Start to prepare the patch 2-3 months before you plant the seeds. Get a clean start, that means no weeds!
The next step is very important. PLANNING your patch! What you decide now will means you have to live with it for the next couple of months and could very well determine the outcome of your crop. First mark the patch where you are going to plant each pumpkin. Remember to keep the pumpkins as far apart as possible. Visualize that when the pumpkins grow vines, will you be able to keep them out of the way of other pumpkins and their vines? Keep in mind these vines grow easily in lengths of 7 meters. Will you still be able to water the pumpkins properly? Will you be able to treat the plants against diseases and pests after the plants are fully grown?
Once decided where to plant your pumpkins, dig a hole for each pumpkin, about 1m x 1m and approximately 600mm deep. Fill the hole with your mixture of compost, manure and fertilizer. As time goes by the mixture in the holes will subside and you can add dirt to the holes or even more of your compost mixture. Cover the rest of the patch with a layer of your compost mixture and work it in slightly.
Now its time to decide how to water your patch. You need to water the whole patch and not only the holes where the pumpkins are planted in. The most convenient but also the most expensive way is to install a proper irrigation system with micro sprayers. Some growers install an overhead irrigation system. The least expensive way is to water with any kind of sprayer normally used on lawns.
Now and till its time to plant your seeds, it’s a good idea to keep the patch slightly moist. This is the time that the patch settles in. Remove any weeds as soon as they shows. Weeds will infect your pumpkins with a numerous of diseases like powdery mildew and mosaic which will cause your pumpkin to die an untimely death!
... next: Seeds
... next: Seeds