How to Prune Pumpkins (for BIGGER Fruit)

Pumpkin plants can overwhelm garden beds and produce little fruit, but easy pumpkin pruning can keep plants under control and produce big, successful pumpkins. Gardener Scott shows how to prune pumpkins in his pumpkin patch. Efficient plants and big pumpkins are the result. (Video #201)
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[@GardenerScott]

Check out my other video that shows how to make delicious pie with sugar pumpkins: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWnbfomJiMmHY5Y

[@laurenkil]

I'm growing only pumpkins. I hope they take over my whole yard! I'll let my nine year old sell them in our driveway. A good experience for him!

[@snailplumbus1080]

That's an awesome 💡

[@JohnSmith-fq7hj]

I did this on accident never realized how larg pumpkins could get lol let it take my entire back yard the first year but I still love them

[@Worldwidegiantgrowers]

You will get more pumpkins if you do some pruning you don’t have to do drastic pruning Just remove a few vine tips excess of vines will not give you more pumpkins

[@jakehebert2014]

Haha that's what we are doing

[@MS-de7bb]

Great idea love it

[@louannranne6049]

My mom would take squash blossoms cleaned and dried, dip in a batter with a bit of Parmesan and fry. Delicious!

[@phileofarm1]

We eat the young pumpkins like you would a summer squash when we need to prune them, or if one gets accidentally knocked off before it’s mature. They are tender and delicious like a zucchini or patty pan. 😊

[@JohnSmith-fq7hj]

What when they're green?

[@anniecochrane3359]

I"ve never thought of pruning pumpkins, thanks for this advice - very useful. Last summer (i'm in the southern hemisphere) I grew my butternut pumpkins up a trellis - I was late planting them, and with a very dry summer the fruit weren't big, and when picked (the stems had dried and it was moving towards winter) the one I cut open was still somewhat unripe, not very sweet and pale. Couldn't bring myself to compost them, so stored them inside. Finally cut open another to make pumpkin soup and it was the sweetest most delicious pumpkin - a lesson for me.

[@tamarabonet9438]

I just planted my Small Sugar Pumpkins today and am going to train them up a teepee trellis made of bamboo. Were in hot Northern CA so we have a long growing season. Hopefully I'll get some ripe pumpkins before Decemeber 15th which is our first frost date. :)

[@anniecochrane3359]

@@tamarabonet9438 fingers crossed for luck :)

[@GardenerScott]

Tamara I hope you get a good harvest. I love making homemade pumpkin pies and have a video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWnbfomJiMmHY5Y

[@chadstrutzenberg9171]

Life’s a garden dig it!

[@bigdyck4435]

Wow so clever

[@warwarneverchanges4937]

This video is a gem, I now feel very confident pruning my pumpkin. You sir have the gift of teaching

[@patrickwelch1010]

This year is amazing. I have 25 mounds and fifty plants. They are growing like weeds with lot of pumpkin. It scary how many I may get and very large. With that said I think I’m going to choose maybe 25 pumpkin and cut rest.

[@GotDamBoi]

my nephew is obsessed with pumpkins so i'm growing some for him this year. I appreciate the tips!

[@SKINCAREWEEDBABY]

Growing pumpkins now, thank you for making this video. Handsome AF as well. Lol

[@GardenUPLandscape]

What an interesting idea! I've battled pumpkins with vines creeping across the lawn and I'll admit that the pumpkin usually wins... It's just never occurred to me to prune it back. This year I never got my veggies going, but I had 2 pumpkin plants volunteer in my heugelkulture bed! That was a happy surprise! And I managed to build a strong trellis for them to grow on just in time to start training them.

[@MsFashizo]

Pumpkin leaves are uses as vegetables similar to lettuce where I live, so when growing pumpkins two patches are mostly needed. One for the pumpkin and another for the pumpkin leaves an you need to take the tender leaves. They are thinly sliced then either stir fry them with onions or cook them with a bit of coconut milk/cream.

[@seniorsabali8759]

Definitely going to try this

[@PrecursorDan91]

That's a really good idea. Saves anything going to waste. I did wonder if you could eat them. I've got some really big leaves on my plants.

[@JohnSmith-fq7hj]

Wow really I never thought of eating them they don't look or feel very appetizing lol they taste good tho?

[@denisemiller8620]

I didn't know you could prune pumpkins. Very informative and interesting. Thank you😀

[@zackvixacd7326]

Wow! The timing on this video works so well for me! I planted a pumpkin plant and it is taking over my little garden lol.

