Pumpkin Growing Adventures In 2025
I moved from California back to my home state of Alabama in 2018. Growing some of the things I used to grow in California has been a little more challenging to grow in Alabama. Take lettuce, for example. I have yet to successfully grow lettuce in Alabama to the extent that I grew lettuce in California. The Alabama heat is intense, which causes the lettuce to bolt, growing at an accelerated rate which results in a tall stalk with bitter tasting leaves. Hens might enjoy it. Humans find it undesirable for eating. Pumpkins on the other hand have been less of a challenge for me to grow in Alabama. I have grown them annually since I moved back to Alabama with basically good results.
I enjoy growing pumpkins for many reasons. It may seem shallow and superficial for me to say this, but pumpkins are beautiful to look at. In theory, I would like to grow enough pumpkins to display on my front porch like you see on the cover of a fall issue of a fancy farmhouse magazine. Heirlooms are my favorite pumpkins to grow. Their scalloped ribs and brilliant colors are are like not so secret messengers that scream, “Fall and cool weather is on the way”. In reality, I rarely display them on my front porch. I prefer to cook and eat them. Pumpkins are versatile and yummy to eat. They are savory when made into a soup, yet they are also sweet when baked into a pie. Let’s not forget that pumpkins are also a super-food loaded with the electrolyte, potassium, as well as Vitamins A, C, and E. Pumpkins also contain carotenoids, which are the phytonutrients that give their interior flesh it’s orange color. Individually and collectively, all of these nutrients provide many health promoting and disease preventing benefits. Growing pumpkins is like growing food for my soul. It makes me feel good inside because I know I am doing something beneficial for my health.
Last year, I grew an Italian heirloom called Chioggia. Chioggia has a rustic appearance. It’s skin is green and covered with bumps that resemble warts. The flesh on the inside is of course, orange. I planted about twenty seeds. Of the twenty vines, I got about four pumpkins. I should have gotten much more than that. Not sure what went wrong, though I have a few theories. Heirlooms are open pollinated which means they rely on natural pollination by wind or insects. Maybe I should have planted a few flowers among them. Interspersing a few flowers among them would help attract bees to help with pollination. I also had difficulty watering them. I do not have an irrigation system. So, I have to water by hand. Watering by hand became a problem. Instead of planting my pumpkins in one single row, I opted to plant several small rows to create a large patch of pumpkins. Initially, watering was not a problem. I could easily see where the vines sprouted from the ground, so when I watered, I was watering the root source. Eventually, the patch got so thick with vines and leaves that I could no longer see the root source. This made watering very questionable. I was literally asking myself, “Am I watering the roots or am I just watering leaves?” Being a nurse, I am very innovative. I decided, next time I plant pumpkins, I am placing a three foot stick in the ground next to each seedling. The protruding sticks will serve as a marker for the pumpkin roots, making it easier for me to water thoroughly. How is that for innovation?
This year, I decided to grow a hybrid pumpkin. After watching a few seed company videos, I settled on a variety called Gumdrop. Gumdrop grows well in the South. It is heat tolerant and powdery mold resistant. It is also a smaller pumpkin averaging around twelve pounds as advertised by the seed company. This could be a disadvantage due to the heat and humidity in the South. Pumpkins grown in the South are on average about twenty percent smaller than pumpkins grown in the North. To put that in perspective, a twelve pound pumpkin variety grown in the North will weigh about ten pounds when it is grown in the South. Of course, this is just a generalization. As a nurse, I see the smaller size and less weight as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Children, with their smaller hands, may find them easier to pick and carry. Elderly people and people with chronic conditions such as arthritis, carpal tunnel, and tendonitis may find them easier to cut and carve, with minimal if any exacerbation of their conditions.
I planted the seeds in June. Per last year’s misadventure with the Chioggia pumpkins, I placed a three foot stick in the ground next to each Gumdrop seed to help with watering the roots. By mid-September, I had so many pumpkins, I could not keep count of them. I did not apply any chemical pesticides. Consequently, I lost a few of the pumpkins to insects. No big deal to me. No big deal to the hens either. Rotten pumpkins full of insects are a delightful treat to them!
This year was probably my best year growing pumpkins in Alabama. I am pleased with my hybrid Gumdrop pumpkins. I would definitely grow them or a similar variety again. The only thing I would do differently is, I would probably use an organic pesticide. I would also place pine-straw around the pumpkins to help with water conservation and pest management. I will definitely continue placing a three foot stick next to each seedling. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my latest adventures, or misadventures, depending on how you look at it! Regardless of how you look at it, I hope you learned something beneficial.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to like and follow me on social media so you can read more about my adventures and misadventures!
Clifton Joullian, B.S.N., R.N.
The Nurse Farmer
