Pumpkin Patches Christmas Trees Summer Fun Zones Pumpkin Facts Description A pumpkin is a squash. It is a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squashes and cucumbers. Pumpkins are grown all around the world for a variety of reasons ranging from agricultural purposes (such as animal feed) to commercial and ornamental sales. Out of the seven continents, only Antarctica is unable to produce pumpkins. The origin of pumpkins is not definitively known, although they are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds date from between 7000 and 5500 B.C., and were found in Mexico. Cooking Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. From the fleshy shell to the seeds, to even the flowers; most parts of the pumpkin are edible. In North America, traditionally, pumpkin pie a very popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple. When the Pilgrims sailed for America on the Mayflower in 1620, it’s likely some of them were as familiar with pumpkins as the Wampanoag North American natives, who helped them survive their first year at Plymouth Colony, were. … A 1653 French cookbook instructed chefs to boil the pumpkin in milk and strain it before putting it in a pie crust. Although most people use store-bought canned pumpkin today today homemade pumpkin purée can be made far more flavorful and wholesome. When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted. In its native North America, it is a significant, traditional part of the autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purees. In Mexico and the U.S., the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack. Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are small, flat, green, edible seeds. Most pumpkin seeds are covered by a white husk, although some pumpkin varieties produce seeds without them. Pumpkin seeds are a favorite snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at most grocery stores. However, roasting pumpkin seeds (usually scooped out of jack-o-lanterns) is an ideal Halloween treat. Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, some of which include an excellent source of protein, zinc, and other vitamins, and are even said to lower cholesterol. Growing Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted in late June to early July. Pumpkin plants are somewhat fragile and will suffer if there is a lack of water or because of cold temperatures. Frost can be fatal to Pumpkin plants during their infancy and seeds should be planted after the last spring frosts. High humus soils grow pumpkins well and extremely sandy soil or soil with poor water filtration should be avoided. If you wish to grow pumpkins you must choose an area that gets a lot of sunlight and has room for the vines to grow as vines can get 20-30’ long. This doesn’t mean you have to have a big yard or a farm. If you have a long bed on the backside of your house or a garage, this can be the perfect place to grow a pumpkin. Your site also needs to have good drainage. If water stands during the rainy season in the soil strip alongside your garage, this won’t be a good place to grow pumpkins. Pumpkin plants grow in a variety of forms from small bushe varieties to long vines. Most pumpkin varieties take between 85 – 125 days to mature. The number of days to maturity will be listed on your seed packet that you purchased the seeds in.. If you would like to have pumpkins on October 1st, count backward to decide when to plant. Plant your seeds about one inch deep. Don’t worry about which end is up. The plant will find its way to the surface. Your seeds should sprout in 7 – 10 days. Once your seedling sprouts, is a good time to add additional compost around the plant. The compost will help to keep weeds down and retain moisture. Again, if you don’t have compost, don’t stress, pumpkin vines are pretty resilient. Keep it simple and keep it fun. Pumpkins are about 80 – 90% water, so as you can imagine they use a lot of water in their growth. You should water pumpkins only when they need it. Check the soil with a trowel or a hoe. As long as the moisture is good and your plant looks happy, leave it alone. If the soil is starting to dry out, or the plant looks a little droopy, give it a long deep drink. Deep but infrequent watering results in a healthier plant. Sign up to our Newsletter We do not share your data with anybody, and only use it for its intended purpose ABC Tree Farms and Pick of the Patch Pumpkins is a third generation family owned and operated business and farm that started over seventy years ago. Today, we have over eighteen seasonal Pumpkin Patches and Christmas Tree retail sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. 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