The friendly face of pumpkins ...
Forget those Halloween monstrosities, these beauties are certain to make you smile
THE big, plump and dusky orange pumpkins sold by supermarkets in the run-up to Halloween are good for one thing… carving with spooky faces. The insipid yellow flesh inside tastes absolutely awful: watery, stringy and downright bland, it can only be made palatable in savoury dishes with a heavy dose of spices.
One way to ensure that the pumpkin on your plate tastes great is to grow your own. Those sown indoors over the next few weeks will turn into sturdy young plants that can be planted outside in late spring. It’s best to start them early as some varieties can take up to six months from sowing to harvesting.
There are scores of fantastic pumpkins worth growing, along with closely related winter squashes. They come in many shapes, colours and sizes, from tennis ball to football size. Anything
bigger isn’t really worth bothering with unless you want something to carve or enter in a giant vegetable competition.
Pumpkins and winter squashes are native to North America and are part of the cucurbitaceae plant family. Known colloquially as cucurbits, this huge group of vine forming plants boasts many other well-known fruit and vegetables, including courgettes, marrows, melons, gourds and cucumbers.
Long before they arrived on our shores during the 16th Century, pumpkins played a significant role in the lives of Native Americans. Apart from eating the flesh, the outer shell was used to make containers, while powdered seeds were taken to fight intestinal infections.
They were planted with sweetcorn and climbing beans in a ‘three sisters’ garden, where the plants represented siblings that only thrive when together. The beans scrambled up the corn, while the stems of the pumpkin covered the ground, impeding weeds and retaining moisture in the soil.
Young pumpkin and squash plants are available from garden centres and DIY stores, along with online nurseries, which generally despatch in late May when they can be planted outdoors without fear of frost. Established plants are great for those pushed for time, but the choice will be limited to a few best-sellers. For a greater selection, it’s best to start plants indoors from seeds during April. First, fill a 3in pot with multi-purpose compost, firm and level. Next, make two small holes in the surface and pop a seed into each. Cover with compost, water and add a label for identification – this is essential if you sow several different ones.
It’s a good idea to insert seeds into compost so the long edge sits vertically. This will help to reduce the chance of them rotting because water won’t build up on the flat surface of the seed. Use this technique for other cucurbits, whether planting in pots or the ground.
Slip pots inside a heated propagator (or cover with small, clear plastic bags) until they have germinated. Shoots can take anywhere from five to ten days to appear, depending on the temperature. At this point, remove them from their protected environment and stand the pots on a light windowsill.
When the seedlings are an inch or so high, evict the weakest of the pair by cutting off the stem at ground level. To avoid a check to growth, move the young plant into a slightly larger pot when roots pop out of the drainage holes in the base. It may be necessary to do this several times before they are ready to go outside.
Plants prefer a sunny, sheltered spot with moisture-retentive soil. The traditional way of growing them is to allow stems to trail across the ground, but varieties with smaller fruit can be trained up a sturdy wigwam of chunky canes.
Harvest fruit when the skin hardens and foliage starts to die back. Allow the skin to ‘cure’ in the sun for a couple of weeks before storing in a dark, frost-free place.
Don’t grow anything bigger than a football – it will taste awful