[@ishaa5948]

Thanks, I'm growing my first pumpkins n I'm thinking I'll do maybe 4 pumpkins per plant. I've got 7 planted so far. 🙏

[@NextdoorHomestead]

NICE! I am so excited for pumpkins this year. I think we're going to plant a few more seeds today haha =)

[@shelly7017]

I tip to prevent mildew is to spray your plants with diluted buttermilk, before they flower. I'm sure you can find plenty of information online on this subject. Pumpkins are heavy feeds, and all squash are. That's why they grow so well in a compost pile.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thanks Shelly! I'll have to look into that more. I'm interested in doing a video on PM this year I think - such an annoying problem for just about everyone.

[@foodbitsninja8770]

omg! this is the best one to watch for potting pumpkin! thank you so much i learned so much !straight to the point! subscribed

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you kindly! So very glad it was helpful =) Happy pumpkin farming!

[@hannahhorton6207]

Thanks so much for this video! It's been super helpful! How'd the net trellis hold up? And any update on the marigold & if it helped any?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

The net trellises have really surprised me! This one and others held up just fine =) I've done a deep dive on marigold since and it's pretty clear that there's no real evidence it does anything used like this unfortunately =(. It *might* help in giant quantities and it seems to help with some nematodes, but the smell keeping away pests is likely a myth. I still love them though!

[@enchantedviolet]

I recently bought fairytale pumpkin seeds! I’m excited to try them out :) not sure where but I want to do it

[@tompatchak8706]

When I had a large plot of land, I planted pumpkin seeds with corn seeds, just for the heck of it both grew very large and wide and packed that had a sea of pumpkin leaves, and trees of corn for the deer to eat. I had so many little baby pumpkins out here that my kids school that I had enough to give every child one pumpkin at mu son’s school. That’s like 300 plus. Now I have a smaller plot and I’ve been using containers. I tried pumpkins in the back corner, but didn’t work because there’s no airflow. I have this idea I might grow them against the fence so they have something to climb. I do have some volunteer growing the corners that squirrel dropped and I’m just letting them go for the heck

[@belencervantes3510]

So glad I found your video! I spent 2 hours yesterday setting up my drip system! I also put up some mesh to give them some shade from the sun because they kept wilting. Do you think I should take the mesh off?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Belen, so glad to hear it was helpful! Some shade protection is not a bad idea if you're in an area receiving temperatures in the mid 90's for days at a time. Those very high temperatures can cause the fruit to abort early on. If you're seeing a lot of wilting even when the soil is still moderately moist, I'm guessing high temps are an issue.

[@user-cs1xz]

this was soooo helpful and well done. youve given me the confidence to try! thank you so much friend

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Woo hoo! It's such a fun garden project - I hope you have a blast =)

[@barbwire5bh294]

Thanks, started my Giant pumpkins putting in the ground!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Good luck! I think I'm going to plant some more pumpkin seeds tomorrow actually =)

[@RMoore-vk4hk]

My son and I got a few seeds to germinate and we popped them into a 5gal cloth pot. He's growing 2 starters on his dresser and it gets morning sun 🌄 and he's watering it daily.

[@RMoore-vk4hk]

It's in FoxFarms Happy Frog and F.F. Ocean Forest. Plus Calcium chunks from our birds mix when she lays eggs and needs calcium added to her seed. I always add Worm Castings 🪱. It's got small hydroponic Lava Rocks mixed about. QUESTION: WITH THIS RICH SOIL AND ORGANIC FOOD IN THIS SOIL MIX, WILL IT SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH INDOORS FOR 4 MONTHS UNTIL SPRING MISSOURI HITS?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hello there! That does indeed sound like a very good, nutrient-rich potting soil. I have never tried growing a pumpkin indoors on a windowsill, but I have tried cucumbers which are related. My cucumbers survived but were never actually able to produce fruit due to the lack of energy they were receiving. I suspect your plants will survive and may even look healthy but will not grow large, strong, or productive. And will be quite old and too stunted by the time Spring rolls around. Again though, that's just my guess based on experience with a different plant =) It's always fun to experiment and see what happens!

