Sprouting Pumpkin Seedlings

Even without a greenhouse, gardeners can sprout their own seeds indoors instead of buying plants later in the season.

As the snow melts and Spring approaches, gardeners everywhere are itching to work outside. The colder the clime, the longer they must wait. Starting seedlings inside is fun, rewarding, and in the long run less expensive than purchasing plants later in the season.

Supplies Needed

• Tabletop greenhouse,
• Good quality potting soil,
• Pumpkin seeds,
• Spray bottle with water,
• Wooden or plastic bowl,
• Optional: Jiffy pots.

A tabletop greenhouse is an inexpensive investment that, if well taken care of, will last for numerous growing seasons. It consists of a bottom tray, a set of individual seedling cups, and a clear cover. Gardeners can opt to use plastic seedling cups or Jiffy pots. Jiffy pots are biodegradable; the entire pot is put in the ground when the plant is ready to be outside.

Pumpkins take a relatively long time before harvest, anywhere from 120 to 150 days depending upon the variety. To have pumpkins in time for Halloween start the seeds indoors as early as April, depending upon where you live.

The Method

Start with healthy, viable seeds that were prepared for this season. Do not use old seeds. Make sure the seeds do not sound hollow.

Use a seed starter mix or high quality potting soil.

Seedling pots are very small. Plant one pumpkin seed per seedling pot.

1. Soak pumpkin seeds in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for a couple of hours.
2. Fill each tiny pot almost to the top with potting soil.
3. Gently press one pumpkin seed per pot into the soil, and add another inch of soil on top.
4. Water the soil well.
5. Place the seedling pots into the tabletop greenhouse tray, and fix the lid.
6. Spray with water every day.

Condensation will form on the inside cover. This is natural and good, but it is still necessary to check the soil every day to make sure it is moist.

The cover of the tabletop greenhouse is vital to successful germination. Pumpkin seeds like best a temperature of 80 to 85 degrees F. Some gardeners use a germination mat, which is a heated mat placed under the tabletop greenhouse. However, many tabletop greenhouses work well placed on a warm kitchen shelf or windowsill.

Care for Seedlings

Little green leaves will burst forth from the soil in about a week. If it has been ten days, and nothing has emerged from soil, go over the steps and try a second planting.

Baby pumpkin plants need lots of sun, so place them in a Southern window. The clear tabletop greenhouse cover will continue to keep them warm, but it is no longer absolutely necessary, and soon the plants will become too big for it. Use it while you can.

Continue to water the seedlings, but every other day. When the plants are a week old, you may add a little liquid fertilizer to the water to feed them.

Time to Transplant

When the roots of the baby plants are coming out through the bottom of the pots, it is time to transplant. Hopefully, it is now past your last frost. If not, either transplant into larger pots, or put a protective cover over the plants in the ground.

Plant seedlings a foot or two apart. Remember, they will get much bigger. Plant pumpkins in a warm, sunny spot.

When it is time to transplant the pumpkin plants in the ground, think about companion planting. Companion planting is simply placing plants that help each other in the garden next to each other. Pumpkins are good companions with other squash, melons, and corn.