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I recently moved from the city and have never had a garden before. A friend of mine gave us pumpkin seeds and other seeds as a housewarming gift. I've heard they are very difficult to grow. Is this true? Any advice on how to get them to grow? I am clueless when it comes to gardening. Also lavender seeds. Another one that I heard is difficult to grow. Thank you for any advice.
Lavender seeds should be sown now in outdoor containers. Use any container with holes in the bottom for drainage. Place a sheet of clear plastic wrap over the container and punch holes in it to allow water to enter, yet protect the soil from drying out. Place the container in dappled shade. Wait. They will sprout when they are ready. Once the daytime temperatures reach 70 degrees, remove the plastic wrap IF your seeds have germinated. Once the second set of leaves are visible, plant them in the ground. Add some sand to the soil. They like a really fast draining soil and hate to have "wet feet".
For the pumpkin, wait until the soil temperature is 60+. Night time temperatures should be above 55 consistently. I would think late June would be a good time to plant pumpkin seeds in your area. Plant them in the ground being sure the soil has been amended in an area at least 2' square and to a depth of 12". Plant the seeds about 1/2" deep. Water and keep moist until they sprout. Consistent water is the key to a healthy plant here. If it dries out too often, you'll stunt the growth. If it's too wet, you'll likely attract fungus and other issues. It's a lot like growing cucumbers, so it's really not too hard.
Pumpkin is easy. All the squashes enjoy living in a fairly high nitrogen humus. Wait until mid to late May, buy a bag of cow manure, put it on the ground, drive a shovel through it a few times, add a little blood meal, water it and plant three seeds. Put a drip waterer directly in it, so that it can water the bag, cut the grass and vegetation severely for about a radius of twelve feet, and stand back.
Never water pumpkin from above, except when watering with Murphy's oil soap to slow down the squash bugs. Pumpkins love heat and sun. The only area to be really concerned is the immediate stalk near the roots. If a borer or bugs get in that, game over. Use heavy diamatacious earth, insecticides, whatever, in that square foot area. Put the pumpkins on a low base to minimize problems.
A few drops in a sprayer with a gallon of water kills a lot of pests. It also works with aphids and white flies. I use it on my overwintering plants indoors.
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