Pumpkins, and the closely related winter squash, need a long growing season and are trickier in the north where potted plants raised indoors and planted out in early June give the best results. Plants are sold in garden centres in June. In the south, seeds sown in the ground in late May or early June can crop, but even here best results come from plants raised indoors.
Simply place one seed per pot, pointed end-downwards, barely covered with potting compost and leave in a warm place. Outdoors, sow two seeds about 15mm deep where a plant is wanted.
A fertile soil in a sunny place is ideal. Fortifying the soil with a bucketful or two of rotted compost or manure and a light sprinkling of fertiliser gives good results. As well as disliking shade, pumpkins need plenty of space for their long trailing stems to roam. Allow them at least 3sqm of space, although later on the stems can sprawl as much as 5m and can be trained over sheds, bushes and compost bins if needs be.
Needless to say, those amazing giant pumpkins need more space and lavish soil preparation as well as special seed. Planting on ridges or “hills” can lead to drought stress and is best avoided.
Keep the plants watered for the first two weeks after planting and when dry spells occur. Commonly, male flowers appear first but female flowers soon follow. After insect pollination, fruits form – one per plant for big-fruited pumpkins but several smaller fruits for others such as Munchkin.
These swell and eventually turn orange (or other colours for winter squash), developing a hard, corky stem and a firm skin that rings hollow when gently tapped.
When fully ripe, cut with a long stalk and place in a warm room for two weeks to finish ripening (“cure”) and heal any wounds. Once cured they can be used but they improve after a few weeks of storage. Although winter squash can keep until May, pumpkins are best eaten before December.
