GC Pumpkin Growing Challenge 2013

Looking good John it going to be interesting to see how the 'spares' fair ....

 

roughly when is everyone planting their pumpkins on? what size? I left mine for 2 days and they have really taken off, though I need to split mine as a lack of space meant put 2 seeds per pot...are you guys all putting into the soil or what container could you try?

 

Mine are coming along nicely too, I'll try and get a photo later

 

On a post that started this off think it was about 1 June when every one recons was the best time I am hardening mine off this week and planting out this weekend

 

Mine are still in heat and in 70 x 70mm pots are only just producing their first true leaves, so it'll be another couple of weeks before they're ready to plant out by which time they'll be in 150 x 150mm pots and have been transferred to an unheated polytunnel to harden off and even then might have a wind break put around them to give then a bit of shelter on my exposed plot.

Although it was a minimum of just over 10degC on my patio last night, it's about 2 degrees lower on my plot and looking at these temps for the nearest town later this week (and my plot will be 3 - 4 degrees lower) it's still far too cold to think of putting anything tender out. Even with all the hassle of covering them up at nights it will still set them back, so it's just not worth it. Met Office forecast:

 

I'd settle for germination at this point...lol...

But I start lifting my first earlies first week in July and once a two rows are lifted a few barrows of rotted HM go in and I plant my pumpkins there, 2 plants..then later one plant gets removed.

Steve...

 

Steve R Now there's the beginnings of an idea - leave a small gap in amongst first early spuds for a pumpkin pit and plant out in June using the surrounding spuds to provide some shelter?

 

That works for me Scrungee...maybe I'll harvest the spuds from the middle of the row outwards..and over a couple of rows first.

So if the following "x's" are a potato plant in a row, and "-" means its harvested...you could do this.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x ----------------- x x x x x x
x x x x x ----------------- x x x x x x
x x x x x ----------------- x x x x x x
x x x x x ----------------- x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

And plant the pumpkin in the middle.

Steve...

 

Here's mine earlier today; Atlantic Giant and some Invincible too

 

Blimey Bilbo...nice one

 

Thanks , amazing how quickly they started growing once I potted them up, I'll probably end up potting them up again before they're planted out in June

 

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Mine last night