How to Care for a Pumpkin Tree Plant

The pumpkin tree (Solanum integrifolium) is an eggplant, not a pumpkin, even though this plant produces what appears like tiny pumpkins all along its stems. This plant is typically grown from seeds as an ornamental by Western gardeners and is used for holiday decorations. The fruits are often ingredients included in Asian cooking. Caring for pumpkin tree plants begins with selecting and preparing the planting site after the final frost has passed.

Compost
Peat
Manure
Shovel
Stakes
Mulch
Twine

Instructions

- 1
  Select a location with full to partial sun and rich, moist, well-draining soil. Wait until the soil warms since the pumpkin tree seeds require temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate.
- 2
  Amend the soil with 2 to 3 inches of organic matter, such as compost, peat and aged manure. Mix these into the top 6 inches of soil.
- 3
  Space the pumpkin tree seeds 3 feet apart, allowing room for the plants to grow and expand. Dampen the soil carefully preventing the seeds from moving.
- 4
  Install stakes near each planted seed. Use twine to tie the pumpkin tree plants to the stake as they sprout for support.
- 5
  Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around the plants deterring weeds.
- 6
  Water the pumpkin trees as needed, maintaining moist soil until the seedlings emerge in two to three weeks. Continue supplying 1 inch of water weekly to the pumpkin tree plants throughout the growing season.
- 7
  Watch for the pumpkin tree’s summer blossoms to become light green tomatolike fruits. They grow resembling pumpkins, and then change from green to red, and finally to orange with the cold fall temperatures.

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