[@malissalenzzo8434]

You are an exact replica of that man's bar soap commercial

[@yudeok413]

Minus the obnoxiousness

[@ShadowHat]

Do you have any tips on growing pumpkins indoors, I carved a pumkin I got at the store and planted a few seeds from it not expecting them to sprout, and now I have 3 cute seedlings. Its -10° and snowy out so growing them outdoors issent an option unfortantly. Awesome video!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh wow, that's so fun! So first off, I have never attempted to grow a pumpkin to maturity indoors. But if I were to do it, this is how I'd do it: 1) Windowsill light isn't going to cut it, not enough daylight hours this time of year. I'd need to put them under artificial lights 2) To save space, I'd aim for a 15 gallon container (or somewhere there abouts) rather than the full 30. 3) Simple LED shop lights will work for the first few weeks, but as they plants begin to flower and fruit, I'd need to put them under full spectrum grow lights. Those are pricey =/ 4) To conserve energy and make the most out of my lights, I'd try to put them in some sort of growing enclosure with walls made of reflective material. This helps maximize the light energy that reaches the fruit. 5) To save space, I'd prune tertiary vines and maybe even secondary vines Whew, OK, that's a lot. Definitely a fun experiment if you're game for it, but I think it would be too challenging and expensive for me =)

[@YakanAutumn]

I planted some last year that glowered but i could not figure out how to pollinate. this time i double the amount of seedlings about 32 in all last year i did 16 an only 3 truely grew strong an well. I planted them in a 50 gallon horse trough with 2, 5 gallon water jugs that i refill when empty. I usually till my yard of all the weeds and random plants that grow from the spring time rain an use them as the first layer than place a mix of top soil, peatmoss/perlite, mircle grow powder (about 5 tablespoons) with some of the potassium bonemeal. The ground i have very sandy and clay like an does not drain well.(all my ginko tree lives well in it) Im excited maybe with year ill pollante them correctly if not they still make cool decorations for my yard. Here in the high desert the highest weve had is 113 (really rare) an about 60 at night lucky not to much rain. I hoping having them in a shad after 4-5pm wont do any harm. This video so helpful in things to watch out for very promising 🤞

[@NextdoorHomestead]

You are clearly getting better and better at it! Keep them well-watered and fed and try hand-pollinating and I think you'll have some good luck this year. Have fun =)

[@madajuarez7073]

Such of wonderful video. Very educational. Thank you 🙏🏾

[@NextdoorHomestead]

THANK YOU! What a nice thing to say =) Appreciate you saying that.

[@queensweet5900]

Do you have videos actually showing the containers the pumpkin has further grown .and various ways of supporting that pumpkin if not touching the ground ?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I'm sorry, I do not! I want to do more videos on pumpkins next year but I know that doesn't help you much for now!

[@gens4924]

I grew a jack-o-lantern last year. It got to be about 10 feet long. Once it started flowering, the leaves closest to the root started yellowing and drying off. Also had two pumpkins growing. One fell off and the other got bit by a squirrel or something. I was so sad and discouraged that I just threw the whole thing away lol but I'm excited to plant another this June! I really enjoyed your video. Any suggestions on how I can prevent last year's misfortune?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

First off, don't sweat it! All normal stuff when growing winter squash like pumpkins. For the leaves, did they show signs of powdery mildew (probably easiest to look up pictures to compare)? For the fruit that fell off, it was probably just not pollinated and naturally withered. For the squirrels - I feel your pain - and you can try actually covering the fruit after it has been successfully pollinated to keep rodents off it. Cheers!

[@HamzaDudgeonthelinguist]

I am working with nothing more than a patio garden, so this is quite useful haha #UrbanFarmer #Atlanta

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I love that! Pumpkins are such a cool way to add some "wildness" to a patio garden. I hope yours grow beautifully this year.

[@katherinehowell433]

Hi what can i do cuz my pumpkin flowers keep coming out but they die n also my pumpkin leaves has mildew n black

[@melissacurry5711]

Im in NJ. My son put a cooked pumpkin seed in one of my flower pots on Christmas. Well, it's now April, and I have a huge pumpkin plant in my window. When can I put it outside?

[@RonAndJaneThailand]

Off topic 😂 Do you or have you ever used Jadam or Korean Natural farming methods ? Minus manures I use strictly this in my garden or homemade fertilizers. My harvest isn't amazing but I get a decent harvest even in basically beach sand. 100-150 meters from the beach. After 2 years of adding compost and mulch everywhere we're doing alright straight in the ground. 😊

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hello there! I do not but it's actually on my to-do list to learn this next offseason. This year our garden theme is high production but I think next year will be about self-sustainability (or moreso anyhow). I'd like to move to using mostly our own chicken manure / worm castings / compost / and potentially homemade fertilizers as well. I'm always going to use some of the bagged stuff but I'd like to severely reduce the amounts. Anyhow, what is your favorite resource on KNF? I'm putting together a list to read when the garden takes up less of my time (it's crazy right now!).

