Welcome to our section on tips for growing Pumpkins.

Here we will give you advice, tips and guidance on sowing, growing and harvesting Pumpkins in the Uk and the rest of the world.

Sowing and Planting Pumpkins

Pumpkins are plants which take up a lot of space when growing them. Not only can the pumpkin grow big but the plant can grow wild as well. So when you are growing pumpkins you need a big area for them to grow wild. You can always grow pumpkin plants up arches as long as you support the pumpkin with netting it should hold.

When to plant Pumpkins

When sowing pumpkins these need to be done in mid to late spring to get the best out of growing pumpkins.

Varieties of Pumpkins

There are many varietiys of pumpkins to try growing. The varietys of pumpkins are:-

• Atlantic Giant
• Mammoth
• Golden Hubbard.

Which variety of pumpkin will you try growing?

Planting Pumpkins

When it comes to planting pumpkin seeds these need to be done in mid spring. The pumpkin seeds need to be sown individually on their sides in plant pots to get the best results. Place the plant pots with the pumpkin seeds in somewhere warm or in a propagator. The pumpkin seeds need to be around 18 – 21 degrees to start growing. Before planting your pumpkin plants outside make sure you harden them off. This requires putting them outside or in a coldframe for a few hours a day then fetching them back inside for a week or two.

Growing Pumpkins

To grow your pumpkin plants they need to be planted in a sunny sheltered spot in the garden with lots of room around them. The pumpkin plants need to be planted in well fertile and soil that holds the moisture well. Plant the pumpkin plants around 1.5 meters apart for best results.

When the pumpkin plants get around 60cm long pinch out the main stem. This will then put the focus back into the plant to give you big pumpkins. If the weather is still cold cover the pumpkin plants with fleece. Keep the soil around them moist at all times but do not over water them. To the pumpkins feed them every 10-14 days.

Harvesting Pumpkins

To grow a pumpkin it takes around 24 weeks after sowing the pumpkin seeds. Before picking them make sure the pumpkins have turned Orange. If you are storing pumpkins store them at 10 degrees.

How big can you grow your pumpkins?