Pumkins

[kmw281996]

Ok so it is November 1, 2009. Well tonight I am drying several pumpkins seed's because I carved a pumpkin today and I was just wondering when is the best time to plant them? A friend of mine told me in the spring but I was wondering if I could plant them now but inside like I am doing with six other plants and it is working out really well!

Please tell me what I should do!!
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K@YL@

[rainbowgardener]

Well you didn't say what part of the world you are gardening in. If you are anywhere north of Florida/Texas/Southern California, it's probably not too workable to plant them now, even indoors.

The trouble is they very rapidly turn in to very large spreading vines and what do you do with those indoors? And they need full sun, which is extremely difficult to provide to a large vine indoors.

Where I am in Zone 6 we can't plant pumpkins outdoors until about the middle of May. In zone 7 and 8, you could plant them out doors maybe by the first of April. It's difficult for me to imagine what kind of set up you could have that you could keep your pumpkins alive indoors between now and then.

But you can easily clean and dry your seeds and save them until spring (your friend was right)

[Kisal]

Welcome to the forum, KMW!
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"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams

[rainbowgardener]

Oh yes, I should have mentioned that!! Welcome to the forum. Very glad you found us. Hope you find the forum friendly and helpful. If you have more questions about pumpkins (or whatever) feel free to post them in the appropriate forum section, where more people will see them than here in introductions.

[Marsman]

Welcome! I carved a bunch of pumpkins but didn't save the seeds. Tried salting a bkaing them one year, but they didn't taste that good.
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Mars Hall, Hardiness Zone 6

How to Host Pictures.

[kmw281996]

Well I live in New Jersey and the plants inside are seedlings and they don't get any sunlight they are growing by the help of a desk lamp. I leave it on all day and turn it off at night. I was supprised to see that they did not die but they are sprouting well. So do you think I will have to wait till spring to plant the pumpkin seeds or can I plant them inside.

November 2, 2009
KMW
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K@YL@

[Kisal]

I would wait until spring. The thing is, a seed actually contains an immature plant, along with enough food to get it growing. Seeds will sprout in total darkness, i.e. buried in the soil, as long as there is moisture.

However, there is not enough food present in the seed to support a plant to maturity and through the fruit-bearing stage. The leaves have to make that food, using the process of photosynthesis, and for that to occur, a lot of sunlight is required.

If you start your plants indoors now, they will grow to the point of needing direct outdoor sunlight long before the temperatures are warm enough for them to survive outdoors. Wait and start your seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date for your area. Then you'll be able to move the plants outdoors just when they're ready for all that sunlight.
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"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams

[rainbowgardener]

kmw - I understand about starting seeds indoors under lights. Here's something I posted early this year showing pictures of my seed starting operation http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=60396&highlight=seed+starting+operation#60396

But Kisal is right starting seeds is a lot different than keeping a full grown plant alive. I grow those seedlings out until they are 6-10" high and by then (I hope!) it has warmed up enough to take them outside.

But as both of us have pointed out you have many months before then. Your pumpkin plant (if you somehow managed to keep it doing well) could be covering 100 square feet by then (one plant!). It needs a lot of soil mounded up over the roots to support that and tons of water. And how many desk lamps would it take to provide lighting for 100 square feet of vine?

Take good advice and wait for spring or give it a try now and be prepared to throw the vine out when you can't take care of it indoors any more.

You haven't said what the plants are you have started under your desk lamp?

[kmw281996]

Thank you for your help I think I will wait till spring and then I will plant my seeds. I can't wait!!!
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K@YL@

[harvester]

I love pumpkins and would love to gather up advice and experience in order to pursue this gardening specific subject. One piece of information I can pass along is that often when I have planted the seeds of pumpkins I have grown, the resulting fruit often does not resemble the parent plant. I get strange, small, squash-like offspring. I am assuming that the original plant was altered genetically? This year I have purchased some heirloom varieties and will try their offspring in 2011.

[harvester]

Does anyone have any advice on how to maximize pumpkin size? I have purchase some Atlantic Giant Pumpkin seed and need to know if anyone has any tricks I might try.

[Kisal]

[rainbowgardener]