[@nildaotero2933]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing

[@NextdoorHomestead]

No problem! Thanks for checking it out... and good luck with your pumpkins this year!

[@marianacortez2976]

Hi again! I was wondering what tips you had for the pumpkin vines? Is there anything special I need to do as far as taking care of the vines? Thank you!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Good question! You have a fair number of options. Depending on the variety, many gardeners like to encourage rooting at the nodes of their pumpkin vines to allow the plant more places to draw in water and nutrients. This is one option if you aren't trellising and is pretty straightforward: just shallowly cover the vine at the nodes with soil. I personally like to trellis my container plants up and train the vines off the ground because of the pests we have in our backyard =) The other vine care topic would be pruning. If your main vines and secondary vines are growing well, most growers will prune off the tertiary vines (the runners coming off the secondary vines). Otherwise, we remove any excess unpollinated fruits to allow the plant to focus on the set you want to grow to full size.

[@marianacortez2976]

@@NextdoorHomestead thank you so much for your awesome advice!! I appreciate it!

[@jessicaheger1880]

Japanese foozoo squash? I'm sure I'm getting that wrong, but I just love that foliage! Someone please correct me so I can get seeds to grow this in my garden!!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Japanese Black Futsu =) Terrific plant IMO. And I quite like the variegated pattern too!

[@msokibe3082]

Great tips especially on the watering! The only time I ever had a bumper harvest is when the pumpkin plant grew on it's own near where I used to keep cows. All other times the plant germinated beautifully but dies immediately upon watering the leaves! Will try again. Thanks.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Steer manure is such a great soil amendment =) I hope your plants avoid the dreaded fungal diseases this year! At least long enough for a good harvest ;)

[@msokibe3082]

@@NextdoorHomestead with the tips I have gotten from you, all will be well

[@exploringwithdonald8444]

I started mine at the beginning of June

[@johnpaulsebuliba.b2992]

Am so impressed thanks

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you watching our videos =)

[@FloridaGardeningdiva]

Can i use miracle grow moisturer control potting soil for pumpkins. I started my seeds in trays and want to transfer them into 10 gallon garden bags. I want to grow them on my porch to keep animals from eating them. Last year squirrels ate all my plants.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yes! I think it's quite an effective potting mix honestly and will help keep them happy in the hot days. It won't contain enough food for the whole season though, so plan to sidedress with fertilizer a couple times.

[@mmkhan75]

I have three pumpkin plants growing in my front yard, where there is grass and some weeds. How can I help them continue to grow? Should I work up all the surrounding grass?

[@mmkhan75]

Thank you for any advice 😊

[@NextdoorHomestead]

It's always a good idea to remove weeds carefully to reduce competition and the chance of disease spread, but I wouldn't go crazy if the pumpkins are already growing in! Don't want to accidentally hurt the vines or their roots (they can be a bit sensitive).

[@Squatz1235]

Question what do I do if spring tails ate the leaf of my pumpkin it just started to grow so I put a seed through plastic container on it to keep the spring tales out

[@NextdoorHomestead]

If it just started to grow and only had a couple leaves, you may want to consider replanting depending on the damage. Otherwise, just try to keep the pests away and let it heal up =)

[@Squatz1235]

@@NextdoorHomestead k I’ll try that tomorrow 🙏

[@rameshwarithakur4247]

Outsstanding!!!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

=) =) Thank you so much for saying so!

[@marianacortez2976]

Hello! I planted my own pumpkins using your video as a guide. The plants are growing (yay) but unfortunately I see a bunch of ants in the soil. Do you have any advice on how to get rid of them and how to prevent them. Thank you in advance! 😀

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Mariana, lovely to hear your plants are growing =) I too have an enormous number of ants in my garden, but truthfully I just let them be. For the most part, ants are beneficial to the soil and eat some pests. Plus, I like that they keep the lizards in the garden well-fed too. Are yours causing problems? Ants *can* be destructive (aphid farming, destroying roots with ant hills) so if you're seeing those behaviors I would first try coffee grounds! They don't seem to like going over the grounds for whatever reason - though you'll have to reapply regularly. You can also try food grade diatomaceous earth if the coffee doesn't work.

