Should pumpkin be organic

How to grow organic pumpkins

Its pumpkin season! Fall is full of pumpkin decor, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin spice everything. Fall is also a good time to plan next years garden, including which kinds of pumpkins youd like to grow yourself. Heres how to grow organic pumpkins in your own backyard. Its as easy as (pumpkin) pie!

How to grow organic pumpkins

Pumpkins are one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden. Theyre perfect for beginner gardeners, kids, and anyone else who wants to learn how to grow organic pumpkins.

Pumpkins are large plants that require a lot of space in the garden. Pumpkin vines will also grow best in locations with lots of sunlight and good air circulation. They thrive in nutrient-rich, well-draining soil. Compost is the perfect soil amendment for growing organic pumpkins. If you dont have your own homemade compost, use an organic fertilizer like Pro-Mix Multi-Purpose Organic Garden Fertilizer.

Pro-Mix products used in this post were provided by PremierTech, the makers of Pro-Mix.

Choosing a pumpkin variety to grow

Most pumpkin plants are grown at home from seeds, but it is also possible to purchase seedlings at a plant nursery. When choosing pumpkin seeds or seedlings, consider how youd like to use your pumpkins. Some varieties are perfect for autumn decor while others are great for cooking pumpkin pies.

Pumpkins also come in many different sizes, from mini apple-sized pumpkins to giant pumpkins that can require tractors to lift them! Choose a variety that suits your needs. This year we grew mini white pumpkins.

Choosing a growing location for your pumpkin plants

Choose a large location in your garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight on sunny days. Sometimes pumpkin leaves can wilt in very hot sunlight, but they will recover in the evening if they have enough water.

Pumpkins are large plants. Mini pumpkins can be trellised, but larger pumpkin vines may take over 100 square feet of garden space! Give your pumpkins room to grow, and theyll be much happier than if theyre squished together, competing for sunlight. The vines will also need ample air circulation to minimize the chance of mildew developing.

Planting organic pumpkins in your home garden

Pumpkins are easy to grow from seeds. They can either be grown as seedlings indoors or grown directly from seeds placed in the garden. Pumpkin roots arent the easiest to transplant, so if they are grown as seedlings indoors, most gardeners choose to use soil blocks or compostable pots rather than plastic pots. Using soil blocks or compostable pots means that the whole seedling pack, pot and all, can be planted in the garden to minimize transplant shock.

Pumpkin seeds like warm weather. It can be tempting to plant pumpkins on the first frost-free day to maximize growing days (and pumpkin size), but the pumpkin plants wont be happy with cool overnight temperatures. Wait until the danger of frost has passed and the ground outside has warmed with the springtime weather. Daytime temperatures should be higher than 60F or 16C for good germination of the pumpkin seeds.

Caring for organic pumpkins in your garden

Pumpkin plants grow well with full sunlight, consistent watering and lots of nutrients. Access to nutrients is a key part of growing healthy pumpkins. Homemade compost is a great general soil amendment for organic pumpkins as is a high-quality organic fertilizer like Pro-Mixs Multi-Purpose Fertilizer. At the beginning of the season, compost can be worked into garden soil in a two-foot radius of pumpkin plants. Throughout the season, fertilize pumpkin plants monthly with an OMRI-listed organic fertilizer to support healthy growth.

If your focus for your pumpkins is growing the biggest pumpkins possible, choose an organic fertilizer specifically formulated for producing fruits/vegetables. These types of fertilizers have a different balance of nutrients to support maximum fruit production rather than general plant health (like this Pro-Mix Organic Fruit and Vegetable Fertilizer).

Another tip for growing large pumpkins is to remove all but the largest fruit from each pumpkin plant. That way the plant will channel all of its energy into a single large fruit. If your pumpkin vines all have lots of room to grow, sunlight, and nutrientschances are most of your vines will all produce a large pumpkin.

Pests and diseases that can affect organic pumpkins in your garden

Pumpkins are generally a pest-free plant, but there is one pest in particular that can really get in the way of a good pumpkin harvest. The squash vine borer is a small moth that lays eggs early in the season, which then hatches into larvae and burrows into the squash vine. They burrow into the vine right at the base of the plant, which can actually destroy the whole plant as the white-colored larvae grow inside the vine. This is rather heartbreaking for the gardener as the plant looks fine but then all of a sudden dies with little warning.

Squash vine borer can be prevented by using floating row covers, wrapping gauze around the base of the pumpkin vine or delaying transplant until after the vine borers lay their eggs for the year. If you choose to go the gauze root, wrap medical gauze around the base of the vine, extending the gauze down into the soil by at least an inch and extending up over the exposed vine for a few inches. This should at least discourage the borer from choosing your vines to lay eggs.

Squash vine borer moths are also said to be attracted to the color yellow. Some gardeners place yellow bowls in their gardens full of water to drown moths that are considering choosing their gardens to lay their eggs.

As fall approaches, powdery mildew can become a problem with squash vines such as pumpkins. Mildew generally develops in moist, humid environments with low air circulation. Mildew can be minimized by spacing plants apart in an area with air circulation, as well as avoiding overhead watering. Use drip lines to irrigate your vines if possible.

If powdery mildew does develop, it will look like the leaves have a white powder all over them. Spray the leaves with a mixture of dissolved baking soda and liquid soap or with milk (dairy) to counteract the mildew. Destroy infected plants at the end of the season and consider rotating next years pumpkin crop to a new location.

