Lets Get Growing!!
Choosing the right seed is very important. First you have to decide if you want to grow a flavoursome pumpkin that you can use in soups, stews and of course pie, or do you simply want to grow a whopper!!!
Growing A Whopper!
Firstly, you must remember that in growing a whopper, you will lose most of the flavour, so these pumpkins are probably best used for showing off or for Halloween lanterns!
Use seeds of large varieties, such as 'Atlantic Giant'. This is the most commonly used, but other specialist seeds can be bought for shows from specialist vegetable suppliers.
Plants need to be started off in a greenhouse or indoors. I've found the best way to get the seeds to sprout (this can be done with courgette seeds too) is to take a small tray, put a damp washcloth on it, spread the seeds out on half the washcloth, then fold the other half over to cover the seeds. Place the tray in a warm place, and keep moist. Not too warm though or it will be difficult to stop the washcloth drying out. Pretty soon it won't be long before the seeds start to germinate. These can then be potted up and placed in the greenhouse. Once the plant has a good start, place outside to harden them off before planting into the garden.
While this is all occurring indoors, outside the soil needs to be enriched with a barrow load of well rotted manure. This can be forked into the soil. About 2 weeks before planting, cover the soil with black plastic. This will warm the soil up, which will be much kinder to those smashing little plants you've so lovingly grown.
After planting out, water well and mulch the plants with compost. As the weather heats up, remember to keep an eye on your crops, they need a good drink too and don't like to get thirsty. feed with a seaweed based liquid fertilizer once a week to keep it happy. Everyone likes a little treat now and then.
Pinch off fruit and flowers until the plant reaches 6-10 feet. Then allow one fruit to develop.
As the pumpkin grows, support it a little by placing it on a bed of straw or if you're really posh, a bit of old carpet. This prevents the pumpkin from being attacked by any nasty things in the soil or going rotten.
If it starts to actually get really out of hand, maybe think about putting it on a pallet in case you have to enlist the help of a fork lift later!!
Make sure that the stem doesn't become twisted or strained as the fruit grows. This is very important as this is how it feeds.
During any cold spells, wrap the pumpkin up well with a bit of fleece to protect it. Watch as your pumpkin grows, and be prepared to call in a crane....you know, just in case!!!
Harvest the pumpkins when they've reached their mature colour. Then give them a bit of a sunbathe. Placing them in a sunny position for about a week will help their skins harden.
Growing a Yummy Flavoury Pumpkin!
'Sugar Pie' varieties are best for using in baking. If you want to grow the type used for Cinderellas carriage, try 'Rouge vif D'Etampes'. These are a good size pumpkin, and also taste really nice.
The basic growing technique is the same as above. Liquid feed needn't be as regular however. Once every two weeks is sufficient.
Overall just treat it like one of your family, protect it, feed it, give it enough to drink and wrap it up well if it gets the shivers. If you're growing it too show, remember to watch out for the competition too, they're sneaky little devils and may attempt to attack your pride and joy!!!
