Pumpkins
A Small-Scale Agriculture Alternative
USDA Department of Agriculture
Cooperative State Research Service
Office for Small-Scale Agriculture
The pumpkin reigns as king of the vegetables.
The pumpkin was already a staple in the American diet long before
the first Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts,
in 1621. Pumpkins were cultivated by native American tribes long
before Europeans ever set foot on American shores. Archaeologists
have found pieces of pumpkin stems, seeds, and rind in the ancient
ruins of the cliff dwellers in the Southwestern United States.
For native Americans, pumpkins were a vital part of an existing
multiple cropping system of corn, beans, and squash. Those seeds
were usually planted together in the same hill, sometimes accompanied
with a fish for fertilizer. The combination of these vegetables
was the staple of many of the native diets and still is today
in certain areas of Latin America. Pumpkins were eaten roasted,
boiled, and stewed by native American tribes. Not only was the
pumpkin grown for its food and feed value, but it also served
as a living mulch, helped keep maize fields free of weeds, and
discouraged raccoons from eating the corn.
Since that first Thanksgiving feast, pumpkins
have become a tradition on American Thanksgiving tables, served
primarily in the form of pumpkin pie. The native Americans showed
the Pilgrims how to dry pumpkin meat and grind it into meal for
year-round use. Colonists used this new vegetable, not only for
pie, but as feed for animals (roasted seeds) and as a prime ingredient
in other foods. For example, stewed pumpkin was mixed with corn
meal for bread, and a simple pumpkin pudding was made by slicing
off the top of the pumpkin, scooping out the seed and fibers,
and filling the cavity with milk. The whole pumpkin was then baked
until the milk was absorbed. The pumpkin and its relative, the
winter squash, were very easy to store for winter use.
The irony is that today the American pumpkin
is not known for its nutritional value, but as a decorative jack-o-lantern
synonymous with Halloween. One can only speculate that the first
jack-o-lantern was created as a result of efforts to prepare pumpkin
pudding.
Washington Irving wrote about the pumpkin
in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and more recently,
Charles Schultz has rekindled American folklore with the Great
Pumpkin in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
The medieval French name "pampion"
means sun-baked squash and is derived from the Greek word "pepon,"
or a large melon. The English modified "pampion" to
"pompkin," which was finally changed to "pumpkin" by the American colonists.
The pumpkin's scientific names are Cucurbita
maxima, represented by such varieties as "Atlantic Giant,"
"Big Max," "Mammoth," and "Boston Marrow," and Cucurbita pepo, represented by "Connecticut Field,"
"Howden's," and similar varieties.
Nutritional Value
The pumpkin is very high in fiber and vitamin
A and contains plenty of beta carotene, which has recently received
credit for cancer-preventing qualities. Also, high-fiber diets
may prevent overeating, a great concern in American diets. One
cup of mashed pumpkin contains approximately 50 calories, yet
it ranks among the most nutritious of domestic produce. It contains
over 2,500 units of vitamin A, considerable quantities of B complex
and C vitamins, along with generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium,
calcium, and iron. The smaller pie-sized pumpkins, including "Connecticut
Field," can be substituted in virtually any recipe calling
for winter squash.
Planting Considerations
To grow healthy pumpkins, the soil should
be well drained with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. It is best to get a soil
test done first. Check with your local Extension Service office.
Otherwise, if commercial fertilizers are used, broadcast 500 to
1,000 pounds of 5-10-10 per acre before planting. This equates
to approximately 5 quarts per 100 feet of row, spread out 3 feet
wide over the row. Sidedress at 3 and 6 weeks after seeding with
20 to 30 pounds of nitrogen and 60 to 100 pounds of potassium
(approximately 1 pint of 13-0-44 per 100 feet of row). Sidedress
fertilizer 6 to 8 inches from the plants on both sides of the
row. Equivalent nutrients can also be provided from organic materials.
