Ask most children what theyd like to grow in the garden and many would say a pumpkin. Its a great choice of project for kids because these plants are easy to grow and very productive and if theres one way to get children interested in gardening its to give them their own growing projects. You need to choose to grow something that will give them fast and obvious results, like salads and potatoes, or a project that creates something that inspires them. Children really love to grow giant sunflowers with their big smiley faces, tasty red strawberries and their very own pumpkin for Halloween.
Pumpkin Power
If you havent got into sowing from seed you can usually buy ready to grow young pumpkin plants at the garden centre in May and June. Trouble is youll be very restricted by whats on offer, so if youve got something special in mind or you want to grow something a bit different your best bet is to grow them from seed. You can sow pumpkins in April in the greenhouse, but they will need to stay in the greenhouse until the last frost has passed, and that can be six weeks after theyve germinated. April sown plants will then be large, probably pot bound and may take a while to establish outside. Its better to wait until May or even early June to get yours started, or if youve plenty of seed why not experiment and sow three or sow each week from now until the end of June.
If you sow them during May then by the time they are ready to plant out into the garden the last frost should have passed. This is important, as these tender plants will be quickly killed by a late frost.
Though many children will aspire to growing the biggest pumpkin possible, thats a bit more of a challenge and one that should perhaps wait until theyve learned the ropes, but theres no reason why they cant grow a more productive variety that produces small to medium fruits. These should bear 3 or 4 pumpkins per plant depending on the variety and will ensure there are at least one or two ready for carving in October and hopefully a few more spare to make into soups, pies and risottos too. Or choose a miniature pumpkin such as ~Jack Be Little that will produce six or more mini pumpkins on each plant.
Pumpkins are part of the Cucurbit family that also includes marrows, cucumbers, melons, squash and even the more exotic loofah.
Sow
Fill several individual 7cm pots with a good quality seed compost. Use a dibber to make one hole in the centre of each pot about 2cm deep. Place one seed into each hole. Plant seeds on their side, rather than flat in the hole, this can help prevent them from rotting. Water with slightly tepid water and leave in a warm place on a sunny windowsill or in a sunny greenhouse. Do not over water.
Grow
The seeds will germinate in 4-7 days. Allow two or three sets of leaves to form and keep the plants moist but not over wet. When you can see the roots through the bottom of the pots they are ready to plant out. Plant each plant into the very top of a mound of rich soil or individually into a large planter. Feed with a quality fertiliser of your choice. Keep them protected from slugs and well watered. Pumpkin plants trail, clamber or climb naturally so you could actually let them scramble over a low fence, up a trellis or even create a special support for them, but remember that the weight of the fruit needs supporting.
Feast
The pumpkins are ready to harvest when they are orange, firm and ripe. Cut them off with an inch or so of stem and store them somewhere cool, dry and protected from frost.
Rules
You need a bit of space to grow pumpkins, traditionally that was a pumpkin patch, because these plants clamber and trail around the garden. To get a good crop you need to ensure that the female flowers are pollinated. Local bees will do this for you, or you can intervene and pick off open male flowers and rub their pollen onto the stigma of the female flower.
