Pumpkin plants make it easy for the hobby gardener right from the start. They are equally recommended for direct sowing as well as for growing behind glass. We'll explain all the pros and cons and how it works.
How do you sow pumpkins correctly?
Pumpkin plants can either be sown early behind glass or directly into the bed. During pre-cultivation, the seeds are sown in seed containers in April and planted outdoors in May. With direct sowing, the seeds are sown directly into the bed after the ice saints in mid-May and require a sunny location and nutrient-rich soil.
Advancing creates up to 21 days longer cultivation time
If you sow pumpkin seeds behind glass, the plants benefit from being in culture for 3 weeks longer. This aspect may be of particular interest for varieties with a long ripening period. Cultivation begins in mid/late April and culminates in planting in the second half of May. Since direct sowing outdoors only begins at this point, the time advantage is obvious.
- Soak pumpkin seeds in slightly tempered water for 24 hours
- Fill seed containers with cocohum, peat sand or perlite
- Stick seeds individually 1-2 cm deep into the substrate
- moisten with a fine spray, 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 plants have matured enough to move outdoors. Beforehand, it makes sense to harden them off in a protected place in the garden for 8 days. In concrete terms, this means that they spend the day in a partially shaded place under the open sky.
Direct sowing according to 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 hours of sunshine
- warm, protected, yet airy
- nutritious soil, humus, fresh and permeable
- no cucurbits or other heavy feeders in the previous year
In the first step, tackle the weeds and rake the bed soil deeply. Lean, sandy soil should be improved with compost. Place the soaked seeds in the soil at least 1 meter apart so that they are thinly covered with substrate. Carefully spray over the seedbed so that the pumpkin seeds don't float away again.
Protection against cold, wetness and weeds
If you sow pumpkin directly into the bed, the climatic conditions play a role right from the start. The heat-loving plants have little resistance to cold and constant rain. In addition, they are threatened by rampant weeds during the germination stage. A mulching film reliably stops these negative influences. Spread out in the seedbed, the innovative material keeps the soil warm and suppresses weeds.
Tips & Tricks
Pumpkin plants show considerable growth. This requires a climbing aid from an early age so that they don't fall over again straight away. This premise already applies to seedlings as soon as they have developed more than 2 pairs of leaves.
