Growing Pumpkins in Summary

How to Grow Pumpkins

Pumpkins need warmth and sunlight to grow and ripen. Pumpkin seeds can be sown both indoors during spring or directly out in the soil after the threat of frosts has passed; late May to early June. It’s best to soak the pumpkin seeds overnight, to speed up the germination process. 

If you are sowing pumpkin seeds indoors, in pots they need to be sown individually and the flat seed sown on its side to help prevent rotting. Each seed in its own pot will help reduce any root damage when you come to transport it out. Equally, when sown directly, each seed should be sown on its side. Indoor pots should be kept in a bright and warm position.

The ground on which you are planting, should be well-prepared with compost or well-rotted manure in a sunny and sheltered position. Pumpkins like soil that retains moisture yet is not water-logged.  Consider the area you are planning to plant out your pumpkins, as the foliage grows vigorously across up to approximately 3 metres.

If you plan to grow multiple pumpkin plants and have your own miniature pumpkin patch, it’s best to plan the seeds at least a few metres apart. Once planted, you will need to keep the ground free from weeds and other growths. If you have limited space, you can grow pumpkins to train to grow around a support of sticks and threads to create a net-like structure. 

When growing pumpkins in the UK, you’ll notice the plant has two sets of flowers, male and female. These plants are usually insect-pollinated, however, if you notice that fruits aren’t appearing, you can also hand pollinate to fasten the process. 

Pumpkin plants need plenty of watering and to prevent rotting, place an open-ended pot to fill with water so that the roots can find it.

If you are growing trailing varieties of pumpkin, you will need a strong and sturdy structure to support it and hold the weight of hopefully several pumpkins.

Once the plant starts bearing fruit, you can add a tomato feed to the soil, every two weeks, to grow large fruits. Additionally, you may need to remove close-growing fruits early on, so that the ones that remain can grow to their maximum size.

How to Harvest Pumpkins

Pumpkins will form following the appearance of beautiful big yellow flowers and will have a green skin. Once the fruit is big enough to sit on the ground (if you are growing them in the soil), place something underneath the pumpkin/s to raise it off the ground, to stop it from rotting in the wet soil - such as a piece of wood, a slab, a bed of straw. 

The pumpkins will ripen, grow larger and be firm and heavy and the foliage will begin to die off. It may be worth adjusting the pumpkin's position if they are too sheltered by their large leaves to give them more sun exposure for full ripening. Once the fruit start growing in size, you may be wondering when the right time is to pick your pumpkins. 

Leave them as long as you can, (preferably, in the sun) until they are fully ripened and cut them off at the stalk. 

The fun begins with the carving of the pumpkin for Halloween but do save the flesh and seeds inside. The seeds can be washed, dried out and stored for use next year and the flesh for tasty treats. You may like to try our delicious curried pumpkin soup recipe.