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I love growing pumpkins for many reasons but harvest time has to be the best – certain pumpkins remind me of Cinderella carriages and I’m almost sad at having to chop the stalk and take them home. The snake-like plants are fantastic ground cover to keep weeding down throughout summer and the flowers are edible as well as pretty. This year I grew three varieties, ‘Jack O’ Lantern’ and ‘Baby Bear’ both from Mr Fothergills seeds and Atlantic Giant from T&M (just the one plant though, they are thugs!).
Overall a pleasing yield from just a few plants, I have a couple suitable for carving and the hens will never turn their beaks up at the chance to devour a pumpkin or two. I read elsewhere that feeding pumpkins to chickens is a good way to naturally worm your flock, apparently the coating on fresh pumpkin seeds paralyse internal worms. I don’t know if there’s any truth to this claim, have you ever heard of this? All I know is our hens get stuck into a pumpkin without any encouragement, stripping the fleshy insides and gobbling down the seeds.
Sadly the Atlantic Giant pumpkin (I thinned down to just one fruit, aiming for size rather quantity) was a bit of a disappointment, it grew to a decent size but nowhere near the giant I envisaged, then it began to rot even though I took precautions against this by raising the pumpkin onto a pallet. Not a world record breaker but I did much better than last year and I won the fun competition I took part in with my neighbour who’s yet to see a fruit!
Did you grow pumpkins this year, did you manage to grow a giant? Any bloggers out there up for a fun competition to see who can grow the biggest next year?
I didn’t grow pumpkins – are they really that easy to grow? I’m thinking I shall have to give this a go and grow and next yr I’ll join in the competition :-)
They benefit from feeding, appreciate a sunny spot and need room but oh so much fun!
What a beautiful set of pictures and magnificent pumpkins :D I’m yet to have success with growing them myself! THere’s always next year :D x
Thanks so much lottielandgirl, perhaps you’d like to join in with a size growing competition next year, just for fun?
I have heard about the benefits of pumpkin as a natural dewormer for chickens, but I’ve never actually read up on it. I’m sure it can’t hurt. We grew the Jack O’ Lantern variety this year and ended up with the best crop we’ve ever had. It’s pretty exciting to see them all piled up on the front porch :)
Hi argosgirl, interesting about the natural wormer, dead easy too because the ‘girls’ love a pumpkin. I love Jack O’ Lantern, as long as summer is kind they always do well.
Haha ok you’re on :) although I’ve never actually grown one as yet! :) sounds like fun :) will keep you posted!
I have heard the same thing re hogs and pumpkins – I think it’s supposed to be the seeds that do the trick. Even if that’s all wishful thinking, my hogs, chickens, ducks and turkeys just love them! Great photos – those colours just scream ‘autumn!’
Nice pictures… I loove pumkins :)
Hi
My pumpkins weren’t bad this year, not as good as last year though, not as big or as many, but I didn’t spread cow manure in the kitchen garden this year. Interesting about the natural wormer for the chooks, as my girls love pumpkin. Like your pictures and please put me as an entrant for your pumpkin competition. Lots of pumpkin soup for you, if you get a moment I have written a post on my blog about soup makers you are most welcome to visit. Happy pumpkin days and thanks for sharing.
Sarah x
Yay! Looking forward to it already!
Whooo :) we should both try the same variety see how different they turn out :) x
Good idea, I have a few packets left over but I don’t mind getting new seed, I’m always up for growing something different :)
We’ll let me know what you’ve got and I’ll try and get some :) hehe I’m really excited #pumkincomp2014 :)
I know I have Jack O’ Lantern, but I need to have a good rummage in my seed boxes.
Brill let me know what you want to grow. :) I’ll go off your advice seen as we’ve had little luck the last two years, will be keeping my fingers eyes and toes crossed! :)
Dark Creek Farm, yes it’s to do with the seed coating I believe, very interesting. Thank you for your comment on my photos, the allotment is looking tired now but I do love Autumn colours!
We have to hope for another decent summer!
Pumpkins are my favorite part (ok second favorite part- leaves are my favorite) about autumn. It just really locks in the season.
My girls used to love peckin pumpkins :) I didn’t know about the benefits :) my seeds are just in the ground due to our season being opposite to yours..i used to grow all sorts of wonderful varities…small sugar pumpkins,kents,butternut,etc and luckily they didn’t rot..the flowers are an added bonus when stuffed and cooked yum! we will let you know how our pumpkins go this season …:) great pics :)
Best of luck for a good growing year Fozziemum, looking forward to seeing your patch grow :)
As my plot is so small I have only ever grown one of the mini varieties. xx
Hi Sarah, thanks for stopping by. I’ve never tried using cow manure, interesting that you’ve had good results with it. Yes please do join in our fun pumpkin growing competition :)
Thank you :) can’t wait !
Lovely pumpkins. I think I might try some of the smaller more decorative ones next year. They always look so pretty come October. That’s a beautiful photo at the top of the post, and also the last one too. I do love seeing people’s growing spaces.
Thank you CJ, I can’t fit the whole of my allotment plot into one photo, it’s so wide. I have a couple of very wide raised beds which are perfect for growing pumpkins because of their sprawling habit, just not so easy to weed throughout Spring because it’s impossible to reach the middle without treading on the soil. I use planks of wood to walk across. I do love the look and colours of some of the more decorative squashes.
Not done pumpkins this year but in the past when we had an allotment used to do Jack O’Lantern (the big ones, for carving not so much flesh) and one or two of the smaller varieties which are delicious for soup or roasting. Can’t remember their names – sorry! Used to service up soup in one of the hollowed out big ones at halloween parties! May have a go again next year, but as they take up so much room it depends on what other veg takes priority. I have seen people feeding their pumpkins with ale to make them grow, I kid you not. Maybe it was a Derbyshire thing….
I love hearing different methods used for gardening, feeding pumpkins ale has to be the best one yet! Thanks Heidi for the giggle today!
No luck on the Pumpkin front for us at the Rookie Allotmenteers – very disappointing ! Yours look fab :)
Oh dear, sorry to hear that Rookie Allotmenteers. Better luck for next year!
We haven’t ever tried pumpkins. I live in Mississippi, on the coast. I don’t know how well they would do with our crazy weather.
Beautiful photos of some lovely looking pumpkins, Karen. I only got 3 this year – from 4 plants :( I will definitely give it another go next year though, being an eternal optimist…
Hi Jules, have a bash at the fun growing competition we will all hopefully take part in next year!
I don’t think I have the space to grow any but yours look wonderful :)
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