What a great year it’s been for growers and those of us who love pumpkins. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, as you enjoy the fruits of your labor……
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEARS!
May God shine upon you, your family and loved ones, and your pumpkin patch in 2026!
Did you Know? National Pumpkin Pie Day is this month. You’ll never guess when. Find out now.
Pumpkins All Year Long…. We’ve always said that pumpkins are very important part of our lives every month of the year. They are an important part of the Christmas tradition, too. This is best explained by popular the Christmas song: There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays. The lyrics include: “I met a man who lived in Tennessee. He was headed for Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie…..”
One of the fun Christmas traditions, is baking dozens upon dozens of Christmas cookies. We make more than we can possibly consume, simply because they are fun to make. Then, we make up plates for family, friends and neighbors.
During the Christmas holiday season, we also continue to cook and bake with both apples and pumpkins. We are invigorated with the prospect of coming home for the holidays to the smell of mom or grandma’s home baked pies. We just can’t wait to sink our fork into a slice of pumpkin pie piled high with whipped cream.
Start building new memories this Christmas. And add to the old traditions. In addition to pies, we’ve got you covered with over 140 pumpkin and apple recipes.
Along with baking dozens of cookies, and making apple and pumpkin pies, certainly you will be making a couple of big meals over the holidays. Two of the most popular choices are a Prime Rib Roast and Turkey dinners.
From properly thawing and washing the bird, to the correct roasting times and safely storing leftovers, we’ve gotcha covered. More Information –>
There’s not much better than a prime rib roast for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Years. Did you know there are different quality levels of meat? Do you know how to prepare the roast? What are the proper cooking temperatures and times for roasting it to perfection? Find out now.
Ask any kid, and he or she will tell you they want a big, big pumpkin. You must deliver. Your mission, should you choose to accept it(and you have), is to fuel the growth of your fruit to produce the biggest ones you and your children have ever seen. In December, we bake with them. And, we begin to think about what varities we want to grow, as well as where to get the seeds. All about seeds.
Keep your patch well watered.
Turn over a spadeful of soil. Is it moist down several inches? Great! More on watering your plants.
Add a layer of compost.
This feeds the plant, helps to retain soil moisture, and helps to keep weeds down.
Big pumpkins have big appetites.
Use regular applications of fertilizer. More on fertilizers.
Tender loving care.
Maintain the health of your plants. Keep a vigilant eye for insect problems and plant disease. Apply insecticides and fungicides before problems arise.
Cover the vines with garden soil.
This promotes secondary root growth, and results in much bigger fruit.
How to grow pumpkins.
Get more information on how to grow them..
Here are a couple holiday Christmas holiday resources, to help you in the many traditional tasks of the season:
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Let's Talk Gardening and Pumpkin Growing! Do you want to talk about gardening, read seasonal appropriate articles about gardening, or share some pictures of your garden.? Join in on the fun, visit the garden blog!
Aside from giant pumpkins, most varieties can be sowed directly into your garden, if you have enough frost free days. Find out more
You are experiencing poor pollination. It's pretty common. Here's how to assure pollination. Find out more
The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed well over a ton. There's a lot of other amazing records too. See them
There's many festivals and weigh-off sites all over the U.S., and Canada. And, many others around the world. Find one near you
Growing pumpkins is fun. Like other gardening activities, researchers tell us it’s therapeutic. And, eating them is healthy for you. Add a little pumpkin to your diet all year long.
More on Pumpkins and Your Health
See a plethora of recipes in Pumpkin Nook’s Cookbook
