Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
S			S	S	S	S	S	S
T	T	T		T	T	T	T	T
P	P			P	P	P	P	P

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

S = Plant undercover in seed trays
T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
P = Sow seed

Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 20°C and 32°C. (Show °F/in)
Space plants: 90 - 120 cm apart
Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweet Corn
Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

15 May 16, Cathy [email protected] (Australia - temperate climate): Please someone ,could someone tell me when to plant butternut seeds. Now in May autumn and live in Melbourne in Victoria Australia
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04 Aug 16, Suzanne (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Cathy Gerry Coleby Williams online at Gardening Australia says put your seeds in at 20C as this is temperature needed to germinate pumpkin and all 'curcubit' seeds. Gardenate for temperate Australia says Sep, Oct, Nov for planting. Seeds into some seed raising mix - you can sift your dry compost and add a bit of peat moss and use this as its equally as rich as any 'bought' seed raising mix and when you have actual leaves (as opposed to the first two green 'leaves' which are actually dicotyledons known as'dicots' and not leaves as the plant needs to grow and develop its leaves before being transplanted) plant them out. Hope this helps!
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03 May 16, Lynne (Australia - temperate climate): Hi, Because pumpkins are harvested around autumn should I dry out and save my seeds until spring for planting?
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17 Apr 16, Kevin hall (Australia - temperate climate): During Autumn do I remove all pumpkin stems and re-compost the soil or trim the stems and cover with straw ?
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27 Apr 16, Richard (Australia - temperate climate): Either of them
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16 Apr 16, Kathleen Broberg (Australia - temperate climate): Is it ok to plant pumpkin seeds now in WA. We live in the perth hills at Lesmurdie
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28 Mar 16, Lu (Australia - temperate climate): When is the best time to plant pumpkin seeds in Perth W.A.
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23 Mar 16, PHil BEvan (Australia - temperate climate): How do you control fungus in pumkin vines
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24 Mar 16, Alan (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Phil, You can prevent fungal attack simply by watering directly to the base of the pumpkin plant & never spray watering. Its difficult because the plant spreads so I stake lengths of 25mm poly at planting so I don't have to walk through the plants & simply use a funnel in the end of the poly to deliver water morning & night. A weekly dose of seaweed extract is given the same way. At the end of the season when the plants are mature you can spray a little copper but I generally remove the pumpkins, eat the tips & compost the rest. Hope this helps, Al.
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04 Mar 16, Toni (Australia - temperate climate): Phil Ware sub tropical small pumpkins forming then dropping off. I hand pollinated all new pumpkins. Only one grew large. For space reasons (small garden) I cut the pumpkin from the vine and kept a length of vine attached. When might cut up and cook soup etc?
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No I haven't been able to get any more Windsor Black seeds I only had a couple of seeds that were given to me, I planted them on the side of a very small hill in Heavy soil they grew and branched every where were getting male flowers And the female flowers were forming, but 10 days of solid rain the patch was absolutely saturated the rest of our property was flooded I thought they would be alright but thr female buds went yellow & dropped off. I prayed & begged for the vines not to die but 90% did.I was shattered. one vine in the row above it The McLeay Mongrel survived Another Victorian Pumpkin, was so sick I just forgot it, went down the Hill the other day the grass was 2 & 1/2 feet high and I trod on something in the grass and nearly fell over looked and found one McLeay Mongrel Pumpkin I have collected the seed from what has to be the weirdest Pumpkin ever, But probably the nicest eating Pumpkin ever, I would say it is probably the rarest as well. The McLeay Mongrel Is a very dry pumpkin with superb flavor much like Iron Bark sweeter & nuttier, I have looked at it it is more than likely a Triamble Iron Bark cross Maybe some Qld. Blue. I am offering 4 seeds up for Auction on eBay I do not have many seeds, so thought if I put a good reserve in them only the very serious growers would buy them. Be Warned it is not a pretty pumpkin but needs some serious pumpkin growers to keep it from extinction, it is a heavy solid pumpkin, looks like an Alien lava Rock. visit eBay Pumpkins just to see it. Regards. Sylvia.

- Sylvia Allan

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Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

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