Taking part in our Grow Your Own Pumpkin project 🎃? Now is the time to begin thinking about starting off your pumpkin plant. If you have your plant already, please watch Richard’s tips in the video below on what your pumpkin should look like at this stage and how to start your pumpkin in a pot. Don’t forget to water your pumpkin plant once it’s planted but do not over water – just keep the compost moist! #EssingtonPumpkins
Archives for May 2020
10 Top Tips for Growing Pumpkins
Taking part in our Grow Your Own Pumpkin campaign? Make sure you take a look at our 10 top tips for growing pumpkins!
- Be aware that pumpkins will not stand any frost. Do not plant outside until the end of May or early June. It is a good idea to plant it in a pot of about 1 litre capacity first to grow it on. You can bring this in at night or in cold weather for a week or two until it is safe to plant outside.
- Plant about 600mm apart to allow them to grow. Some varieties grow long runners!
- Pumpkins prefer fairly free drained soil but will tolerate most soils if not waterlogged. They can be grown in tubs but you will need a fairly big one – 600mm in diameter.
- There are lots of different varieties. Some will grow bigger than others. Generally, the big ones will only produce one or two per plant. The smaller ones may produce several.
- Plant deep enough to cover all the root ball and water in immediately. Keep moist during the first few days until it has made new roots.
- Look out for slugs and snails! They can eat the plant off level with the ground over night! You can use slug pellets, beer traps, egg shells to stop them – whatever works for you. It is not a bad idea to try to control your slugs a few days before you plant.
- Keep the weeds down and water your pumpkin during dry weather.
- As the pumpkin fruits form and grow you can make a better shape and even ripening it if you turn the fruit occasionally or place it on a tile or some matting to keep it clean. Be careful not to break the stem!
- As Autumn approaches look out for early frosts. Cover the pumpkins with matting or newspaper if a frost is forecast.
- When the pumpkin is ready to harvest cut the stem well above the pumpkin so have a decent sized “handle”. It will keep much better with the stem still intact.
Growing pumpkins at home? Share the progress of your pumpkin each week using the hashtag #EssingtonPumpkins on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Grow Your Own Pumpkin Campaign
Due to the uncertainty of whether we can open PYO pumpkins due to Coronavirus, we’ve decided to launch our brand new campaign “Grow Your Own Pumpkin!” 🎃
This is a fantastic project for all the family to get involved with while you are at home and will give you the chance to grow your very own pumpkins from scratch, ready for October.
To take part in our new project, you will need to purchase a pumpkin plant from our polytunnel at the farm shop. These are £1 each, or 6 for £5, and will go on sale from today. Each week we will be following the progress of your pumpkin plants and share expert advice, tips and tricks to grow your pumpkin at home.