Buzz
Missing out on pumpkin season is a letdown. But fret not! This guide will assist you in growing pumpkins indoors without taking up excessive space.
Step-by-Step Guide
Get your hands on pumpkin seeds. You can find them at eBay or Home Depot. Alternatively, you can simply extract the seeds from a pumpkin.
Locate a plastic, disposable cup.
Fill it with compost or organic fertilizer. Using your fingers, create a small indentation in the compost/organic fertilizer.
Plant three seeds approximately half an inch deep. Ensure they're not buried too deeply, then cover the hole with fertilizer once more.
Hydrate the pumpkin seeds every second day. However, ensure the soil doesn't become overly saturated, as this could lead to seed death.
Wait a few weeks until all pumpkin seeds have sprouted. Then, transfer them into clay pots. Be cautious not to disturb the pumpkin roots, as they may go into shock and perish.
Place six-foot dowel rods next to the pumpkins in the clay pots. The pumpkin plant tendrils will then wrap around the dowel rods. Eventually, the pumpkins will bloom, indicating they are nearing readiness.
Facilitate blossom pollination. As your pumpkin plants are indoors and lack access to natural pollination by bees or other insects, it's up to you to pollinate the blossoms to ensure pumpkin production.
- Identify male and female blossoms. Pumpkins produce both types on the same vine. Male blossoms are elongated, slender, and trumpet-shaped, with a stamen containing pollen inside. Female blossoms are broader, shorter, and more open, resembling small bowls, and lack stamens.
- Monitor (and potentially collect) male blossoms carefully. The vine may produce male blossoms first, which could wilt before female blossoms emerge. If they wilt, retain them until a female blossom appears.
- Pollinate the female blossoms. This can be accomplished in two ways: if male blossoms are still present and alive on the vine, use a clean paintbrush (or similar) to collect pollen from the stamen of the male blossoms and gently transfer it to the base of the female blossoms. If male blossoms have wilted, carefully open them and extract the stamen with pollen. Insert the stamen into the female blossom, ensuring contact with the base to release pollen.
Ensure adequate light and water for your plant. Pay particular attention to this during fruit development from the blossoms.
Collect your pumpkins at harvest time. When they reach full maturity and display the appropriate color, it's time to gather them. Cut the pumpkin approximately two inches above its apex.
