Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                S S S  
                  T T T
                  P P  

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in Australia - cool/mountain 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

08 Feb 12, STELLA (Australia - temperate climate)
my pumpkin vine is growing in a vegie box and it looks healthy with lots of male and a few female flowers but after each female flower blooms even after trying hand pollination the flower bottom becomes yellow and eventually drops .is there any way i could prevent this and sucsessfully grow pumkins??..and also that the same veggie box has three more pumpkin plants growing..is that the causeof it??
05 Feb 12, stella (Australia - temperate climate)
my pumpkin vine is growing in a polystyrene box and it looks healthy with lotsof maleand a few female flowers but after eachfemaleflower blooms even after trying hand pollination the flower bottom becomes yellow and eventually drops .is there any way i couldprevent this and sucsessfully grow pumkins??..and also that the same veggie box has three more pumpkin plantsgrowing..isthat the causeof it??
02 Feb 12, paul (Australia - temperate climate)
just wondering i bent my stem to my pumpkin and cracked it is there any remedies first time grower thanks
08 Feb 12, Catherine (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I Paul, I trod on one of my vines a few weeks ago. I was going to cut it off, but then forgot. I noticed it the other day, and the vine has just kept growing. he place where I trod on it is still visible as a few splits in the otherwise thick vine, but it has hardened up and there are flowers and leaves growing on the rest of the vine anyway. So you can probably just leave it and it will work out. If it is the actualy stem to a pumpkin fruit, not just one of the vines, I'm not sure, but it might do the same thing.
30 Jan 12, kevin rainbow (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Can anyone tell me a natural way to tread white mildue on the leaves of my pumpkin vines
23 Feb 12, Carole (Australia - temperate climate)
1 part milk to 10 parts water sprayed on the effected leaves every couple of days might help.
29 Jan 12, Trish (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am growing a jap pumpkin . I have four good size pumpkins on but now all the female flowers are not opening they turn yellow and drop off. We have had alot of rain for the past 2 weeks The vine is growing well and I have plenty of male flowers have grown pumpkins for years have not had this problem before cna some one help
04 Feb 12, pramsec (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Trish, If all four of your pumpkins are on the same vine then you may be overloading the root system of the plant. I have found that two fruit on each vine gives good results. You could try adding more fertiliser in a circle around but away from the stem of the vine. Hope this helps,
29 Dec 11, tony (Australia - temperate climate)
how do you hand pollinate pumpkin
15 Jan 12, Matt (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You need to take the pollen from the male flower and rub it onto the carpel (?) of the female flower. You can do this by either using a cotton bud to transfer the pollen, or simply just pluck a male flower from the vine, pull off the petals and then gently stick the flower stalk (with pollen on the end) into the female flower. Personally, I use cotton buds for my pumpkin and courgettes, but sometimes I will also use a plucked flower or just my finger.
Showing 541 - 550 of 684 comments

Just found this - commercial production. For efficient pollination and fruit set, there must be: both male and female flowers and bees to move pollen from male to female flowers. A number of factors can influence pollination, Cold and overcast days limit pollination activity of bees. Hot dry conditions desiccate pollen making it unviable. Rapid growth promotes earlier flowering. However, high temperatures, long days and high rates of nitrogen can result in: vigorous vegetative growth and few flowers and a higher proportion of male to female flowers. It is important to check the sex of the flowers. A ratio of 1 female to 7 male flowers is usually considered adequate. Flowers open early in the day and for one day only, and they close by mid afternoon. These periods are shorter under high temperatures. Flowers are most receptive to pollination in the morning when bee activity is usually the highest. Bees are necessary for pollination and must be active in the crop. Flowers require at least 12 bee visits for good pollination. If bees are not plentiful, introduce at least two hives per ha after female flowers appear and male flowers start producing pollen. Spread hives around the field outside the crop, preferably so that bees have to fly over the crop to get to another food source. Destroy flowering weeds around the crop.

- Mike

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