CARVING UP A TREAT

With Halloween approaching now is the time to prepare your pumpkin lanterns

To help survive this When buying, look for a good firm phase of the coronavirus vegetable and before you begin upswing, I’m undertaking carving, plan what you are going more i ndoor gardento do. There are plenty of ideas relat ed projects. And e ven and templates on the internet or though we won’t have children use your imagination. trick or treating this year, it is You’ll need a really sharp knife nice to keep up the tradition of for cutting and while this is a fun the season by decorating the project to do with youngsters, be house and understanding how careful. If they’re very young, let some of our Halloween rituals them show you the faces they’d have evolved. like but you do the carving. Carving pumpkins comes Take off the top by putting your

FUN Pumpkins can be sown

from the old Celtic tradition of knife in at an angle and cut all the

from late May for Halloween

making turnip lanterns with a way round, creating a cap or lid. lump of burning coal inside during November Scoop out the innards removing as much wet to ward off evil spirits. mushy material as possible so you leave yourself

Emigrants from Ireland and Scotland to with a firm solid bowl.

America then brought this tradition with them Following your template, draw the outline on and started using pumpkins instead, which are the veg with a Sharpie or marker. Then, with far easier to carve than turnips. It’s a fun, easy definite cuts, start with the eyes – they’ll be the and cheap way to make Halloween decorations. easiest. For a simple effect I’ve gone for eyes,

nostril and sharp fang-like teeth. If you’re keeping the pumpkins inside, these cuts can dry and shrivel a bit so smear the edges with Vaseline which will help to retain moisture.

Now add nightlights to the bottom and pop the cap back on for that spooky effect. As with any candles, don’t leave them burning while unattended.

And what can you do with the innards? Carving pumpkins are not grown for their taste so, while edible, the guts are quite watery and gloopy.

They can go on to the compost heap – my three hens had a field day with this varied addition to their diet and loved it. Don’t throw out the seeds as these can be roasted in the oven for a tasty and healthy snack. Alternatively you could dry them out and store them for propagating your own pumpkins next year. While easy enough to grow, they do need a good deal of space so are not feasible in smaller plots. You can plant seed s outdoors in the ground from late May to early June when there is no fear of frost as they are tender. Or you can get started earlier indoors from mid-april. Just cover with a plastic or glass cloche to encourage germination. If planting seedlings in situ, space them 10ft apart to allow sufficient room. They also want plenty of sunshine and a rich, moist soil. Adequate water is essential through the growing season as they are prone to powdery mildew if they suf fer water stress. Mulching will help conser ve water through a dry period.

Feed them fortnightly with a high potash formula such as tomato liquid feed when they are forming fruit. If you want larger fruit, thin out to two or three per plant so energy is directed to these ones.

Now is also a good time to order pumpkin seeds for sowing next spring. ‘Becky’ is the classic Halloween variety, ideal for carving. If you want to grow monster sized , you could tr y ‘ Dill’s Atlantic Giant’. At the other end of the scale, ‘Jack Be Little’ are one of the smallest and will make really cute decorations.

And for something special, look for ‘Rouge Vif d’etampes’ also known as the Cinderella pumpkin – all you’ll need then is a fairy godmother to wave her wand and deliver you a beautiful carriage!

Don’t throw out the seeds – they can be roasted for a tasty and healthy snack