Plant Pumpkin Seeds to Grow Your Own Pumpkins

With the costs of food and fuel at all all-time high, who can afford to buy all the pumpkins they want to decorate their homes? Halloween time begs us to decorate with lots of beautiful orange pumpkins, but what happens when you would rather invest your hard earned dollars into your retirement plan instead of in the temporary decorations of your house? That's where the cheap, easy, and environmental solution comes in: plant your own pumpkin patch and reap the harvest of your pumpkins in time for Halloween! Grow your own pumpkins and you might just find out that you have more of a green thumb than you thought.

If you can still afford to buy pumpkins this year, then find out what motivators might have you itching to plant your own next year!

Why Plant Your Own Pumpkins?

1. When you plant your own pumpkin patch, you save money because pumpkin seeds are so inexpensive.
2. If you have a good pumpkin crop you can even make money by selling your extras, or giving them away to friends and family. Grow your own pumpkins and share the bounty with neighbors to bring your community closer.
3. Home grown pumpkins are even more fun, because you have a sense of ownership and you feel good about your growing abilities.
4. By growing your own pumpkins you will spend more time outside, getting sunshine and a good work out, and less time inside glued to the television set.

How to Plant Your Own Pumpkins?

If you live in a cold area, you can start planting your pumpkin seeds inside your house. Simply put some good gardening earth in small containers, and plant a shell-covered pumpkin seed with the rounded edge facing upward. Place your pots by the window sills to ensure the plants get maximum sunshine. You can transplant your pumpkin seeds once there is no more chance of frost during the night.

You could also plant your pumpkin seeds outside directly. Simply choose a very large patch of land, since pumpkin plants crawl and will take up a lot of space. If you don?t have much land space, you can place some netting on the side of your building, to give the pumpkin vines something to climb up to. Just watch out that none of the pumpkin fruits get stuck in the net as they grow. It is also suggested to plant a few different pumpkin plants, in case some of them wither out.

It is recommended to use some organic fertilizers to grow your own pumpkins, such as horse or sheep manure. After you have planted your pumpkin seeds, or transplanted your small pumpkin plants, make sure to water the earth a lot. Now come the fun part: simply watch nature's miracle grow your pumpkin plants! If you can, just remove any weeds that might be growing alongside your plants.

When it comes time to harvest your pumpkins, wait for them to turn orange. After you've picked your pumpkins and selected your favorite one, it is time to begin the carving. Find good pumpkin carving tips here.