Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 54 – Pumpkins – Massive, Mighty, and Misunderstood

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Episode 54 – Pumpkins – Massive, Mighty, and Misunderstood · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow beans.
• 0:33
  My name is John, your neighborhood garden buddy.
• 0:38
  And today we are finally talking about pumpkins.
• 0:44
  First off though, I do want to say thanks for being patient
• 0:48
  with this episode. Things have been a little busy
• 0:51
  on my end lately, between work, the garden, getting the seed
• 0:56
  business rolling, and manufacturing stuff for my main
• 0:59
  business. So the schedule got a little
• 1:02
  more chaotic than I intended for a minute there, but honestly,
• 1:07
  pumpkins feel like a pretty fitting crop to come back with
• 1:10
  because these things are anything but small.
• 1:15
  They take space, they take patience, they take planning,
• 1:20
  and if you grow them long enough, they usually end up
• 1:23
  taking over at least one section of your garden, whether you
• 1:26
  intended it or not. Pumpkins are one of those plants
• 1:33
  that everybody recognizes, but surprisingly few people actually
• 1:38
  grow beyond maybe trying 1 hill of jagged Lantern pumpkins every
• 1:43
  now and then. And the truth is, pumpkins are
• 1:48
  way more diverse and useful than most people realize.
• 1:53
  We tend to think about them around autumn decorations,
• 1:58
  carving maybe pie once a year, but pumpkins are actually one of
• 2:03
  the most versatile storage crops you can grow.
• 2:10
  Now why would we want to grow pumpkins?
• 2:15
  Honestly? Because they check a lot of
• 2:17
  boxes all at once. They produce heavily, they store
• 2:23
  well, they can feed people or livestock, pollinators
• 2:30
  absolutely love the flowers, and they have one of the biggest wow
• 2:35
  factor payouts in gardening. There's just something
• 2:40
  satisfying about watching these giant vines slowly crawl across
• 2:44
  the garden and start producing huge fruit.
• 2:49
  It feels ancient in a weird way, like you're participating in
• 2:53
  something humans have been doing for a very, very long time.
• 3:01
  And pumpkins come in a lot more forms than people think.
• 3:06
  You've got your classic carving pumpkins, sure, but then you've
• 3:11
  also got pie pumpkins, giant pumpkins, miniature decorative
• 3:16
  pumpkins, blue pumpkins, white pumpkins, warded pumpkins,
• 3:23
  striped pumpkins, and honestly, some of them look like they came
• 3:27
  from another planet. Some are grown for flavor, some
• 3:33
  for storage, and some mostly because they look absolutely
• 3:38
  ridiculous. Sitting on a porch Growing
• 3:44
  pumpkins starts with understanding one thing right
• 3:48
  away. These plants want room.
• 3:52
  A lot of room, Even compact varieties can spread several
• 3:58
  feet, and larger types can easily send vines 15 or 20 feet
• 4:04
  across your garden if they're happy.
• 4:08
  This is one of those plants where beginners often
• 4:10
  underestimate just how aggressive the growth can get.
• 4:17
  Pumpkins thrive in rich soil with a lot of organic matter.
• 4:23
  These are heavy feeders, they're trying to build huge vines,
• 4:28
  massive leaves and large fruit all in one season, and as such
• 4:35
  they need the fuel to do it. Compost is your friend here.
• 4:41
  If you've got old compost, aged manure, or really healthy soil,
• 4:47
  pumpkins will absolutely reward you for it.
• 4:54
  Sunlight is also critical. Full sun, no short cuts there.
• 5:01
  The more sun they get, the stronger and healthier the
• 5:05
  plants usually become. And because they grow so
• 5:10
  quickly, once summer heat kicks in, they also need consistent
• 5:15
  watering. Not shallow little sprinkles
• 5:18
  either, Deep watering that encourages strong roots.
• 5:26
  One thing I've learned over time is that pumpkins can look kind
• 5:30
  of unimpressive at first. You plant them, and for a little
• 5:35
  while they just sit there acting like they're thinking about
• 5:38
  life. Then suddenly one warm stretch
• 5:43
  hits and it's over. Vines everywhere, massive
• 5:48
  leaves, tendrils grabbing on to anything they can reach.
