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Is Milk-Feeding Your Pumpkins Really Worth It
By ROBYN HUNT
Milk-feeding pumpkins is a practice rumored to produce large and healthy gourds, and some anecdotal evidence suggests it
might even help
control fungal diseases.
In Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Farmer's Boy," one of her characters grows an award-winning gourd by intravenously feeding it milk, possibly fueling the belief in this practice.
However, the theory is just garden gossip and isn't fully supported by the horticulture community. In fact, injecting milk into pumpkin vines could actually cause them to rot.
That being said, a solution of milk and water applied to the plant's base in moderation may give a minor boost to your gourd, but excessive use can lead to negative results.