Pumpkins

Type: Vegetable

Rotation Group: 0, No rotation needed


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CARGO

British bred to crop well throughout the UK, with resistance to powdery mildew. Produces impressive 6-10kg/13-22lb fruits with tasty flesh and is great for carving at Halloween.
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JACK OF ALL TRADES

Another good choice for Halloween, the medium sized fruits have a good skin colour and tasty flesh which also makes lovely pumpkin pie.
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SPITFIRE

Produces small fruits which are ideal for roasting, use in a pumpkin pie or carving for Halloween decoration. The plants are highly productive producing numerous bright orange pumpkins with firm sweet tasting flesh.
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POLAR BEAR

This unusual, extra-large white pumpkin retains it colour well after maturity in the field. Ghostly white, it can grow up to 15kg in weight, making it suitable for carving and a real Halloween talking point! The deep orange flesh is delicious roasted.

Site, Soil and Preparation

Pumpkins require a well drained, humus rich soil in full sun, with shelter from winds.

Indoor Sowing

Sow pumpkin seed indoors from April to May for transplanting later on. Sow pumpkins seeds on their sides in small 7.5cm (3”) pots of seed compost at a depth of about 2.5cm (1”). Place in a propagator or seal pots inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 20-25C (68-77F) until germination which takes 5-7 days. Do not exclude light, as this helps germination. Once germinated, grow pumpkins on in cooler conditions until all risk of frost has passed and pumpkin plants are large enough to be transplanted outdoors. Gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions over 7 - 10 days before planting pumpkins outdoors.

Outdoor Sowing

Alternatively direct sow pumpkins outdoors from late May to June at a depth of 2.5cm (1”) and a distance of 2m (6 1/2’) - 3m (10’) apart depending on the variety. Sow 2 seeds per hole and thin out the weakest seedling per station after germination.

Thinning

Thin plants during transplantation to final growing position.

Transplanting

Transplant pumpkins outdoors in warm, well drained, humus rich soil in full sun, with shelter from winds. Choose a spot that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun per day.

Care

Feed and water pumpkins regularly. When growing pumpkins, a thick mulch of organic matter spread around the plants will help to conserve moisture at the roots. Hoe between plants regularly to prevent weeds from establishing. Pumpkins will begin to produce long stems which can be trained in a circle around the plant to prevent them spreading too far.

Harvest

Leave pumpkins on the plant for as long as possible until the skin has hardened and the fruits start to crack near to the stem. Harvest pumpkins before the first frosts by cutting each fruit from the stem leaving several inches of the stem attached.