Your pumpkin patch problem-solvers
AHEAD of Halloween, experts Pippa Greenwood – a regular on BBC Gardeners’ Question Time – and Alison Mundie – team leader for the kitchen garden at RHS Garden Harlow Carr – offer advice on some of the pitfalls of growing pumpkins.
SITE AND SPACE
PUMPKINS need space to thrive, and overcrowding them can be the catalyst for failure, Pippa notes. She recommends spacing each plant 6ft apart, ideally somewhere a bit sheltered in full sun.
WATER
IF YOU don’t water your pumpkins, particularly in dry weather, they will suffer from drought stress, which can lead to stunted growth and make them more susceptible to disease.
Ensure the plant’s root is moist, but not wet.
NO FRUIT
PUMPKINS and squashes need male and female flowers to set fruit. The female flower has a swelling behind it, which is the immature fruit at the base of the flower.
Young plants produce male flowers but as the season progresses and the weather warms up, more female flowers are also produced on the plant.
If your plant is lacking female flowers it may be down to lack of sunshine and low temperatures.
To assist pollination, pick a male flower, remove its petals, to expose the pollen-bearing anthers, then press into the middle of the female flower.
SLUGS
SLUGS chomp on young plants and fruits before the skins have hardened, which can lead to deformity as fruits swell.
This can also lead to fungal infections in the wounds, which may cause the pumpkin to rot in a wet season.
“Harden them off as well as you can, so that the texture of the leaves is harder,” Alison says.
“You can put barriers around the plant base, like cocoa shells or grit, to stop the slugs from going on them, or apply nematodes on a regular basis.”
DON’T LEAVE THEM ON THE GROUND
ALISON recommends lifting them onto some
roof tiles if damp weather is a problem.
Some gardeners use a bed of straw, but this is more likely to harbour moisture and slugs, Pippa warns.