Your comments and tips

12 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Harvesting Knowing when to harvest pumpkins is no great mystery, firstly the skin should be hard, secondly the stem leading to the vine should be hard as well, this indicates that the pumpkin is no longer taking in nutrients. And Thirdly when given a tap it should sound a little hollow. SO how long from planting to harvest 3 – 4 months. When you do harvest them make sure you leave a good amount of stem attached, this helps them last longer and prevents rot. Many growers like to leave them in the field until the first frost hits as this will knock back the vines but also toughen the pumpkin and some say make it taste sweeter and keep longer.

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31 Jan 18, Karen hoye (Australia - temperate climate)

When to plant gourd seeds in Newcastle NSW first attempts Cheers Karen

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02 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

It says it grows like pumpkin, so plant it now.

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28 Jan 18, Shelley O'Brien (Australia - arid climate)

What are the best varieties of butternuts, and pumpkins to plant in dry areas of western NSW?

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30 Jan 18, Mike (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Go to a seed company like Boondie Seeds and read about different pumpkins. Doesn't matter what kind of pumpkin you grow it will need a fair amount of watering.

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27 Jan 18, Cat (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have a pumpkin vine just pop up in my compost heap (just a hole in the ground i dig the compost into away from the house & pets). It's starting to grow pretty prolific, no flowers yet though. I have no real idea of the variety as I've used probably (at least) 3 different varieties of pumpkin and all of the seeds have been mixed in the compost heap. a) can i transplant it to a garden bed in full sun? b) does the one vine/plant grow flowers of both genders or do i need two plants? How do you know what's going to grow? This is the first time I've ever heard you needed or that there were genders to the flowers. My grandpa grew pumpkins when I was a kid & never said. TIA, Cat

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02 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

If you read the last 20-30 posts here about pumpkin, we talk about hand pollination. Each female flower is only open one day and quite often shut by lunch - so check each morning. If it has grown quite a bit I would not transplant it.

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01 Feb 18, Katie (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Cat, Yes you can transplant your pumpkin plant! There will be no way to tell what kind of pumpkin you have until your fruit are growing and it may actually end up being a hybrid mixed variety. It should still be good to eat though! Pumpkins produce both male and female flowers. If you do not have many bees or wish to be guaranteed pumpkins it doesn't hurt to hand pollinate particularly if you only have the one plant. Plenty of info online about how to do that but it is easy with pumpkins. Just google

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31 Jan 18, Brenda (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Cat, If you are happy to leave it where it is, and let it get big there, - then leave it there. Pumpkins don't like their roots being disturbed so moving it elsewhere may upset or kill it. Any move will delay it's growth for a bit anyway (transplant shock). If it is happy growing there than it is likely to stay happy and if it needs more sun will likely grow towards sunny areas. Pumpkins are hungry feeders and a compost heap is a great place for one to be planted due to all the nutrients available from the compost. With a pumpkin you will usually get both gender of flower on the same plant.They are pollinated by bees taking pollen from their male to female flowers. (you can replicate this yourself - google hand pollinating or see if you can find a you tube video of it. Pumpkins have such large flowers they are great to practice this technique on) Usually you will see a bunch of male flowers first for a few days. These are just a flower on a long skinny stalk. After a bit the female flowers will come along. Shorter stalk and with a mini fruit below the flower. If they pollinate the fruit will grow larger and the flower will drop off the end. If they don't get pollinated the fruit will shrivel as the flower dies, and both will just fall off the plant. Good luck.

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18 Jan 18, Joanna (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Is it to late to plant pumpkins,

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