Pumpkin Growing Challenge 2012

Jammy devil
i've sown my last 2 'paton twin giants' and have everything crossed....they've had a 'manicure' so i exspect great things

 

I've sown my pumpkin seeds today! (together with giant marrows and a 'few' other squashes), probably about a week later than intended, but my plot is a frost pocket and I'd rather they be slightly smaller than killed by frost after planting out.

They're somewhere amongst this lot (in the larger pots):



I have a habit of slightly underfilling pots so I can top up around any roots that come from high up around the stems prior to planting out (the level in the flexi-pots will fall when they're not all squashed squeezed up).

EDIT: The above is not about burying stems as in tomato growing, just that some of my squashes seem to push themselves up to a shallower depth than sown.

 

Top row, third & fourth from left are two giant pumpkins...

Steve...

 

I zoomed in John..and recognised the growers name on the seed label

Steve...

 

Just curious..... Whats longest time it takes for Pumpkin seeds to germinate

 

I'm still waiting for some I sowed last year.

I reckon on about 5 days in a heated propagator at 75degC, and if they're not showing (or the compost rising indicating something is happening below) in a week I might have a cautious poke around in the pot to see if I need to get more sown. I've also found that ones that germinate 'late' tend to become runts.

 

Thanks for that Scrungee....i've sown all my 'Paton twins giants'....all cozy they were ...
Won't give up on them yet but will have to think about a plan 'B'....

 

Mine have taken close on 3 weeks!! but they are germinating now, I can just see green about to break through the surface of the compost, I've also sown some Jack 'o' Lantern and Atlantic Giant (?) and they are poking through at exactly the same time. Just need some warm days and nights to get them shifting....

 

Looking back on this thread, that was on April 23rd so I reckon by now they could be dead/rotten.

Did you sow them somewhere with some heat?

 

Bilbo you've given me a bit of hope
Scrungee you've just ruined my life...sown and sat them in prop.......
Think it's maybe plan B eh......

 

I've found young courgettes thrive under grow lights, so suspected that pumpkins might also do as well.

 

JWK has very kindly sent me some spare seeds so I (& my girls) will see how we get on with the pumpkins. Luckily there are so many tips on this thread we should be ok!?!

I don't think they really have any idea how big the pumpkins may get - they have only ever seen the ones in the supermarkets or those that have been carved along our road.

Hopefully they will be pleasantly surprised.