Pumpkin - Sustainable Holly

Plant of The Month Info Card

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima.) is a great base crop to grow that provides your homestead with an abundance of food. Pumpkins can be stored to use throughout the year and provide a variety of uses both sweet and savoury.

Pumpkin is easy to grow if you get these key things right: Rich compost, Sun, Water, and plenty of space to roam.

Pumpkins come in three main species, known as

Cucurbita maxima – Thick skin large pumpkins (eg. Jap, Queensland Blue)

Cucurbita moschata – Winter Squash (Butternut)

Cucurbita pepo – Summer Squash

Depending on where you live in the world different species will be known as Pumpkin or winter squash. In this plant of the month, we will just be focusing on the Cucurbita maxima.

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PLANT

Plant seeds in late winter-spring

SOIL

Rich fertile compost and well-drained soil.

LOCATION

Sunny Position 6rs. Space to grow. 1m2 per plant.

CARE

Water regularly. Avoid wetting the leaves.

FERTILISE

Feed with compost and with liquid seaweed fertiliser.

PESTS

Slaters, slugs may get young plants. Rats can get to the pumpkins.

HARVEST

From 70-120 days.

REPRODUCE

Save seeds from the best-tasting pumpkins.

Why Grow Pumpkins?

Pumpkins are easy to grow and can provide a large amount of food. They are a great base crop to build complete dishes with both sweet and savoury.

Here are some of the many reasons to grow Pumpkins:

Easy to grow
Low maintenance
The whole plant is edible: Fruit, flowers, seeds, young shoots, and leaves
A large source of food
Have their own “packaging” with a hard exterior
Rich in vitamin A
High in antioxidants
Aid in upset stomachs
Nutrient-dense food source
Easy to store
Save seeds easily for sustainable gardening

Popular Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties

‘Jarrahdale’ – Australian heirloom. Ribbed blue/grey skin and orange flesh. Sweet and smooth flesh. Weight approx 5kg. Great storage.

‘Queensland Blue’ – Popular Australian heirloom. Large grey/blue skin. Easy to grow. Great storage.

‘Turks Turban‘ – Heirloom from the 1800s. Fun to grow for its interesting shape. Orange, green and white colours. Good storage.

‘Bohemian‘ – Australian heirloom once thought to have been lost. Great for roasting. Stores well.

‘Golden Nugget’ – Small compact bushing plant – great for small spaces. Good for stuffing. Small round orange pumpkins. 1kg per pumpkin.

‘Blue Hubbard‘ – Large heirloom from the 1700s. Long vines. Great stored up to 12 months. 10kg per pumpkin.

‘Dills Atlantic‘ – Giant Pumpkin grows up to 220kg! Best used for pies and soups or winning competitions.

‘Lakota’ – Orange and Green skin with bright orange flesh. Bell-shaped. Nutty flavour. Decorative and great for storage. 2.5kg per pumpkin.

When to Plant Pumpkins

For an early season, you can start your seed off in a tray indoors or in a greenhouse. This is best at the end of winter or the start of spring. If you are sowing the seeds directly in the soil, it is best to wait until spring after frost. In warm, frost-free zones, you may be able to grow pumpkins all year round.

How to Grow Pumpkins

Choose a sunny location with plenty of space. Most pumpkins can ramble several metres but 1sqm per plant is enough.
Pile on the compost. Pumpkins are heavy feeders so mound up a pile of compost to plant your seed or seedlings on top of.
Apply mulch around the seedlings to retain moisture.
Poke a stick or stake near the mound. As the vines grow and take off you will have a locater to know where to water. Avoid watering the leaves as this can cause powdery mildew. Water around the stake.

Pumpkins can also be grown vertically if you are short on space. Provide robust trellis support and direct the vines in the direction you want. Once the pumpkins start to form, it is a good idea to place a sport underneath to that the stem can support the pumpkin as it grows. A stretchy “hammock” style support works well.

Care/ Maintenance

Try to avoid watering the leaves.
The fruit requires pollination to set and grow to maturity. If you notice the small pumpkins shrivel and die off it may be due to a lack of pollination. You can hand-pollinate by wiping pollen from the male flower onto the female flower. See more details on how here.
Feed with liquid seaweed for added nutrition if you have poor soil.
Pinch the ends of the vine off if it gets too long and wild.

Pests / Disease

Slugs and snails may eat young seedlings. Use natural pest management. Aphids can also be an issue on young shoots. Dip them in soapy water. Rats and mice may also nibble on your pumpkins. If you have issues with this you can build a crate or mesh around the pumpkin until it is ready to harvest.

How/ When to Harvest

Your pumpkins will be ready when the vine starts to die off. The closest curly tendril to the stem will be brown and going dry. The pumpkins should be slightly hollow when you know on them and have hard skins. Use sharp secateurs and cut the stem as close to the vine as you can. This will help with storage (see below).

Reproducing

The best way to reproduce pumpkins is to save the seeds. Save the seeds from your best-tasting or largest pumpkins. See the seeds saving guide here. wash and dry your seeds and store them somewhere dry and cool to replant next season.

Cooking and Using Pumpkins

Pumpkin is a great base for many sweet or savoury dishes. It can even be used as a base for many sauces and preserves.

The young leaves and shoots are also edible. These can be added to soups, curries and stir-fried. The flowers are great stuffed or used in salads. The seeds can be coated in spices and roasted for snacks or added on top of soups.

Pumpkin pairs well with: Blueberry, cauliflower, celery, chestnut, chilli, corn, cranberry, eggplant, endive, fava bean, ginger, pear, radish, buffalo mozzarella, cream cheese, gorgonzola, hazelnut, pecan, walnut, allspice, cloves, curry, maple syrup, nutmeg.

Pumpkin ideas:

Roasted in a salad
Pumpkin Soup
Stir fry
Pies
Stuffed whole
Curry
Bread
Mashed
Cookies
Cake
Fudge

Preserving the Harvest

Depending on the variety, some pumpkins can be cured and stored for up to 12 months. Most will be around 6 months. The thicker the skin, the longer they last. Check the variety for a guide.

To prepare your pumpkins to store:

Cut the stem as close to the vine so that you do not damage the pumpkin.
Wash any dirt off using a hose.
Wipe the pumpkins down with a mix of Vinegar and water (1:1) This helps remove any further dirt and bacteria. Check for holes or damage to the skin. These will not store well so they should be eaten first.
Place your pumpkins somewhere dry with diffused sunlight to cure for two weeks. On the deck or porch is often a good place. This helps to harden and dry the skin.
Store your pumpkins in a cool and dark space between 10-16 degrees Celsius. Place them on a piece of cardboard or ply to protect them from bacteria or moisture on the floor.
Check your pumpkins regularly for any signs of mould or softening. Discard them so that they don’t affect the others.

Watch how to cure pumpkins here

Other ways to preserve your pumpkin harvest: