• Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. However, remember to remove covers before flowering to allow pollination by insects!
• Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and need lots of water. Water one inch per week. Water deeply, especially during fruit set.
• When watering: Try to keep foliage and fruit dry unless it’s a sunny day. Dampness will make rot and other diseases more likely.
• Add mulch around your pumpkins to keep in moisture, suppress weeks, and discourage pests.
• Remember that pumpkins are tender from planting to harvest. Control weeds with mulch. Do not overcultivate, or their very shallow roots may be damaged.
• Most small vine varieties can be trained up a trellis.
• Larger varieties can be trained upward on a trellis, too—though it is an engineering challenge to support the fruit—usually with netting or old stockings.
• If your first flowers aren’t forming fruits, that’s normal. Both male and female blossoms need to open. Be patient.
• Bees are essential for pollination, so be mindful when using insecticides to kill pests. If you must use, apply only in the late afternoon or early evening, when blossoms are closed for the day. To attract more bees, try placing a bee house in your garden.
• Pumpkin vines, though obstinate, are very delicate. Take care not to damage vines, which reduces the quality of fruit.

Pump Up Your Pumpkins!

• Pumpkins are HEAVY feeders. Regular treatments of manure or compost mixed with water will sustain good growth.
• Fertilize on a regular basis. Use a high nitrogen formula in early plant growth. Fertilize when plants are about one foot tall, just before vines begin to run. Switch over to a fertilizer high in phosphorous just before the blooming period.
• Pinch off the fuzzy ends of each vine after a few pumpkins have formed. This will stop vine growth so that the plant’s energies are focused on the fruit.
• Pruning the vines may help with space, as well as allow the plant’s energy to be concentrated on the remaining vines and fruit.
• Gardeners who are looking for a “prize for size” pumpkin might select the two or three prime candidates and remove all other fruit and vines.
• As the fruit develops, they should be turned (with great care not to hurt the vine or stem) to encourage an even shape.
• Place a thin board or heavy cardboard under ripening melons and pumpkins to avoid decay and insect damage.