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Home ยป Gardening ยป Harvesting

Pumpkin Picking in July

By: Pamela Reed
Posted:7/29/13
Updated:4/12/23

This might not come as a complete shock to you but I love pumpkins.  I love all kinds of pumpkins.  Pumpkins that we grow, pumpkins in a pumpkin patch, stuffed pumpkins that I can hug, pumpkins that light up, cupcakes that look like pumpkins, balloon pumpkins. I love them all.
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I wear clothing with pumpkins on.  Even in December.  I love them!
Nets vs Bucks. Who's going to win?  THE PUMPKINS!

One of the most proudest moments of my life was a few years ago when I went to Target the day after Halloween and  found a giant light up pumpkin that I have been eying up for 90% off!  It was huge!  I needed it! I hugged it tightly and rushed to the register.    So off I went, struggling to carry and lug this guy home on the G train.  Some people smiled at me on the train, some people wondered why I was carrying a glittery pumpkin that had a power cord attached it.  But I did not care.  This pumpkin was mine and the world was a better place because of it.  We went on to name him Big Mr. Pumpkin.
The Pumpkin Family this year.
(Big Mr. Pumpkin shown here in the middle with his real grown brothers).

This was our first Christmas tree together in 2003, with a pumpkin on top.  We put it up in October and it stayed up until late January!
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My pumpkin obsession started early on.   Besides my very strong feelings of all things Halloween, I have always loved growing pumpkins.   Even in the early years I could be found completely taking over my parents small back yard with my  growing all over  the place pumpkins.  I was so proud of this pumpkin.  I also kind of looked like Harry Potter.  20 years later, my eyesight got better so the Harry Potter glasses weren’t needed but I still love the pumpkins!
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Today, the pumpkin love is still there, but even stronger. So when we planned on starting the rooftop garden years ago, I had one thing on my mind, pumpkins! Oh yes, we needed the orange warriors of the garden.    We have worked up to growing pumpkins twice a year because why not?  Why not have pumpkins all year in my opinion.  We grow one batch to harvest in July and one batch to harvest in October.  This means that this month I get to start baking with fresh pumpkin and I absolutely love it!

My favorite things to make with pumpkin:
Pumpkin Rolls
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Those are my go to pumpkin recipes and I love each one dearly!  Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a few of those and I will continue to share them throughout Fall so when October and November rolls around, we’ll be pumpkin set!  Once you bake or cook with fresh pumpkin puree you just got out of a pumpkin, you can’t turn back to the canned stuff.  You just can’t.  It’s delicious, it’s beautiful.  It’s oh my, I love you pumpkins, kiss me please.

So let’s not wait any longer, let’s meet our pumpkins we just picked!

A few details first about these guys:
Pumpkin seeds were planted on April 22  and transplanted outside May 20.
We grow both Jack-O-Lanterns and New England Pie variety.
They were picked from July 18-July 20.
I hand pollinate pumpkins in the very early morning when the female flower is open with Q-Tips and love.
Although some people only cook with pie variety pumpkins, I find nothing wrong with using Jack-O-Lantern puree and often use it for baking.
Pumpkins biggest enemies are powdery mildew and aphids.   The kind of seeds we buy are resistant to powdery mildew. If you see aphids, squish them up with your hands ASAP.

You do not need a big yard or field to grow pumpkins, we grow ours in containers!
They were grown in 27 gallon containers.
Sub irrigated planters work great for pumpkins!
Jack-O-Lanterns plants are grown in their own container. (1:1 ratio)
New England Pie are grown 2 plants per container.
Leave your pumpkins roam, let them stretch out and take over.

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Baby pumpkin seedlings, getting ready to go into the big scary world.  But it will be ok babies!

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In just a little over a week one of the seedlings in the picture above turned into this.  As soon as they move into their container and can spread out, the plants grow quick!

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And then I start waking up very early to hand pollinate with a Q-tip.   You will know by that later that evening or the next morning if it worked or not.  This one was a success!

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Then they get bigger a little at a time…

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And greener.   And when they get dark green, you will start to see those orange specks of color pop out…

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And then you wait until they are completely orange! Can you tell the difference with the one up top and the one down bottom?  The one down bottom is still slightly green, give it about 2 more days…

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And then it will be ready!

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Oh pumpkins, you beautiful darlings you! You make me so happy!

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You really do brighten my day.  You’re my pumpkin sunshine!

Great job pumpkins this summer!

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I will see you soon!  Your brothers, the next batch of pumpkin seedlings, are already growing tall!  They will be moving outside soon enough and the cycle repeats..
See your orange beautiful selves in October!

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Love,

The proudest pumpkin mama in the world!

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  1. Pete Marton says

    May 30, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    I’m throwing a halloween party in June — any advice on how I can secure a few pumpkins in the next month?

    Best,

    Pete

    Reply
  2. Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says

    July 31, 2013 at 6:43 pm

    Pamela, thank you for this post! I ate it up like eating an entire pumpkin pie by myself! Oh, how I adore pumpkins, pumpkins patches, homemade pumpkin puree and everything baked or cooked pumpkin! After reading this post, I am convinced that I need to grow some pumpkins for ourselves and to share. You made me smile today. Thank you! xo

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 31, 2013 at 7:21 pm

      I cannot wait for pumpkin pie! Pumpkin, why must you be so good? You bring me such happiness! Good luck with your pumpkins, looking forward to seeing you grow them and enjoy them! Have a great night Stacy! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  3. Kelly says

    July 31, 2013 at 9:43 am

    Hehe, that’s so cute! I love the pumpkin on the Christmas tree ๐Ÿ™‚ We adore pumpkins too and your pumpkins are absolutely pretty and perfect ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 31, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      Aww, thanks so much Kelly! ๐Ÿ™‚ I can’t get enough of pumpkins!