[@dianeprince1684]

Thank you. You explain very well. I will definitely prune my pumkin plant and with courage after watching this video.

[@yeevita]

hope you cooked all those smaller pumpkins. they make very good squash substitutes. yum!

[@SecondComingTwice]

Mine are growing on spindly tree branches since I didn't plant pumpkins for years and I assumed the volunteers were acorn squash from last year. Oddly enough the vines are supporting the pumpkins hanging down, even the one approaching basketball-size. It's a waste of space but it's fun to watch.

[@ivansantiago9860]

Thanks Scott. When you cut flowers away I remembered Mexicans cook pumpkin flower soup. It's delicious. 😋

[@GardenerScott]

That sounds good.

[@joanies6778]

I pruned my pumpkin vines in July/August after 3 good sized pie pumpkins emerged and looked like they will mature. The primary vine had 3 long vines running off it through my corn patch. I had already removed tertiary vines. I pruned the 3 vines past where they had rooted... The pumpkins are large for their type and ready to pick. Anyway, now all of a sudden I have more blooms every section and more pumpkins growing before I knew they were there. I'm leaving the blooms for the bees 🐝.

[@brandonzawaski]

You are right, the vine will keep growing. I had one vine that went about 10 feet from the bed it was growing in all the way into another section of the garden.

[@dianneblackman]

Thank you gardener Scott for the advice on how to prune my wild and overgrown squash. I have learnt so much and it made the job really easy.

[@jennifersummers4182]

Excellent video! I really appreciate it, I am always scared to prune but I know its needed. Thank you for actually showing us what we should be doing it was very helpful.

[@elizabethwatt8131]

You don’t have to waste or composite blossoms or premature fruit. You can gather other edibles, rinse gently and slice in half lengthwise. Also, slice premature fruit and stir-fry in a hot skillet. Season with your favourite seasonings and enjoy! They fall into the gourmet category. Absolutely delicious! The pollen that remains in the blossom is amazingly! After all, it keeps the tiny powerhouse worker alive! The reason to slice the blossom in half, is to check inside it and to fit more comfortably in your mouth. 😊

[@Tweetheart67]

An elderly lady friend was telling me they batter and fry the flower blossoms. In fact they grow pumpkins specifically for the blooms and never let pumpkins grow. ✌️💕 Update: so I Googled frying blossoms and come to find out there are all kinds of yummy recipes to use the blossoms.🤷‍♀️

[@elizabethwatt8131]

@@Tweetheart67 Hey, that’s cool, about the pumpkin blossoms. Also, do they cut them in half to check for bees, or just peek and leave whole? Please forgive my typos, in the comment previously. I get speeding along and not watching my spell checker…it has a bad habit of inserting words for me! It gets a lot of people into trouble, (and can surely make us look pretty uneducated. 😏😂.

[@Tweetheart67]

@@elizabethwatt8131 good question. I just know that they grow them and eat them that's all. I never got into the particulars with her. Don't worry about your spelling I use speech to text and I have vision problems so I don't always catch the errors. I don't trip if other people freak, I don't care, their problem not mine. I'm not here trying to impress anyone, the people that go around correcting everybody are the poor fools without a life and have serious issues about what is important in the grand scheme of life and what is not. Their stupidity is amusing✌️💕

[@susanasante9006]

@@Tweetheart67 grow pumpkin s for the flowers, when I make stuff peppers I stuff the flowers too, is a summer dish from the old country that my mother use to do also I make a frittata , the flower is also healthy ❤

[@kimchiandborscht]

Thank you for all the close up shots! I'm ready to take on my spaghetti squash vines!!

[@JimmyStrings]

Great video, thank you. We didn't plan on growing pumpkins this year but they appeared one day in the compost and have since taken it over.

[@mywoolmitten]

Great timing, I was just wondering about this, so thank you! Very good information

[@hemenn9003]

Thank you for sharing this idea of pruning on vine garden plants, I really do need more information 👍.

[@charlottejones8769]

Thank you for your video. You make it look easy. I'm attempting pumpkins this year, I'm in the north-west Uk. My late mum was a keen gardener. I thought pumpkins would be good to cover the veg patch and I can give the fruits away to neighbours etc. Some of the people I support with my work will appreciate them too. I think my next step is to put the young plants into individual pots and harden off before I plant them out.