• 5:53
  It's like the plant suddenly remembers it's supposed to
• 5:56
  become a jungle. Harvesting pumpkins.
• 6:01
  Depends on what type you're growing, but generally you're
• 6:05
  waiting for a hard grind and deep mature color.
• 6:10
  One of the best indicators is the stem.
• 6:14
  When the stem starts becoming hard and quirky instead of soft
• 6:18
  and green, you're getting close. Another trick is the fingernail
• 6:23
  test. If you press your fingernail
• 6:26
  into the skin and it doesn't puncture easily, that's a good
• 6:30
  sign the pumpkin is mature. And when you harass them, leave
• 6:37
  some stem attached. That's important.
• 6:41
  A pumpkin without a stem tends to rot faster because that open
• 6:46
  wound becomes an entry point for moisture and disease.
• 6:53
  Now let's talk about pests and problems, because pumpkins
• 6:59
  definitely come with a few challenges.
• 7:03
  Squash bugs are probably the biggest headache for a lot of
• 7:07
  growers. These grayish brown bugs suck
• 7:12
  SAP from the leaves and stems, weakening the plant.
• 7:16
  Over time. You'll notice wilting leaves,
• 7:20
  yellow spotting, and eventually plants that just look exhausted.
• 7:28
  They lay little bronze colored eggs under the leaves and if you
• 7:32
  catch those early you can usually keep things under
• 7:35
  control. Hand picking, checking leaves
• 7:40
  regularly, and removing debris at the end of the season helps a
• 7:44
  lot. Squash vine borers are another
• 7:51
  major issue, especially in some regions.
• 7:57
  These insects lay eggs near the base of the stem and the larvae
• 8:02
  tunnel inside the vine itself. One day your plant looks fine
• 8:08
  and the next day it suddenly Wilts like somebody shut the
• 8:11
  power off It's brutal. Some people wrap stems with foil
• 8:17
  early in the season. Others bury sections of vines so
• 8:21
  the plant can establish extra roots as insurance.
• 8:26
  Honestly, prevention matters a lot more than treatment with
• 8:30
  vine borers. Powdery mildew is another common
• 8:37
  issue, especially later in the season when airflow drops and
• 8:41
  humidity rises. You'll see.
• 8:45
  White powdery. Patches spreading across the
• 8:47
  leaves. Good spacing helps, watering at
• 8:52
  the base helps, and removing infected leaves early can slow
• 8:57
  it down. Milk sprays and sulfur
• 9:00
  treatments are sometimes used organically as well.
• 9:06
  Pollination can also become a problem.
• 9:12
  Pumpkins produce separate male and female flowers, and if
• 9:17
  pollinators aren't active enough, fruit won't develop
• 9:21
  properly. They'll sometimes see tiny
• 9:26
  pumpkins start growing, then suddenly shrivel and die.
• 9:32
  That's usually incomplete pollination.
• 9:37
  Planting flowers nearby and encouraging pollinators can make
• 9:40
  a huge difference. Companion planting works really
• 9:46
  well with pumpkins too. Nasturtiums help draw
• 9:51
  pollinators and can distract pests.
• 9:55
  Corn and beans pair naturally with pumpkins in the old Three
• 9:59
  Sisters style planting method. Marigolds can help attract
• 10:04
  beneficial insects while adding a little structure around
• 10:08
  sprawling vines. Seed saving with pumpkins gets
• 10:15
  interesting because. Squash varieties.
• 10:17
  Cross pollinate very easily. If you're growing multiple types
• 10:23
  nearby, the seeds from those fruits may not grow true next
• 10:27
  season. But if you isolate the varieties
• 10:31
  or only grow one type, seed saving is pretty simple.
• 10:36
  Scoop the seeds out, rinse them clean, dry them thoroughly and
• 10:41
  store them in a cool, dry place. The pros.
• 10:48
  Of growing pumpkins are pretty incredible.
• 10:52
  Huge yields, long storage life, pollinator support, beautiful
• 10:58
  plants, and a crop that feels genuinely exciting to harvest.
