
How to Grow Pumpkins at Home
Introduction




in this article, I’m going to show you How to Grow Pumpkins at Home
- Botanical name – Cucurbita maxima
- Family – Cucurbitaceae
Cultivation
Soil
- Well-drained sandy loam with high organic matter content
- pH 5.5-7.5
Climate
- Can be grown in dry and intermediate zone
- It can be cultivated up to 500m from the mean sea level
Seed rate – 1kg/ha
Spacing – 3×3m
Fertilizer recommendation
UREA | TSP | MOP | |
BD | 75 | 200 | 60 |
TD1 (4WAP) | 75 | 60 | |
TD2 (8WAP) | 75 | 60 |
Field establishment
- Select the suitable land for pumpkin cultivation
- Then clear the land by removing weeds
- Ploughing and Harrowing by selected land
- Make draining e system level the land and make plant beds
- Prepare planting holes according to the recommended spacing
- Size of hole –(30×30×30)cm
- Incorporate organic manure and basal dressing of chemical fertilizer mixture 2-3 days before planting
- Well mix with soil and fix the hole by making small heap
- Put 3-4 seeds per hole
- Thing out excess plant 2 weeks after germinating keep 2 healthy seedlings per hole
Pests and Diseases
Pests
Cucurbit fly/Melon fly
Control – pheromone trap, fruit covering, protein bate
Diseases
Mosaic virus – curling leaves, yellow and green leaves
Control – destroy affected plants, burning affected plants, destroy vector
Powdery Mildew
- Highly infected due to high temperature
- White colour fungal spores can be seen on both sides of the leaves
Control – apply fungicide, field sanitation, crop rotation, seed treatment
Downey mildew
- Highly spread during rainy seasons
- Yellow coloured conical shape patches appear on leaves later turn to brown colour
Control – apply fungicide
Soft rot
- Bacteria and Fungi
- Soft rot appear on fruit surface and colour region
Control
- Improve drainage conditions
- Improve aeration
- Apply recommendation fungicide
Harvesting and Post-Harvest Operations




- Harvesting should be done when powdery texture appeared on the fruit surface
- Average yield 15-25 tons/ha
check out my other article:Cultivation of Cucumber (Complete Guide)