I purchased these seeds from Cody Cove Farm – https://codycovefarm.com/ From their website:
Cody Cove Farm and Nursery is a small family farm specializing in unique edible crop genetics. Our goal is to provide nutritious food to the community and promote sustainable agriculture through offering high-quality plants and produce. Our focus is on collecting elite edible plant varieties from around the world and making them available to home gardeners, small farms and beyond.
Tips for Planting Seminole Pumpkin Seeds in Northeast Florida in July
Location
Seminole pumpkins are warm-season plants that thrive in the Florida heat. Planting in July gives them plenty of time to grow and produce fruit before the first frost.
Seminole pumpkins need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day.
Provide ample space as these vines can grow up to 25 feet long, so give them plenty of room to spread. You can train them to climb a trellis or let them ramble along the ground. On the ground will be more susceptible to critters, so I may stick with the trellis.
Soil
Seminole pumpkins prefer well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter.
Since I'm growing in a raised bed with plenty of drainage, I'm not mounding, but if you're planting in the ground, mounding is recommended.
In ground: create mounds of soil about 12 inches high and 3 feet apart. This will help with drainage and give the roots a good start.
Mix in compost or other organic matter to improve soil fertility and drainage.
Planting
I'm direct sowing in the garden bed at a depth of about 1″, spaced about 2 feet apart. I tipped my seeds to allow water to penetrate more easily and soaked them for 24 hours before planting.
Watering and Fertilizing
I watered in the soil until I knew I had several inches of wet soil below the seeds. In hindsight, I would have been better off watering the bed a day before planting. I'm always learning.
It's important to keep the soil consistently moist, especially during the germination and early growth stages.
I also applied a layer of mulch around the plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. In this bed, I'm using Pine Litter from Tractor Supply, and after 2 1/2 years, I do not see any plant problems with it.
My soil was amended before planting and per the folks at South Seminole Nursery:
“Little fertilizer is needed for the Seminole Pumpkin. Fertilize at the time of planting and about six weeks afterward. Over fertilizing will make the plant produce a lot of leaves with little or no fruit.” http://sseminolefarmandnursery.com/se….
Pollination
Seminole pumpkins require pollination to produce fruit. Plant flowers nearby to attract bees and other pollinators.
Hand pollination is an option. If you don't see many pollinators, you can hand-pollinate the flowers. once my pumpkin vines have germinated, I'll be adding in Nasturtium and my African Blue Basil
Keep following along for the Seminole Pumpkin's progress through the season.
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I'm growing on a quarter-acre suburban lot. I started gardening here five years ago and am glad you're here.
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