Topic: Pumpkins

[Sparky]

Can anyone recommend any varieties of pumpkin?  Want medium sized pumkins that 'll keep well as there are only two of us to eat them and there are only so many things you can do with a pumkin!! ;D

[Ceri]

sorry, can't help with what to grow - but when you have grown them, check out Hugh F-Whittingstall's recipe on River Cottage website for an amazing recipe that involved litres of cream and pounds of gruyere cheese - horribly bad for you, but one of the easiest, impressive all dig in together starter I have ever made!  I'm only growing the huge ones this year for my young son who wants them big enough to sit on!

[gavin]

Butternut Squash?  Best cropping, and nicest-tasting from my plot in Leeds.  And they kept well for months - I used the last couple after 6 or 7 months "store" on the kitchen windowsill.

All best - Gavin

[Doris_Pinks]

I am with you gavin, used my last butternut last weekend. I have bought LOADS of different squash seeds this year, where they are all going I have no idea! (One packet was kindly donated by Piglet!) So I may change my views on butternut next year ;D

[Moggle]

I dunno if you could get it here, but when I lived in Aus, Queensland blue, which is also known as Jarrahdale Blue was really yummy, and grew in Tasmania, which has a similair climate to the UK.

It roasts nicely, makes yummo soup and I read recently a recipe for Pumpkin ravioli.  :)

[aquilegia]

One of mum's neighbours grew harlequin squashes last year - they were delish - neighbour didn't want them, so she gave them to mum. really fantastic for roasting whole.

I'm doing butternuts for the first time this year - they are my favourites from the shops - the variety is Pilgrim which is supposed to be less vigorous than other butternuts (I have a tiny garden!)

[The gardener]

Is it best to grow 'butternut' squashes vertically or horizontally? i.e. up poles or along the ground.

Similarly are they better grown in a bed or large pots.

[aquilegia]

I'm growing mine along the ground as I don't trust my ability to construct something strong enough to carry the weight!

[philcooper]

I'm not into pumpkins - Mrs Phil is - the only one I like the taste of is Butternut and they are not too big for just the 2 of us

Phil

[gavin]

Hi Gardener - on the ground, up poles?  Dunno!!!

I've only ever grown them on the ground - but then anything erected on our site tends to get vandalised.  So for me, it's better safe than sorry!

All best - Gavin

[calumcampbell]

Sparky,

I've used Mars F1 Hybrid. Probably picked a packet up from the racks of our local garden centre. Each plant produces 3-4 medium size pumpkins, sized slightly smaller than a football, or smaller (the packet reckons each fruit weighs around 6lb. Didn't weigh them myself, but I'd say that's about right for the bigger ones). They stored intact through to January, from a late October crop, but would probably last longer if you looked after them better than we did.

As for growing 'up' or 'along' ? Well, if you can, I'd say grow the plants between 2 rows of wide mesh fencing placed about 1m apart. This will help contain the plants when they're mature (they'll  spread far and wide if you let 'em, and will block out all light for any other plants close by). Provided the plants are in good nick, some shoots will climb the fence and be strong enough to hold any fruit dangling from them.

Pumpkin non-believers--have you tried fresh pumpkin soup ? One medium sized pumpkin makes a lot, and it's ace !

[gavin]

Pumpkin soup?  Yea, it's OK  ;)

But try pumpkin soup with smoked haddock/cod added!  Now that is sublime - the two sets of flavours go so well together.  ;D

All best - Gavin

[Mrs Ava]

Watched Monty in Fork to Fork on UK style tonite and funnily enough it was all about members of the squash family.  He grew loads and loads and loads - the luxury of having acres of garden instead of metres huh.  The turks turbans looked fab Piglet and I can't wait to see them growing.  He planted the young plants about 1 metre apart in a very richly composted bed, watered often and left them to it.  He grew his cucumbers upwards.  I am planning to grow some up, some down and some in my compost heap, a method I have used very very successfully many times.  Sorry, no help at all Sparky, just thought I would chew the fat a little.   ;D

[Doris_Pinks]

Sparky I grow my squash upwards on frames, take up less space, the fruits don't suffer from slug attacks either, and they seem to ripen nicely! My pumpkin grows under my sweetcorn  ;D (tho have gone a little overboard this year on the squash seed front, so they could be roaming everywhere!

[aquilegia]

Watched Monty in Fork to Fork on UK style tonite and funnily enough it was all about members of the squash family.

oh drat. I missed it (was out). Been watching that a lot and pumpkins would've been useful to watch. Still - thanks for the summing up EJ!