Pumpkin

[JJane01]

Hi there,

I thought we'd have a go at growing a pumpkin or two in our back garden.  How much space would we realistically need if it was to be a success?  We have Jack O'Lantern seeds and another variety I can't remember off the top of my head.

Thanks!

[JJane01]

[saddad]

With a small one like Jack, if you grew him upwards, you could get him into a sq yard...  :)

[JJane01]

Phew! I've just checked conversion of a yard and that's a manageable size.  I'd read about pumpkins possibly needing a lot of space and was imagining husband's face at the sight of a trail of greenery for some distance!

[saddad]

OK for the metric one square metre... one metre by one metre... now if you let it trail I'd say one by three...  :)

[JJane01]

I think I need to do some more reading on how a pumpkin likes to grow, although 1m sq accommodation is perfect for us.  Thank you - any other tips for pumpkins?!

[Tee Gee]

Got my grandson to sow ours yesterday he loved it!

I grow mine on the compost heap which is about 8ft square.

In this I usually grow 4 plants.

I suppose I could possibly get away with 6 but find 4 is usually enough for our needs.

I need 4 fruits, one for each of my grandkids so I usually maxmise to two per plant and save the best ones for the kids.

[saddad]

Lots and lots of manure/feed and water... even if you aren't growing giants they are "hungry"  :)

[Magnolia]

Now then Jill, I grew my Jack'o'lantern in a sack that I'd previously grown  spuds in. The plant has big leaves and trails for about a metre and you can train it up a fence or just leave it on the ground. I had a running battle with slugs though and they finished off all but one.  It's worth laying the pumpkin on a tray of gravel to deter the slugs and keep it off the damp ground.
J xx

[JJane01]

Thanks J  ;) and saddad and Tee Gee.  Felt a bit of a plum afterwards - I'd searched here for "pumpkin" and couldn't find any recent info which was why I posted this thread.... and then scrolling through the forum I saw a section dedicated entirely to pumpkins.  Doh!

[Jokerman]

I normally grow Dil's Atlantic, got to 14 stone last year (would've got bigger but someone threw a tone at it and cracked the skin). The vine was about 8 foot long but not very wide... ;D