[@j.reneewhite915]

Very good information as per usual. Thank you. I also like to prune to increase pollination earlier in the season. Because pollinators are attracted to color it's best to prune up to 1/3 of the leaves strategically to expose the blossom. You should just for kicks tell everyone how to prune a pumpkin to encourage extra large fruit (bragging rights pruning) lol

[@hawker3293]

Thank you so much for this advice. I had heard about pruning pumpkins, but I had no idea how to do it right.

[@ALittleGardenUpNorth]

6 weeks away from frost... I’m probably closer. Where did summer go? Thanks for all this information. Very helpful. I don’t have pumpkins in my garden yet but someday I hope I will. I do want to grow better fruits and pruning would help.

[@pd6569]

MG Scott, thank you very much for this video, which as always is very helpful. I am growing a different type of south Asian pumpkin but no doubt the same principles apply.

[@LRvTv]

Thank you gardener Scott, as a beginner this is really helpful. I have a few yellow crispy leaves forming and I wasn't sure what to do. I could have watched you trim the whole patch for sure! 😊

[@noveletterowe6446]

Thanks for sharing,I didn't know all of what you have shared.Very useful information.

[@derrongoodengardenandlifes8655]

Why Am I thinking Halloween right now?😊😊

[@tamarabonet9438]

This was really helpful. Thank you! With the fires here in Northern CA we have a big cool down.....so.....I got to plant for my Fall Garden (which wearing respirator mask for the smoke!). I planted a pumpkin to go up huge 14 foot bamboo trellis I made :D First time gardening is so fun! Thank you again for your great things you teach!

[@baselinesweb]

Thank you - this is very helpful - I've been growing pumpkins for years and years, but have avoided trimming. This year I will use your tips and be more proactive with my vines. This is the first year I have grown pumpkins from last years seeds. So far so good.

[@bernahnahmamab8552]

Thanks for your great tips! I've got some pruning to do now. 😁👍🏻

[@chaosdream21]

The best video on the topic, for my money

[@ortebalm09]

Excellent. I am planing to harvest pumpkins for Halloween. Great tip. Thank you.

[@k_sey.9370]

Great video! Thank you for the information. This is my first year with a small pumpkin patch. So exciting.

[@MissTrixy29]

Thank you for the pointers, going to try it out with my pumpkins

[@guantor6752]

I didn't know you can prune pumpkins thank you

[@Stonezster]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to using these tips and seeing the results...

[@cstottie5036]

Thank you I like how you explained things in your video thank you for helping a new Gardner like me .. I made a oopsie and planted roughly … 16 pumpkin vines and they are all thriving now I have some confidence I will have a handle on these babys 🤣

[@OakKnobFarm]

would you do similar to cucumbers this time of year

[@GardenerScott]

It may be a bit soon for cucumbers, but they can be pruned too. I plan a video about that next month.

[@LadyGardener1983]

I'm a first time gardener and I've got 3 pumpkin plants that are very long and I never thought about pruning so thank you for this great info. I have 4 pumpkins which seem to be doing well (which I think isn't too bad for a first timer)

[@nancyovergaard7362]

Thanks so much! Your advice is thorough and easy to follow. I wanted to know how to increase the size of the fruit, as there is plenty already! This is great!

[@Dxtuned]

This looks wonderful! Man, the squash bugs got to my plants before they could even have a chance. I'm starting from scratch but learning more with each go.

[@lauraswink578]

This was VERY helpful!!

[@S.KFOODANDTRAVEL]

In nepal we use to cook the pumpking side growing branches but keep its growing small part for further. Its taste good if u want to know you can visit nepali videos of pumpking leaf curry.

[@mamar5606]

Thanks for the video. My pumpkins are just growing rapidly and don't know what to do. Good Tips.

[@tatumsimpson297]

Fantastic tips! Thank you!

[@SunflowerWisdom]

Excellent information. Just what I needed to know.

[@errolsavage9897]

Well done no nonsense video, thank you

[@claireromito5682]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@robertvanderploeg8725]

Great information, thank you for that!

[@petermapp5988]

I have a compost corner on the property...the grass in that section looks like its on steroids...i was busy...two weeks...ignored the yard..when i checked....one huge pumpkin vine.I was scared....watched this video....now confident to go and trim it....thanks

[@AtHomeWithJenn]

This is great. Thank you 😊

[@heidiclark6612]

I wish I had room to grow pumpkins. Thank You for your precise information.

