How to Grow Pumpkins Vertically
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It’s time to think about planting pumpkins! If you plan to grow pumpkins this year and want to enjoy them this fall, then it’s time to plant! Pumpkins can take 4-5 months to grow depending on the variety. Below I am going to share some growing tips and how we grow them vertically.
How to Grow from Seed
Start Indoors: You can start seeds indoors 3-4 weeks before your weather is consistently warm. I am in zone 9 in Canada and we typically get warmer weather by June. I started pumpkins indoors mid-April. I used larger 4x4 cells to ensure they had room to grow. I often grow two pumpkins in one cell and separate when I plant too. You will want to use compost rich soil (not potting soil) that has an element of manure it in. I like to look for OMRI listed for organic growing. Pumpkins are heavy feeders so your soil is the most important part. I put in front of a sunny windowsill on a heating mat and dome. Once you see over 50% have germinated, turn off the heating mat and remove the dome. Once they have 2-3 true leaves (3rd & 4th leaves) you can start the hardening off process. This is a 7-8 day process of getting the seedlings conditioned to the outdoor climate before you plant out. Timing is key to ensure you don’t have them inside for too long as that will create root diseases.
Direct Sow Outdoors: You can direct sow pumpkins outdoors and in fact, we do half of our pumpkins this way! I like a hybrid method when it comes to pumpkins to ensure success. I will start 5-6 pumpkins indoors and also direct sow 4-5 outdoors. When you direct sow, use compost rich soil as mentioned above. You should have at least 12 inches of soil for them to grow in, 18 is ideal. Plant when the overnight temperatures are over 10°C/50°F. If it is a rainy June, you may have to direct sow again by mid-June if they haven’t come up within 7 days.
Growing Vertically: This is what you came here for so I will dive right in! Pumpkins can grow on the ground but they take up a lot of room. We decided to grow vertically last year and I had the idea of an arch after seeing a few fellow gardeners try it. It was magical! Vertically growing is becoming more and more popular to save space, create good airflow and the biggest reason…Better pest control!
You don’t have to build as big of an arch as we did if you don’t have the space. I have a free document for you to download our FREE DIY ARCH PDF tutorial. It’s a step by step on how we made the arch trellis. It cost under $100 (CAD) and it was quite easy to do and will be a long term plan. We used cattle panel (you will want a strong gauge as they get heavy!). You can also arch cattle panel around two raised beds that are 3-4 feet apart and create an arch right in the garden. Plant your pumpkins as close to the arch/trellis as possible. I also have a full YouTube video showing how we planted and grew the pumpkin arch.
Watering: They need a lot of water. I water every day for 10 minutes (on irrigation) during the hot days or hand water when temperatures are hot twice a day. If it’s a cooler June, I would let Mother Nature take over and check every few days to see if the soil is dry. I often check by poking my finger 2 inches below the soil level. If it’s still damp, don’t water. Overwatering will create yellow leaves.
Note: Water at the base to ensure the leaves don’t get water on them (I treat them like tomatoes) as that’s how mildew will form.
Maintaining: I often helped the vines by weaving them into the arch. This ensures they will grow up and over and not straight out. I reused twist ties or twine to attach the vines at the beginning. Once the plant got really strong they did their own thing and I guided them up the arch. It can take a while for the plant to take off. In August it exploded, and we harvested the pumpkins end of September. Patience is key!
Varieties: Choose varieties that are lighter in weight if you are growing vertically. Our two favourite varieties are Moranga and Sugar pumpkins.
Fun Fact: Did you know the vines get stronger as the pumpkins grow? It was neat to see this last year and we didn’t have a single pumpkin fall on our heads. But… use caution as always.
Happy Pumpkin planting!
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