vegetable of the week
Pumpkin
Why grow pumpkins?
We associate pumpkins with Hallowe’en and of course they are fun to carve, but they are also very good to eat. For the home-grower trying to produce crops to store over the winter, pumpkins are an attractive option since they keep particularly well, thanks to their tough skin.
Sowing
Sow seeds in early May individually in 7cm pots about 2cm deep. The pots will need to be kept on a heating mat or a sunny windowsill. Transplant them to larger 12 or 15cm pots after about three weeks. Leave the pots indoors or in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Growing
Give the soil where you are going to grow your pumpkins a decent application of well-rotted manure or compost. Harden off the plants well and then plant out in early to mid June. Cover with fleece if it’s still cold at night. Space the plants 2m apart – this seems a lot, but once these babies get moving, there will be no stopping them. A single plant can support just one or two decent-sized pumpkins, so you should remove smaller fruits and flowers to allow the plant to focus its energy on growing larger fruits. Place a piece of slate or a brick under each fruit so that it’s not touching the soil – if the fruit is in constant contact with wet soil it will go soft and might rot.
Harvesting
Harvest when the leaves die back or before if there’s a risk of frost. Cut the pumpkin from the plant leaving the stalk attached to it. If they need to be ripened further, put them out in the sun by day and bring them in by night – do this for a week or so. Or leave them on a sunny windowsill to ‘cure’ – this is where the skin hardens up which means they will store for longer. Pumpkins will store right through the winter in a cool place.
GIY recommended varieties
Pot of Gold, Vif D’Etampes, Atlantic Giant, Baby Bear, Munchkin.
Problems
Pumpkins can take over a veg patch, sending shoots here there and everywhere, so probably not a great idea for a small garden. Keep them in check by moving the shoots back to the bed they should be in. They can be coiled carefully into a circle.
GIY tips
* Grow pumpkins somewhere sheltered – they don’t like wind.
* When you plant the pumpkin plants out in June, interplant with fast growing crops like lettuce or spinach, which can be eaten before the pumpkins take over. This will use the space more efficiently.