[@marianacortez2976]

@@NextdoorHomestead Thank you so much for your reply and advice. I think they're just chilling in the soil and not really bothering the plants. I just wasn't sure if it was safe to have them around. I appreciate it!

[@rickytorres9089]

@@marianacortez2976 In natural conditions, most pests are fine to be. Only intervene if/as needed. Starting from most gentle measures (e.g. blasting, picking them off, spraying water, etc) and upping your measures ONLY as needed. Until it's more reasonable for you to keep growing.

[@Tami24945]

Do they need all those leaves? I cut some of the leaves off of my tomatoes so they won’t be too bushy.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Generally speaking, no! It's definitely possible to judiciously prune your pumpkins as well.

[@cristinalattuada5322]

I love your info but considering that you communicate to anyone all over the world it would be nice to have measurements in metric system ❤

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh my goodness! You're definitely right. I try to include Celsius conversions but never even thought about other units! Thank you for the tip 😁

[@connorward2109]

Where did you purchase the bags you mentioned

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Amazon =)

[@Bear_Pawlish]

So I live in an apartment but blessed to have a small yard. I’ve been growing everything in 5-10 gallon pots. So far so good. I just want baking pumpkins. Not sure how my watermelons will do tho 😅 also having a bunny makes for awesome compost!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Are you growing sugar pie pumpkins or something larger? Best of luck with the watermelons too!

[@exploringwithdonald8444]

I'm growing my pumpkins as well, there's a yellow flower on mine right now

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yes! I love this 😁 Best of luck to your pumpkin endeavor.

[@exploringwithdonald8444]

@@NextdoorHomestead thank you haha

[@RonAndJaneThailand]

Heya. Vimon Direksri (my wife's name, I'm Ron) here. I haven't forgotten about this channel. My phone was stolen. I'll eventually open a new screen name. Half my pumpkins have halfway died back. Time to get some more in the ground. Maybe not great for an outdoor pot but I bury about half a gallon or 1 g. of kitchen scraps under my pumpkins. Got the idea from David the Good :)

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Ack, that absolutely stinks. Sorry Ron (about the phone that is). What do you think did the damage to your pumpkins? They tend to suffer a lot from both pests, drought and sun damage here.

[@hairywitch4063]

Where are you? What zone, what state? I’m California zone 10 b but been really cool and rainy lately and wondering if still to early to do pumpkins.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Heya! We're zone 9 but some extra details are on our about page too =) Depending on your requirements, I would guess it's still fairly early to plant pumpkins. We'll be starting ours indoors around 5/1 and transplanting around 5/10. Cheers!

[@hairywitch4063]

@@NextdoorHomestead Thanks.

[@mariyahmartinez4877]

How much depth do Jack be little need? I didn’t fill my 15 gal grow bag enough and they sprouted already.. it’s at least 10-12inchs depth im guessing what should I do

[@angvma1645]

My pumpkin plants are about 7weeks old they have lots of buds or little flowers that are forming should I remove them ? Or jst let it naturally take place they are jack-o’-lantern 🎃

[@unicorngalaxy1867]

Very helpful!!!

[@e-ross5893]

Ugh i didn't know there was such a science to growing pumpkins. I literally just planted them into my Garden with soil and mulch. They are growing rapidly but when they bloom, they fall off. Ive just been watering them everyday with the heat being almost 100 degrees everyday. Hopefully i can grow some actual pumpkins. Thanks for the lesson it really helped

[@nikkic8886]

I have a question. I left a pumpkin outside and it grew a plant. I put it into a container but I think I need a bigger one so it's July 7th and pretty small. What do I do

[@NextdoorHomestead]

It's not uncommon for them to really take off after a slow start. Try to give it plenty of nutrients!

[@nikkic8886]

@@NextdoorHomestead thank you so much for answering

[@nikkic8886]

@@NextdoorHomestead thank you so much for answering

[@Tinytottribe]

We live in the mountains, how would one keep the squirrels out? 😅

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I wish I had an easy squirrel solution. They're rough on us too! The only thing I have found that works is trying different crops in different places. Ours love some squash and some greens but don't touch cucumbers with spines or tomatoes for the most part. If it's pumpkins, you can wrap and protect the individual fruits as you probably won't be dealing with too many.

[@iancrook7510]

Do you water every day ??