[@lilolmecj]

Heidi Clark they do pretty well going vertical. Train them up a fence or trellis.

[@peterfoster77]

I have trained mine to climb up a series of strings along the wall and now it’s over 10’ tall! Great tips on pruning!

[@margaretesezamucunguzi452]

Thanks a lot the advice.

[@brucenunez01]

Great info, thank you! Learnt a lot :-)

[@srmpigeonsloftthyamagondlu]

ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸಾರ್ 💐🙏

[@mykimikimiky]

great explantion! thank you!!

[@deniseabraham7956]

Good information! Thanks!

[@SC-fk9nc]

Great advice thanks!

[@palmplaza812]

excellent video . Thanks

[@albertyoung8659]

Awesome great keep it up pretty good.

[@Sheenasalesthriftytreasures]

Great video thank you

[@ralsharp6013]

Thank you had no idea that this could be done

[@davidlunn4842]

Thank for the video.

[@Slotcartires]

Scott .... Another very informative video. Try small green pumpkins sliced and fried in butter as they are pretty good eating.

[@TRUMP_WAS_RIGHT_ABOUT_EVRYTHNG]

Holy moly you sacrifice pumpkins 😂. Big or small we keep em all! Thanks for the pruning tips. My patch is set up as yours is. So far working out better then previous years. Now I await the inevitable powdery mildew😖. I've tried every remedy out there and over the last 6 years I've just learned that there's no defeating it lol. Just remove as it invades.

[@Search4TruthReality]

Excellent presentation. Thank you for sharing. Subscribed.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! Welcome to the channel!

[@barry7608]

Thanks mate from a novice Downunder, take care, I have subscribed.

[@GardenerScott]

Thank you. Welcome to the channel.

[@SusieQUnleashed]

thanks

[@kamilfrancoolczak]

Thank you

[@Worldwidegiantgrowers]

Nice video very informative about the vines very smart pruning techniques. Just a tip Scott you might use or maybe you already do it when the first frost comes turn on your sprinklers at 5 AM and have them running when the sun hits the plant for the first time and it will stop frost damage from occurring. This will buy you a few more weeks to mature your pumpkins

[@GardenerScott]

That's a good tip and similar to what many commercial orchards do. Thanks.

[@Worldwidegiantgrowers]

@@GardenerScott yes sir It works good if you wanna keep the plants going even if you get 20% damage they will survive and still continue to grow and put weight on the fruit

[@oysterman2517]

A lot of good advice (except throwing away the flowers apparantely). Thanks for sharing. Must admit that right now I'm fixated so all I see is a lot of green manure. Cheers

[@deborahfromdcspetersoncity9213]

This is the only video that I have seen on pruning pumpkins 🎃. Thanks for the wonderful work that you put into your videos.

[@suffolkshepherd]

Last year was my first attempt at pumpkin growing. I had lots of vines and blossoms nut no pumpkins. I am going to try again this year and was wonder if anything I could try? this video was great.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. Check your fertilization. Too much nitrogen can hinder fruit development. Also, excessive heat can prevent pollination so if you're regularly seeing very hot days when they flower you might consider shading the plant to get fruit to set.

[@suffolkshepherd]

@@GardenerScott Thanks. That is it then. I cleaned out a sheep barn and planted directly into it. The sheep bedding placed over logs hugleculture style. The nitrogen had to be off charts. The vines and blossoms did well. Thanks and i make changes.

[@vickonstark7365]

👍🏼 Thank you

[@petercooper9054]

Thanks for the information. I have a massive amount of pumpkin plants courgettes and watermelon and honey melon growing this year. I upped production as last year my courgettes were rotting on the vine going yellow and mouldy. My neighbor had the same problem. This year I have at least 10 plants to offset the failed ones. So far only a few have turned mouldy and a few pumpkins brown and looking bad like one in your video. Not sure what's causing it. I made the decision to buy a large poly tunnel greenhouse and I'm in France where we can grow tomatoes outside as it's so warm. Best decision ever as this summer has been the worse. So cold and many thunderstorms and rain. Two years ago we all lost our tomatoes as in may it rained every day. As soon as we get the sunshine and it hits 32c along come the government making grid pattern lines in the sky and then it's cold and wet and thunder for weeks afterwards. Makes me so mad what's happening..

[@We_are_the_light]

I'm here because I thought it was Gardening With The Big Lewbowski.