• 11:05
  But the downsides are real too. They need space.
• 11:09
  They can be pest magnets in some years.
• 11:13
  The vines just seem determined to consume half the garden.
• 11:18
  You kind of have to accept a little chaos with pumpkins.
• 11:25
  And now for the best part. The recipe?
• 11:31
  Let's make roasted pumpkin soup, because honestly, this is one of
• 11:36
  the best ways to appreciate homegrown pumpkin outside of pie
• 11:41
  season. Start with about four cups of
• 11:46
  peeled, cubed pumpkin. Toss it with olive oil.
• 11:51
  Salt. Pepper.
• 11:53
  And roast it at 400° until soft and caramelized, usually around
• 11:59
  35 to 40 minutes. While that's roasting, saute 1
• 12:07
  diced onion and three cloves of garlic in a large pot with a
• 12:12
  little butter or olive oil. Once soft, add the roasted
• 12:19
  pumpkin, 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, half a teaspoon
• 12:25
  of thyme, and a little black pepper.
• 12:29
  Simmer everything together for about 15 minutes, then blend it
• 12:34
  smooth. Add about half a cup cream if
• 12:38
  you want it richer. It ends up warm, earthy,
• 12:43
  slightly sweet, and honestly feels like autumn in a bowl.
• 12:50
  Here are some fun facts about pumpkins.
• 12:55
  Pumpkins are technically fruits because they develop from
• 12:58
  flowers and contain seeds. The largest pumpkins in the
• 13:04
  world can weigh well over a ton, which is honestly difficult to
• 13:09
  even mentally process. Pumpkins are native to North
• 13:16
  America and have been cultivated for thousands of years.
• 13:23
  Every part of the pumpkin is edible flesh, seeds, flowers,
• 13:28
  and even young shoots in some cultures.
• 13:34
  Pumpkin flowers are highly attractive to bees and are one
• 13:38
  of the easiest squash family flowers to recognize because of
• 13:41
  their size. And despite the stereotype, many
• 13:45
  pumpkins grown for carving actually taste pretty bland
• 13:49
  compared to smaller pie varieties.
• 13:55
  Welcome back to the garden nerd corner, fellow beans.
• 14:01
  Pumpkins belong to the Q curbeta genus, which includes squash and
• 14:07
  gourds, and they've been selectively bred for wildly
• 14:12
  different purposes over centuries.
• 14:16
  Giant pumpkins, for example, are basically the result of humans
• 14:19
  repeatedly selecting plants that prioritized water storage and
• 14:23
  rapid cell expansion. Pumpkin vines also use tendrils
• 14:30
  that respond to touch, a behavior called thigmotropism,
• 14:36
  allowing the plant to anchor itself as it spreads.
• 14:42
  Their massive leaves help shade soil and conserve moisture
• 14:46
  naturally, essentially creating their own living mulch system.
• 14:51
  And interestingly, pumpkins were part of indigenous agricultural
• 14:56
  systems long before modern gardening existed, often grown
• 15:02
  alongside corn and beans in highly efficient companion
• 15:06
  systems that supported soil health and productivity
• 15:10
  together. Next time on the Beanstalk,
• 15:16
  we're going to slow things down a little and step into something
• 15:20
  smaller but incredibly useful tea gardens.
• 15:26
  We'll talk about herbs, flavors, calming blends, and how to build
• 15:32
  a little section of the garden that's less about feeding the
• 15:35
  stomach and more about feeding the soul a little bit too.
• 15:43
  Thanks again for hanging out with me today on the Beanstalk,
• 15:46
  Fellow Beans. If you want to keep the
• 15:49
  conversation going, we've got a growing community over at the
• 15:53
  Beanstalk Garden Club on Facebook.
• 15:56
  Come join us, share your garden photos, swap ideas, and dig a
• 16:01
  little deeper into all things that grow together.
• 16:06
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• 16:14
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• 16:16
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• 16:21
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• 16:24
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• 16:27
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• 16:40
  From. Our patch.
• 16:41
  To yours keep. On.
• 16:45
  Climbing.