Pumpkins require ample amounts of potassium
for good dry-matter production. If misshaped pumpkins develop,
check the boron level or add 1 pound of actual boron (5 pounds
of Solubor) per acre to your fertility program. Boron deficiency
is likely to occur on sandy soils.
According to Robert J. Rouse, Wye Research
and Education Center, University of Maryland, Queenstown, pumpkins
can be seeded too early if one is not careful. Pumpkins should
not be seeded in the mid-Atlantic region in May. They will make
it, but will need to be sprayed over a longer period of time.
June is more appropriate. During summer, the days to maturity
can vary from 90 to 120, depending on the variety of pumpkins
planted and the temperature. According to your marketing strategy,
90-day pumpkins can be planted as late as the first week in July
and still make a crop by October. However, pumpkins planted late
in the season are more subject to disease and do not yield as
well as those planted earlier. Mid-June is the normal planting
time. Spacing pumpkins depends on varieties and vine size. If
you are planting on a hill system-the easiest for organic growers
since the compost and animal manure only needs to be worked into
the hills - plant three to four seeds per hill and then thin to
one plant per hill. For larger acreages, 2 to 3 pounds of seed
per acre should be sufficient for achieving 3,000 to 4,000 plants
per acre. Higher rates of up to 4 to 5 pounds/acre may be required
for bush varieties. Plants should be spaced 3 feet apart and at
least 6 feet between rows.
Cover crops can really help, particulariy
hairy vetch. Kill the cover crop and then seed or plant in the
residue. By killing or mowing the vetch before it forms seeds,
which is the end of May in the mid-Atlantic region, in June one
can then use no-till seed or, on a small scale, transplant through
the mulch by using a bulb planter or spade. Vetch mulch gives
a nice carpet and minimizes soil contact on fruit.
Variations to this monocrop planting system
are used by some growers. Ed and Kathy Schaefer, who operate Bellevue
Berry and Pumpkin Ranch near Omaha, Nebraska, utilize oats or
rye as a cover crop in the spring, and then plant 2 pounds of
pumpkin seed per acre in the grain with some ornamental corn.
Some of their 35 acres of pumpkins are planted through 4-foot-wide
plastic mulch with 10-foot-wide strips of rye or oats in-between
the plastic. This is done because the same fields have been continuously
cropped in pumpkins for the last 10 years. Care needs to be taken
not to plant a row of pumpkins in the same location each year.
A combination of sorghum and sudangrass is strip-cropped for frost
protection, especially in those fields in which pumpkins are cut
and left for pick-your-own harvesting in late October.
To reduce disease problems, most research
data suggests rotational cropping, if possible, by planting pumpkins
once every 3 to 7 years. For those growers who do not have this
amount of acreage flexibility, it is important to clean the field
thoroughly after harvest and to fall plow as deeply as possible.
If this is done, choose land that is not highly erosive and, weather
permitting, plant a winter or early spring cover crop to protect
the soil and help minimize crop pest build-up problems. Growers
must be aware that certain crops can carry over diseases (e.g.,
peppers are subject to phytophthora and so are pumpkins), so they
should not be planted in the rotations. Nor should other cucurbits
such as watermelon, cantaloupes, cucumbers, and squash. Pollinating
bees are also critical for successful pumpkin production. In vine
crops, the recommendations are one to two honey bee colonies per
acre.
Popular pumpkin varieties include: Small
sizes: "Munchkin," "Jack-Be-Little," "Sugar
Pie," "Spookie," and "Oz." Medium sizes:
"Spirit Hybrid," "Jack O'Lantem," "Autumn
Gold," and "Happy Jack." Large sizes: "Aspen,"
"Connecticut Field," "Pankow," "Howden,"
"Jackpot Hybrid," "Wizard," and "Big
Autumn." Very large sizes: "Prize Winner," "Atlantic
Giant," "Big Moon," and "Big Max."