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Not in that big container! The 10 and 20 gallon bags do need daily watering when temps are over 100.

[@ofrecentvintage]

Uh oh. I have about 30 squash plants started and was hoping to grow several (maybe even most) in grow bags and I was aiming for 15 gallon size (budget and space considerations). 30 gallons for one was not on my radar whatsoever 😕 😬 😅

[@NextdoorHomestead]

What kind of squash? Smaller bags generally just means more careful watering and fertilizing and perhaps smaller yields per plant.

[@ofrecentvintage]

@@NextdoorHomestead I'm currently growing early sweet sugar pie pumpkin, bush delicata, kabocha, red kuri, table king acorn, Burpee's butterbush and vegetable spaghetti squash seedlings. I may be forgetting a variety or two 😅 I tried to aim for smaller varieties given my constraints, reserving my bigger variety seeds for when I have access to more space. (So sorry for the delayed response! Thank you for your question and info 🍈)

[@emilg743]

I put 3 seeds in a pot, thinking one of them will grow. And The 3 of them are coming out at the same time and they’re all together. Should I leave just one and take out the others???

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Emil, congrats on the good germination rate! Yep, you definitely don't want three pumpkins all growing against each other so choose the strongest and either pull out (very carefully so as to not damage the roots of the one you're keeping) or snip off the extras. Culling the extra seedlings is no fun but you'll be glad you did it. Crowded seedlings can cause as much problems as too little light. Good luck!

[@emilg743]

Alright! Thank you!

[@kirakrejci2628]

Im struggling with rolly pollys eating the stems of my pumpkins. They must have come from the soil I got from my composter since they’re decomposers. Any tips?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Rolly pollys are a weird one because they typically aren't bad... but sometimes go a little crazy. I would start by protecting the stems in the short term with something like tinfoil and then see if you can make the area less inviting for them. Drying it out a bit, using DE, etc. Good chance at some point a predator will discover the overpopulation and correct it for you =)

[@kirakrejci2628]

@@NextdoorHomestead I’m going to try the tinfoil idea and DE around the stem bottoms. Thank you! I’ve been trying to get them to go onto fruit pieces I put out there and relocate them.

[@donnatierney2078]

We use little blue. Kid pools

[@rickytorres9089]

I never thought of growing pumpkins/winter squashes for terribly DRAMATIC clay soils. In order to break it up and make it more workable for them/other plants to follows.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

You know, sometimes I like to think of the first few planting in an area as "cover crops" even though its something like squash or greens.

[@rickytorres9089]

@@NextdoorHomestead Precisely, you know all you are doing is making room in your native soils that you aren't AIMING for a harvest to occurs. Just for the plants to "do their jobs and finish their lifecycling".

[@tntplayzexe8909]

would a 12 gallon work?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yes! Just choose a "dwarf" variety like Jack Be Little =)

[@tntplayzexe8909]

i got a field pumpkin growing

[@marcuspowell2510]

All of my sugar pies are growing wild but primarily putting out female flowers and he male flowers I do get do not have any pollen. Any suggestions?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Heya! If it's still very early in the plant's life, I probably wouldn't worry about a mismatch just yet. If it's been a while and you're concerned you won't get a good harvest in time, grab a male off another squash plant =) Either in your garden if you have something else growing or from a friend if you need to. You'll just need to make sure it's from a compatible cucurbit: hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/cross-pollination-between-vine-crops The downside is you won't be able to keep the seeds as they won't breed true. Cheers!

[@marcuspowell2510]

@@NextdoorHomestead Wow… I didn’t even thing about that. I used whatever male cucurbit was flowering to pollinate last year then saved the seeds. I know you can’t save those seeds just decided to be dumb for a second I guess.

[@marcuspowell2510]

@@NextdoorHomestead it’s okay. I have a long growing season!

[@msokibe3082]

@@NextdoorHomestead learning alot

[@kimz059]

Now it's my 6 time watching this videos

[@gardeningtipswithvicky]

15 gallons=50-60 litres...not so small container. I grow the veggies maximum in 10- 20 litres...

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thanks for adding the conversion! Definitely not small!

[@FirefliesLane]

Couldn't see the grow bags........ can someone help please.... Thanks did he say non woven fabric?? I'm confused sorry

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I did yep! The popular fabric grow bags are made from a nonwoven material that has some beneficial properties like great drainage. Cheers =)

[@marycollins4262]

We went to a nursery and bought a "pick up truck bed" full for $60. I believe it was a yard.

