Pumpkins In Your Bucket Garden

Pumpkins In Your Bucket Garden

Recently I was informed by a lady, who had no idea that I am ‘bucket gardener’ , that “viney” plants such as pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, some beans, etc. cannot be grown in buckets a.k.a. containers! Boy is she WRONG!

I have been successfully growing pumpkins, indeed all of her list of ‘viney’ plants in buckets & other containers for years! Planted my pumpkins this year in some 6’ diameter plastic kiddy wading pools, some large (36” diameter) plastic tubs & some galvanized wash tubs. I also planted some pumpkins in the ground in a fence-side garden patch as well. Guess what? My ‘bucket” garden pumpkins are bigger & doing better than my in-ground pumpkins are doing!

The key is water control! We have had an inordinate amount of rain the past few months and that has had a decidedly negative effect upon in-ground plants. They are getting fungus, molds, etc. whereas my container garden is not because I can move them out of the weather and thus regulate the amount of water that they receive.

Drainage in the ‘bucket’ garden is a key factor. I put at least 2”-5” of gravel in the bottom of my containers. Then I put at least an inch layer of sand on top of the gravel and then I put in my growing medium/soil mixture. This allows for good drainage of the ‘buckets’ and thus aids in regulating the moisture levels.

Plant your pumpkin seeds in the middle of your container. I use 6-8 seeds per container. Once they sprout I give them 7-10 days before I thin them back to 3 per container. Coiling the vines around inside the container is one way to control the spread but you may want to rig a growing matrix or web if you are growing small pumpkins. I make mine from bamboo stakes, 5’-6’ feet in length and approx. 3/8”-1/2” in diameter. I tie garden twine or nylon builder’s twine to these stakes and form a web or net with about 1’ between lines. Use 3 stakes per container. Your vines will climb on these if you train them to do so.

To me it is important to regulate the number of fruits per vine as well, so I snip off 2 out of 3 blossoms peer vine. This produces large fruits and allows me to have a better control of the plants. This is an especially effective planting/growing method for the smaller varietals of pumpkins such as,  Baby Bear, Baby Pam, Small Sugar, Spooktacular, Sugar Treat & Winter Luxury pumpkins. These are all small pumpkins that run in the 2-5 lb range and are usually 6”-10” in diameter.

Try growing gourds, squash, melons & pumpkins in your ‘bucket’ garden now that you are aware that it is not only possible but a good way to do so!

Copyright © 2009 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.