Marketing Strategy
A marketing strategy is critical for those
contemplating growing pumpkins so they can sell what they sow.
One needs to assess whether to wholesale pumpkins or direct market
them. Farm location, zoning, insurance, labor supply, and willingness
to work with the public are just a few of the factors that should
be considered. For those who want to market direct to consumers,
one can choose from roadside markets, farmer's markets, on-farm
markets, U-pick activities, and community-sponsored agricultural
farms. In addition, there is a growing practice to couple some
of the market activities with entertainment agriculture, which
encompasses hayrides, harvest festivals, and group farm tours.
A farm that markets direct to the consumer
needs to project a positive and safe farm image (including overall
farm neatness); offer a variety of quality pumpkins; and have
adequate equipment, signing, advertising, and access roads. Customers
will also require restroom facilities and adequate parking.
Bellevue Berry and Pumpkin Ranch customers
enjoy free hayrides to the pumpkin fields, western cookouts, a
Haunted Barn, and a kids' "How the West Was Fun" play
area. Other pumpkin growers throughout the United States have
various marketing strategies, including fall festivals, food-fests
and other farm-focus themes. Some growers, like Skip Jackson at
the Iron Kettle Farm in upstate New York, construct elaborate
pumpkin scarecrow exhibits and sell pumpkins next to their farm
market. Butler's Orchards, located in the Maryland suburbs near
Washington, DC, allows customers to drive their cars to the pumpkin
fields and offers a festival environment in the center of the
farm with decorated pumpkin figures, apple butter preparation,
food provided by local churches, and live entertainment. The most
successful retail farm marketers are innovators. Farmers who build
entertainment into their pumpkin sales can draw customers to their
farm markets. Some farms, like the Berry Farm in Mathews, Virginia,
focus almost exclusively on educational farm experiences for school
groups. During their visits, students learn about farm animals,
how pumpkins grow, and other crops. Doug Carrigan of Carrigan
Farms in Mooresville, North Carolina, offers fall school tours
focusing on either pumpkins or apples.
Organizations and Newsletters
According to several vegetable and fruit
specialists, there are no national organizations or associations
focusing specifically on pumpkin growing. Pumpkin work at the
University of Maryland, Wye Research and Education Center, is
highlighted in "Agent Update" by Robert J. Rouse, WREC,
P.O. Box 169, Queenstown, MD 21658. Much of the information on
mid-Atlantic pumpkin work is also featured annually in the Proceedings
of the Mid-Atlantic Vegetable Workers Conference.
Farmers contemplating growing and marketing
their own pumpkins should check with their local Extension Service
offices. An annual pumpkin meeting is hosted by Ray Samulis, Burlington
County Cooperative Extension Agent, 49 Rancocas Road, Mt. Holly,
NJ 08060-1317 (telephone 609-265-5050). Most States have fruit
and vegetable grower associations, which may also have important
grower information. The North American Farmers' Direct Marketing
Association hosts an annual conference. In 1995, it will be held
in Knoxville, Tennessee. Audiotapes of presentations are sold,
and in past years there have been presentations on pumpkins and
entertainment farming. For more information, contact Richard Reese,
Audio Productions, 8806 South Lake Stevens Road, Everett, WA 98205
(telephone 1-800-356-2834).
Prepared by Ed and Kathy Schaefer, Bellevue
Berry and Pumpkin Ranch, South 48th & Cornhusker Road, Omaha,
NE 68133, and George B. Holcomb (Retired), Office of Communications,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, for USDA's Office for Small-Scale
Agriculture (OSSA); Howard W. "Bud" Kerr Jr., Program
Director. OSSA's address: Ag Box 2244, Washington, DC 20250-2244.
Telephone: 202-401-1805; Fax:202-401-1804.
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herbicides must be registered by appropriate State and/or Federal
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CAUTION: Fungicides, pesticides, and
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and their containers.
October 1994
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