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

06 May 12, James (Australia - temperate climate): So, I started a pumpkin plant late, the frosts are coming. If repetitive frosts do hit my pumpkin plant I'd like to know if it will still be okay (If fully developed of course) And how many frosts does it need to go through for photosynthesis to stop and leaves completely die off? It's still growing even in the cold.
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24 Aug 20, (Australia - temperate climate): Hi there, I'm looking for any information in regard to the famous Ballarat pumpkin and for its seeds. The seeds of this heritage variety used to be on sale in Sovereign Hill
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29 Mar 12, Tim - Tocumwal (Australia - temperate climate): my pumpkins are ready and the vines are showing signs of dying and i want to remove them. popular opinion says if i want to store my bountiful pumpkin harvest for future use they need a frost. QUESTION: must the pumpkins be still attached to the vine, or can they be harvested and suitably stored outside until the frosts come, then transfered to shed storage. Tim.
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30 Mar 12, Kelly (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate): I used to live in Queensland and never got a frost ever but grow and stored pumpkins for many years. I would sun them before storing.
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01 Apr 12, Tim (Australia - temperate climate): thanks kelly. i will harvest them today Tim.
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01 Apr 12, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): Make sure that you leave a small piece of stem attached to the pumpkin when you harvest .
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28 Mar 12, kate (Australia - temperate climate): mine plant does the same and it is in the ground. Sometimes the flowers haven't even opened before the baby pumpkin turns yellow and falls off. I would love to know an answer if anyone has one :)
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12 Mar 12, Erni W (Australia - temperate climate): I have Queensland Blues, which are self sown from seeds we through out with the veggie peelings last year. They have a huge number of male flowers, but few female flowers. How can I increase the ratio of female flowers? (Prune, Feed, How??) Erni
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23 Feb 12, Tess (Australia - temperate climate): My Pumpkin plant, grown from seedling, is growing madly for the past 2+months however it hasn't flowered. What am I missing?
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19 Feb 12, Sharon (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Hi Kev, I have tried milk with a few drops of natural liquid soap and that works quite well, if there only a few spots on each leaf. I have also read that neem oil is good, but haven't tried that yet. This year I had little time so I just cut off the worst affected leaves and treated the rest and that seems to have worked fairly well. But, I am no expert, just my experience so far. Good luck, Sharon
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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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Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

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Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

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