The “meat” of the pumpkin is cooked before eaten. Pumpkin is used in both sweet and savory dishes – everything from pies to soups! The seeds can also be roasted and eaten for a healthy snack.
The orange pumpkins that we are familiar with for jack-o-lanterns are just one of the many colors and shapes of pumpkins grown today!
- Fauna attracted to Pumpkin
- Plant Origin
- Central America
- Nutrition
- Vitamins: A (very high), E, Riboflavin, Folate Minerals: potassium Other: fiber
- Family
- Cucurbit Family
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Drip irrigation. Spray can encourage powdery mildew on mature plants.
- Spacing
- 3 seeds in a 12" diameter mound that's 4" high (mounds 3 feet apart)
- Depth
- 1" deep
- Notes
- Thin to one plant per mound
- When to harvest
- Leave for student harvest. Light frost tolerant.
- Harvesting Tips
- Ready when a deep uniform color and rind is hard. Leave 3-5" of stem on fruit when harvesting. Sharp tool likely needed. Can be covered with row cover to prevent squirrel bites! (Might help with human vandals?)