Pumpkins are an old, nutritious vegetable grown for hundreds of years alongside corn and peppers. Pumpkins are beautiful and bountiful and their harvest is a sure sign of autumn. Pumpkins can be used in breads, pies, and stews. Pumkins are also delicious roasted on a grill. Pumpkin seeds can be roasted and are a delicious addition to salads.
Pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." The French turned "pepon" into "pompon" and the English changed that into "pumpion." But it took the American colonists to finally change "pumpion" into "pumpkin."
Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.
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Articles & Papers
The Farm & Garden library contains the following articles and papers on the subject of pumpkins:
- Growing Pumpkins by Farm & Garden
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Forum Discussions
The Farm & Garden Forums are a great resource for getting answers to your questions about how to start, grow, water, harvest, and prepare pumpkins. Here are a few select discussions:
- growing pumpkins by butlee01
- Are immature pumpkins still edible? by Buffalogal
- Cucumbers cross-pollinated with pumpkins? by cucone021
- all discussions involving pumpkins
Pumpkin Seeds
Here are a few sources of pumpkin seeds you get you started.
Tools, Equipment, and Supplies
Sometimes the right tool or the right gadget can make your task much easier and your time in the garden more productive. Here's a list of tools and equipment suppliers that may have what you're looking for.
- Gardener's Supply Company
- Thompson & Morgan
- GEMPLER'S Online Store
- Gardening tools from Amazon
- Irrigation supplies from Amazon
- Seeders from Amazon
- Garden Carts from Amazon
- Row covers from Amazon
- Greenhouses from Amazon
Books
Here are some books we found that might help you with your pumpkins.
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