This post is mainly concerned with either growing a giant pumpkin organically, or the more traditional method of using fertilizers etc, or maybe even combining both of these methods.
Now this totally your own choice, and I’m not going to tell you which way you should grow your pumpkin, but like everything this early on you will need to do your own research.
The traditional approach using fertiliser
This is the most common way of doing things, and This can also be said for traditional crops and farming, if your soil is lacking in something, you add fertilizer to the soil, or nutrients, this can be done via a liquid or a powder or any combination of these methods.
You do get results, but sometimes it can be easy to over do it, and actually cause more harm to the plants and soil then you intended, this is where soil testing is handy to know exactly what you are lacking.
So this method is what has been done the most in the past, and is what a lot of people know about, people get good growth, things are usually pretty easy, you just add amendments to the ground and everything is good, but is it really?
The newer way, the organic way
The easiest way to describe this new kind of way of doing things, is calling it the more organic approach.
You are still going to amend the ground, promote growth but just do it a different way. The first thing to do like with anything is to read up about it, and a good starting point is the book I’ve mentioned before in other posts is “teaming with microbes” which with the latest how to grow giant pumpkins book, the all organic way really gives you an insight on how giant pumpkin growing can be done organically.
Once you learn that the soil is living and made up of a huge variety of different organisms you get an understanding of how traditional methods may destroy what is already working.
Manure and compost are big factors when usng this method, and it is something that has been done for many years by your typical home gardener.
So what is the best method?
Well this is up to you and what you believe in, for me the organic approach is winning me over more and more, having started out thinking fertilizer was the way to help, I think helping the soil and organisms that are already present seems the more logical approach for myself, and is something I will be doing more of this year.
I would love to hear your views on this, and to hear what you are going to be doing this season.
Growing giant pumpkins is a passion that I love sharing. 🎃 If you’ve found my content helpful or entertaining, why not say thanks with a coffee? ☕
It’ll fuel my next giant pumpkin adventure!