      Reply
  4. Amy @ Elephant Eats says

    July 30, 2013 at 10:10 am

    That pic of you when you’re little is SO CUTE!!! Your pumpkins are awesome and I can’t wait to see the recipes. I love pumpkins, but mainly because they remind me of fall. I love fall so much.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 30, 2013 at 5:49 pm

      Thanks Amy! Me too, Fall is my favorite, I love everything about it!

      Reply
  5. Emily {Pink Tiger in the Kitchen} says

    July 30, 2013 at 9:55 am

    How much fun Pamela!! When I was little, my parents inadvertently started a pumpkin patch behind our fence… They carved a pumpkin for Halloween and threw the guts behind the fence and voila! pumpkin patch!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 30, 2013 at 5:48 pm

      Hahaha Emily, I absolutely love that! It’s my dream come true!

      Reply
  6. Debra says

    July 30, 2013 at 9:23 am

    I planted chuhaw pumpkins this year but did so supper late. Love, love, love the produce you are getting.

    Reply
    • Debra says

      July 30, 2013 at 9:24 am

      Cushaw.

      Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 30, 2013 at 5:47 pm

      Hopefully we’ll be seeing some pumpkin harvest from you this Fall! Good luck!

      Reply
  7. Je$$ie says

    July 30, 2013 at 1:11 am

    Love this post, love pumpkins, love your ghost foot

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 30, 2013 at 9:08 am

      Pumpkin love!

      Reply
  8. Katie says

    July 30, 2013 at 1:08 am

    My parents have a HUGE backyard garden – about 25×25 feet. At least half of that has always been devoted to pumpkins because if my mom had her way, she’d only grow pumpkins! This year, my dad put his foot down and insisted they use that space for more watermelons and other crops. A week later, he’d had enough and tilled ANOTHER garden and planted an entire packet of pumpkin seeds.

    I agree that the comparison between fresh pumpkin puree and canned is just…well ,there is no comparison.

    Love the sweater, by the way. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 30, 2013 at 9:09 am

      Hahahaha, I love your parents! If I had my way I’d just do the entire rooftop full of pumpkins and scarecrows and flying ghosts. That’s the dream! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    July 29, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    Pumpkins make me happy, I look forward to the fall and buy them little and big to place around the house. They are beautiful and festive and remind me of my favorite time of year. How wonderful you are growing them. I do love your sparkly pumpkin.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 9:48 pm

      Thanks Suzanne! It is hands down the beginning of my favorite months of the year! ๐Ÿ™‚ Big Mr. Pumpkin says hi!

      Reply
  10. Irina @ wandercrush says

    July 29, 2013 at 7:22 pm

    This has me indescribably excited for autumn flavours, particularly pumpkin (and all the range of ingredients it pairs so well with)! Wow you really weren’t kidding when you said you have a long-running obsession… hahah I’m looking forward to all the pumpkin recipes you have up your sleeve.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm

      I am very excited for Autumn too, I can’t wait for all things pumpkin! Thanks for stopping by Irina!

      Reply
  11. Miss Messy says

    July 29, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    Oh i just love this post!! So much. I love pumpkins too! And your Harry Potter glasses are awesome! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm

      Hahahaha.. thanks! Pumpkin love all around!

      Reply
  12. Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says

    July 29, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    Awww you’re adorable!! I love pumpkins, too!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 7:25 pm

      High 5 for pumpkins!

      Reply
  13. hani@haniela's says

    July 29, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    This is wonderful. I enjoyed this post. So fun.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:47 pm

      Thanks Hani! ๐Ÿ™‚ Have a great day.

      Reply
  14. Mr. & Mrs. P says

    July 29, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    You really have a gift!! Pumpkin is another one of those that we have tried to grow and nothing.. =(

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm

      I hope you have better pumpkin success in the years to come!

      Reply
  15. Nora @ Buttercream Fanatic says

    July 29, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Not sure I love pumpkins quite as much as you do (pumpkin on the tree is adorable!) but can you share those pumpkin recipes? They all sound great!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm

      I’ll definitely be sharing the pumpkin recipes, I have one coming later this week.. it’s yummy!

      Reply
  16. Cecile Hamel-Roy says

    July 29, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    You are just so darn cute with your serious love of pumpkins! Love your Christmas tree with the pumpkin on the top !!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 5:22 pm

      Aww thanks Cecile! I love pumpkins dearly! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  17. Ash- foodfashionparty says

    July 29, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    How cute are you. I wish I had a bit of a green thumb as you do.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks Ash! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  18. Koko says

    July 29, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    Okay, first of all I LOVE pumpkin, too, and I wish I had seen this post in April so I could have planted them myself! Secondly, I think it’s the best thing ever that you looked like Harry Potter- sooo awesome! I think one year I spent literally 1/4 of the year only making pumpkin recipes on my blog but I’ve learned to show some restraint now ๐Ÿ˜‰ Not everyone likes pumpkin 24/7, but at least I know now that you do!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:45 pm

      Bring on the pumpkin recipes Koko!

      Reply
  19. Asmita says

    July 29, 2013 at 11:05 am

    What a fun and interesting post!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2013 at 4:45 pm

      Thanks Asmita!

      Reply

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