[@ericlopez7604]

Hey your soil in ur home seems fixable. Don’t be afraid to fix the soil you have now. Def research KNF, don’t be afraid of the bugs and such they are apart of the growing environment

[@NextdoorHomestead]

We're working away on our soil for sure! I love container gardening but most of our plants are in the ground =) Looking into KNF for next year too! Happy gardening Eric!

[@fatkid1236]

When George Kittle isn't playing football he's in the garden growing pumpkins 😂😂😂

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I've gotten a lot of "you look like so and so" comments.... This one is my favorite!

[@Bear_Pawlish]

😂 this is the best

[@austintrees]

Woohoo 🙌🏻🎉 I was the 777th like 🎉😂

[@kimz059]

I've been replay watching this video for 5 times today and without skip the ads, can i have a special gift from your channel boss? 😁😁😁 Maybe send me the pumpkin or the seed, maybe free gift T-shirt

[@brofessormex]

I kove growing zuccini

[@veraw2121]

20 gallon = 100 litre?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

20 gallons would be about 75 litres! Cheers 😁

[@veraw2121]

@@NextdoorHomestead 😮. I have never seen anything larger than 40 litre (I'm in Europe)

[@NextdoorHomestead]

20 gallons is considered pretty large here too! But I buy all my containers off Amazon where there are affordably priced fabric grow bags like these: www.amazon.com/Gardzen-10-Pack-Gallon-Aeration-Handles/dp/B07CTD2QWZ. Some pumpkin growers will also go out and buy those cheap, plastic kid's pools to grow in =)

[@lisatheobald5836]

Hi how many seeds can u put in 20 gallon

[@husaimendoza7189]

Make your own Fetzer, no waste money , takes tears, but time will come Where's anything can grow. I only use earth soil , plant something if don't grow means you gotta add organic stuff . Wait 2 years n boom sht growing , ! Takes time , but time all we have

[@Swxgittarius]

I yad pumpkins cuz i was bored, and before the pumkins came in my goats are them

[@Pixarification]

Why it has to be gallons 😵‍💫

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Sorry! That's just the unit of measurement they're sold in here. I'll try to start adding more conversion notes when I mention gallons =)

[@Pixarification]

@@NextdoorHomestead I know, it's just..most of good videos are from over the ocean 🌊 so I'm kinda watching but kinda staying with calculator open to check all measurements 😅😅 Thank you 🖖🏼

[@NextdoorHomestead]

@@Pixarification It's definitely always in the back of my mind to make these less USA-centric TBH. I always think "oh I'm going to convert that when I edit"... then totally forget =/ Anyhow, you are very welcome and greetings from over the ocean right back to ya!

[@zanehastie7589]

This video did not help me at all. You may need to consider showing us the the pumpkins you are talking about.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Sorry to hear that!

[@melusine826]

Never use peat moss- terrible environmental impact

[@ThrowtheJ.DownTheWell]

are you a Mormon prophet?

[@gingergigi4290]

You seem really nice and knowledgeable but you talk too fast. I was feeling stressed after a couple minutes

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hahaha fair enough! Appreciate the feedback on that =) Good luck with your pumpkins!

[@gabrielpline7490]

Are you A southern speaker as I am? 😂

[@annmarie1209]

I usually have to watch videos on 1.5 - 1.75 speed to not get bored, so I personally really appreciate the pace lol

[@gingergigi4290]

@@annmarie1209 lol

[@gingergigi4290]

@@gabrielpline7490 I’m actually a Northerner from Pennsylvania but worked in NJ for many years. My clients were from NY and NJ so I can keep up but somehow this was a different fast. 😂

[@launiumatalolo6983]

Too much talk. 🙄🙄🙄

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Fair enough! I do like chatting about plants ;)

[@goodvibes100]

Wow cool video but could you talk slower? Some parts your talking so fast. 😊

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Glad you liked it! And yes, totally. I promise I'm working on slowing down =)

[@mvl6827]

Do we really need to see this guy’s head all the time ?

[@doxiee]

Ok It is my first time growing pumpkins. The vine is growing crazy I’m getting tons of male and female flowers but every single female flower has dried out and fallen. The vine is long but no pumpkin is forming the female flower does not even open to pollinate before it drys out. Should I be pruning the plant? It’s so big! What would you recommend for me to get a pumpkin.