Harvesting organic pumpkins from your garden

The best time to harvest your organic pumpkins is when the skin is tough enough that your fingernail cannot easily poke through it. Since pumpkins dont change color much after harvesting, its good to wait until the pumpkins are the desired color before harvesting. Its also easy to harvest pumpkins after the frost has extinguished the leaves (this makes the pumpkins easy to spot! Dont wait until truly freezing weather to harvest the pumpkins though, as they will start to decompose.

Use gloves when harvesting pumpkins as the vines have abrasive hairs on them which can irritate the skin. Small pumpkins can be cut from the vine with garden scissors or pruners. Large pumpkins may require a sharp utility knife or garden saw.

Leave several inches of stem attached (and hopefully a few cute tendrils if possible). Really big pumpkins may be difficult to lift and should be carried cautiously (or even picked up with machinery like a tractor).

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Which Fruits & Vegetables You Should Be Buying Organic.

If you are on a budget or just plain refuse to pay the extra for organic fruits and vegetables, there really are some good reasons to buy at least a few of those items in the organic version if you can.

We buy as much organic produce as we can, and of course, sometimes you have to buy the non-organic version. But I like knowing that most of my fruits and vegetables were not sprayed with toxic chemicals. It only makes sense to avoid them after all, you dont go around pouring pesticides in your mouth or on your clothes, so why would you want to eat food that is either A. coated with it or B. full of it? Pesticides are toxic, and they are designed to kill bugs, weeds, rodents, fungi, rot, and other pests do you really want to eat that stuff?

These chemicals have been shown to suppress the immune system, increase the risk of breast and other cancers, disrupt the pheromone and hormonal system, and do reproductive harm.

And while you might initially say that you ate regular versions of these fruits and vegetables while you were growing up and you are fine now, the amount and incidences of pesticide use have skyrocketed in recent years times have changed.

Convinced yet? Great! So now I have convinced you that you dont want to buy the toxic pesticide versions, but you want to know which fruits and vegetables should be bought only organic and which ones it is safer to skimp on, right? Well, if you can pick and choose your organics, there are definitely fruits and veggies that either requires less pesticide or absorb less of it, so lets take a look.

The following fruits and vegetables tend to be higher in either pesticide use and/or absorption:

• Peaches
• Pears
• Green Beans
• Apples
• Squash
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes

The following fruits and vegetables tend to have less pesticides in them:

• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Cauliflower
• Watermelon
• Kiwi Fruit
• Brussels Sprouts
• Eggplant
• Blueberries
• Radishes
• Onions
• Grapefruit

Even with washing and peeling, you cannot get rid of pesticides in your fruits and vegetables. And besides, with peeling you might be losing a lot of the good nutrients. So when you can, choose the organic version of your product just to be on the safe side. But when you cannot, at least keep in mind which products contain fewer pesticides and might be safer for you to eat!

I was going to start research on this, but GOOD Magazine beat me to it. By the way, if you are not reading GOOD, you should check it out. Heres a chart of what major gigantic companies own your little tiny favorite organic food companies, and you can click it for a bigger version:

List of Nuts & Seeds You Should Buy Organically

Although many people avoid nuts and seeds because they perceive them as being loaded with fat, they are a vital part of a healthy diet according to Dr. Edward Group, contributor to the Global Healing Center. Both nuts and seeds provide protein, vitamins and minerals. Many types of nuts and seeds also offer essential fatty acids, which are necessary for the maintenance of healthy skin and other body functions.

Always buy organic nuts and seeds and choose raw products instead of roasted seeds and nuts whenever possible -- organic products contain fewer pesticides, so they introduce fewer toxins into the body. Non-organic macadamia nuts, cashews and walnuts tend to contain particularly harmful pesticides according to the Grinning Planet website, so you should always buy these nuts organically.

Almonds

According to Dr. Group, almonds are rich in magnesium; a handful of organic almonds provides about 25 percent of your daily requirement of this mineral. Almonds are also rich in calcium, vitamin E and selenium. The fiber in organic almonds may help lower the risk of colon cancer and may help reduce cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

Pumpkin Seeds

Does Flaxseed Contain Soluble or Insoluble Fiber?

Organic pumpkin seeds provide plenty of essential fatty acids according to the Veg Health Guide website. They also contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron and vitamin K. Pumpkin seeds are thought to promote prostate health and strengthen bones in men. They may also have anti-inflammatory properties that could help people with arthritis.

Walnuts

Walnuts are loaded with an antioxidant called ellagic acid, which may help fight free radicals and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. They also contain 16 different polyphenols, which are chemical groups that help ward off disease. Some researchers also believe that the consumption of walnuts can help improve brain function notes Dr. Group.

Sesame Seeds

How Much EPA & DHA Are in Chia Seeds?

Organic sesame seeds are rich in copper and manganese, as well as phosphorus, iron, calcium and magnesium according to the Veg Health Guide website. They also contain plenty of dietary fiber, as well as unsaturated fats, which may help lower cholesterol levels. Sesame seeds contain antioxidants, called lignans, which are anti-carcinogens. The Veg Health Guide recommends grinding the sesame seeds before consumption to maximize the absorption of nutrients.

• Organic sesame seeds are rich in copper and manganese, as well as phosphorus, iron, calcium and magnesium according to the Veg Health Guide website.
• They also contain plenty of dietary fiber, as well as unsaturated fats, which may help lower cholesterol levels.

Other Nuts and Seeds

There are a variety of other nuts and seeds that you can buy organically. Pecans, cedar nuts, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and flaxseeds are all good choices. These foods can help you easily add vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fats, dietary fiber and essential fatty acids to your diet to promote optimal health.