I bought seeds for those super giant pumpkins a few years ago. That went about as far as most of my plantings: The seeds arrived in the mail.

So, that wasn’t helpful but I think it’d be fun to plant at work.

In my case, some critter dropped a seed or two in my front garden bed. It was fun to watch them grow. I did nothing to help them. They didn't grow too big, just big enough to be cute. Basically I let nature take it's course.

The picture of this little fellow that grew into the one below was taken August 31, 2021

This last picture was from September 11, 2021

Have fun with your pumpkin patch and it's so nice that you are sharing them.

Lots of water. It's water that'll make the grow big and fat.

Lots of room. The vines will spread like crazy.

My only experience growing pumpkins is when, after Halloween, I cut up and buried the scraped-out jack-o-lanterns in the perennial garden, thinking they would just decompose there. Then forgot all about them. The next summer, I was surprised to see some beautiful, brilliant, bright orange flowers, then little pumpkins! I didn’t see the vines starting because they were hiding under the grasses and other perrenials. Apparently I didn’t scrape them out as well as I thought.

What a cool idea! We don't have canned pumpkin here so I cook my own for pies etc. It's very easy! Halve the pumpkin, scrape out the seeds and brush the cut surface with a little oil. Place cut face down on an oiled try and bake in the oven until you can run a skewer all the way through it. Then you just scoop the soft cooked pumpkin out of the skin and use it for whatever.

I make pies, scones and soup mostly. Pumpkin soup is yummy. I often make a variation with a bit of curry powder and coconut milk. We also like roasted chunks of pumpkin as a side dish, especially with a roast of whatever meat. You don't need to peel it, just lightly oil and roast on a tray alongside the roasting meat. It's especially good drizzled with a sauce made of half miso and half maple syrup.

I grow pumpkins every year. They transplant fine, though I prefer to direct sow. They are sensitive to low temperature swings.

Mine get aged manure or whatever fertilizer I have around. Consistent water is important. For the kids, Jill be Little or Jack be Little are easy small pumpkins. Another one is ”Toad” a cute softball sized fruit with warts and sets a lot of fruits. There are also bush varieties that take up less space.

Squash beetles and aphids are typical pests. Smaller types generally set more fruits. Carving pumpkins usually set 2-3.

You can’t get much better for companion plants than the three sisters method, corn, beans and pumpkins.

For pumpkin magic - when the fruit is firm and changing color, take a pushpin and scratch-write the kids name on the pumpkin. Just break the outer skin. The rind will scar over with the name. little ones get really excited to find ”their” pumpkin magically growing in the patch. If you do this too early the pumpkin will rot from injury. if too late it won't scar in time. Examine the pumpkin they usually get some growing nicks and scrapes and when you see those healing it’s ready to write on.

I already have a giant pumpkin vine nd I have no idea what I’m doing.

One year I ordered seeds and ge good intentions, but forgot to plant them when it was time (I think roughly June in our area, Amylou). Then last year DH got some leftover pumpkins to feed the deer that pass thru our woods. He brought back about a dozen of all shapes and sizes from our Botanical Garden right after Halloween. They always get rid of them in a big compost pile or people will take some home after they are finished with their fall decor.

He would open 1 or 2 at a time and the deer would have the pieces scattered all over our back 40. We would throw away the rinds when they were finished. Apparently we missed one and a vine started growing several weeks ago. It might be about to take over the compost bin and is headed for the house! 😱 LOADS of blooms but many were males until recently so I’m still looking for any fruit it has set. I’m pretty sure some squash vine borers or squash bugs or the deer will eventually find them and we may not have any pumpkins. It’s been fun to watch but the space it is taking up blows my mind. We may have some giant jack-o-lantern pumpkins, some Cinderella pumpkins, or some cute smaller ones. Who knows?

What a wonderful idea! That’s making lemonade from the lemons, for sure. I’ve grown pumpkins in the past but it was so many years ago, I can’t be of any help.

The foliage is really large leaves, and they cover bare ground very quickly, in a beautiful way. And because it's a squash, the flowers are pretty. You've chosen well.

Where you live matters. Here I would direct sew them now--or buy starters but now is when they need to be in the ground if I were to have hope of having orange pumpkins by October. Warmer places start them later I heard.

Here in zone 6B the seed should be in the ground by now and they should be up and growing.

Outside Playing, my volunteer pumpkin actually grew up the steps and onto my front porch!!! Very exciting to see. Your comment made me laugh.

Many moons ago I grew a white pumpkin variety and got about 6 large white pumpkins at the end of the season. The thing I liked most was their large showy yellow blooms. Bees loved them. I cut lots of male blooms just before they would open to use in soup and stir fry. Those blooms were a tasty treat.

I've grown pumpkins twice, the vines can grow up to 50 ft in all directions so they need a lot of space. Plus they have multiple pest issues with squash bugs, cuke beetles, and the over night vine killer > Squash Vine Borers.

As others state, the vines spread wide and far. I have done both in past years - seeds or transplants from the local greenhouse. Also volunteer plants from October's Halloween pumpkins thrown in the compost or dirt heap. Trouble is, I can't mow that area where the vines are until late Sept or Oct.

since you are getting a late start presprout the seeds. lay out a damp paper towel, put your seeds on in a row fold over several times and put in a ziplock. Check frequently and you will see the white root break out of the pointy end. Then stick them in the ground and stand back. Any old fertilizer will do and yes plenty of water. How many depends on the variety. If you want bigger pumpkins keep the first one and pick off any future sets.

You can trellis pumpkins/winter squash if the fruits aren't too large, which might help with the space issue, since they do sprawl. People make a sling to support the fruit. Black Kat looks like it's on the small side.

And I always had better results with direct sowing. The traditional method is to create a hill and plant 3-4 seeds in the center, then thin, if desired. I did the opposite here in our very sandy soil and made a depression to catch more water, and mulched very heavily with old hay. If you want to transplant (which I did because many pests will destroy the sprouts here) , use single pots so as not to disturb the roots very much - if using peat or paper pots, cut the sides before planting. They are nutrient hungry plants, BTW and love compost/manure. They will root along the vines where they touch the ground, and that helps make the plants stronger, IMPE.

Some varieties are more pest & disease resistant than others. Mulching helps with disease and some pest prevention. You can prune back the vines if you're not trying to maximize fruit production. I occasionally used to pinch off the growing tips to keep vines in check.

One place you can look for tips specific to your area is your local AG extension service - they're usually online.

P.S. Working lots of compost deep into the soil before planting will help ensure stronger plants. I used to buy rabbit alfalfa pellets and work/water those into the hole too.