[@racebiketuner]

Come for The Dude. Stay for the info. 😉

[@rathlindsey3449]

I threw a rotten pumpkin we had and it growing and flowering, not sure what part to cut off. There are tons of yellow flowers 😊

[@marymcandrew7667]

Great video, very helpful! I'm going to try growing some smaller varieties up trellis but having second thoughts because i learned they grow roots along the vine a bit, to help feed the plant. Do you think its ok?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! It's ok to grow pumpkins on a trellis. They can grow roots along the vine when the vine is buried, but that isn't necessary for good growth on a trellis.

[@user-fh1jg7zl9j]

I’ve decided to try and grow some pumpkins this year for the first time (first time growing anything) but for some reason the female flowers are blooming but no male ones are blooming to pollinate them, not really sure what I’m doing wrong maybe pruning them will help 🤞🏻

[@lareemcra347]

I see that some of your pumpkin plant leaves have been slightly damaged. Mine were ravaged, by pests and powdery mildew. My watermelon plants' leaves would yellow, but then recover and I didn't lose any plants. It would appear that watermelons are easier to grow than pumpkins, here at least. Neither were pruned. I plan to give your pruning tips a try with next year's melons and pumpkins.

[@paulawaldrep5286]

You do know the softball sized one can be cooked like a squash?? It's called Calabasa con pollo(chicken)😋

[@nolansd.i.y6402]

Thanks for your help. I've been growing pumpkins for 10 years and this is the first year I have been doing more than just letting them grow all over. I'm experimenting with mulch and pruning. Do you use any mulch around your pumpkins?

[@GardenerScott]

Absolutely. Primarily straw.

[@jeffallen62]

This video helps alot! Good info. One question tho.. I live in a higher elevation, so of course shorter growing season. My. Plant has 1 pumpkin on it and its about 6ft long overall. Its just starting some secondary vines. Should I cut off the first pumpkin that appears? Or let it be the one to stay?

[@GardenerScott]

I have a short season too and the first pumpkin is often the only one that ripens before the first frost in fall. Depending on when other flowers and fruit appear, it is the later ones to prune off so the early ones can benefit from more plant energy.

[@adampetherick7836]

Wow thankyou I did not no . Can you prune winter squash plants to

[@GardenerScott]

Yes you can. They are very similar.

[@NadoriKaija]

Huh. We had accidental pumpkins growing one year. Seeded from rodents that ate our halloween pumpkins the previous season. We let a couple grow, knew nothing about controlling them or keeping them nice, never pruned, just let them do their thing. We had 12 REALLY nice pumpkins, good big ones I had troubles carrying. Then a few smaller ones that were perfect for just setting around the bigger ones for a display. They were absolutely gorgeous. I think if you only have one pumpkin growing on a single vine, your seed's genetics might be weak. Good genetic lines are important for a healthy yield too.

[@gerrykline744]

So it’s July 30th, I’m growing big Max’s, I have roughly 5-6 that’s are the 2x’s the size of a basket ball, and maybe 5 others that are the size of a baseball or smaller. I have various vines should I start pruning now. Also I’m in the Ohio valley area and rain is scares this year.

[@GardenerScott]

You can prune off new flowers. If you want the small pumpkins to become big pumpkins on the vine keeping more leaves will help them ripen.

[@AtypicalPaul]

I just trimmed some of my pumpkin vines back and now my arms are very itchy. Hoping I don't get a rash from it. I didn't know they could make you itch

[@amandas4896]

Thank you for the helpful tips, a deer ate all of my pumpkin leaves up. Will it still produce a pumpkin?

[@GardenerScott]

Possibly. The plant will try to send out more leaves if enough of the plant remains. If you don't see them soon, it probably won't.

[@charlenequinilty7252]

Wish I could get pumpkins. Vine borer gets them every time.

[@fuison55]

You must be a gardener!

[@astoralonso3287]

Great video, it has been very useful to me. I have a question, if a pumpkin is growing on the main vine, would it be okay to prune all the secondary vines to focus only on the growth of that pumpkin or would it be a mistake?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. It's usually good to prune off other pumpkins on a vine to direct energy to one fruit, but the secondary vines are still generating energy for the plant. You'll want to keep some of them.

[@astoralonso3287]

@@GardenerScott Ok, thanks for the quick reply!

[@harrellt1405]

How does the secondary provide photosynthesis and the tertiary just rob nutrients, i mean theyre both leaves. Am i missing something