Right from the start, pumpkin plants make it easy for the hobby gardener. They are recommended for direct sowing as well as for cultivation behind glass. We explain all the pros and cons and how it works.

Pulling forward creates up to 21 days longer culture time

If you sow pumpkin seeds behind glass, the plants benefit from a 3-week longer culture period. This aspect should be of interest, especially for varieties with a long ripening period. Cultivation begins in mid/late April and culminates in planting during the second half of May. Since direct sowing outdoors only begins at this point in time, the time advantage is obvious.

  • Soak pumpkin seeds in slightly warm water for 24 hours
  • Fill seed jars with coconut hum, peat sand or perlite (€37.51).
  • Stick the seeds individually 1-2 cm deep into the substrate
  • moisten with a fine shower, place in the greenhouse or cover with foil

A constant temperature of 25 degrees Celsius activates germination within 1 week. By the third decade of May, the seedlings are mature enough to move outdoors. Before that, it makes sense to harden them in a sheltered place in the garden for 8 days. In concrete terms, this means that they spend the day in a semi-shady place under the open sky.

Direct sowing after the ice saints

Direct sowing in the bed requires significantly less work. The ice saints give the signal for cultivation without propagation in mid-May. They traditionally mark the beginning of the frost-free season. Now look for a suitable location with the following conditions:

  • sun-drenched location with a high number of sunshine hours
  • warm, protected, yet airy
  • nutritious soil, humic, fresh and well-drained
  • no cucurbits or other heavy feeders the year before

In the first step, you tackle the weeds and rake the bed soil deeply. Poor, sandy soil should be improved with compost. Put the soaked seeds into the ground at least 1 meter apart so that they are thinly covered with substrate. Spray the seedbed carefully so that the pumpkin seeds don't immediately swim away.

Protection against cold, wet and weeds

If you sow pumpkins directly in the bed, the climatic conditions play a role from the start. The warmth-loving plants can only gain little from the cold and constant rain. Moreover, they are threatened in the germination stage by rampant weeds. A mulch film reliably stops these negative influences. Spread out in the seedbed, the innovative material keeps the soil warm and suppresses weeds.

tips and tricks

Pumpkin plants show considerable growth. This requires climbing aids from an early age so that they don't fall over again immediately. This premise already applies to seedlings as soon as they have developed more than 2 pairs of leaves.

Category:

Vegetable garden