Squash (& Pumpkin)

Overview

Pumpkins and Squashes – Curcurbita pepo/maxima        Rotation group – Others

Pumpkins and squashes are members of the same family; the summer squash is Curcubita pepo andthe winter squash is Curcubita maxima.  The summer squashes have a trailing habit and the winter squashes make bushy plants. They are fun to grow in a spectacular range of colours, shapes and sizes which has made them firm favourites with allotment gardeners in recent years.  The summer squashes are used straight after cutting whereas the winter squashes are cut at the end of the summer.

Varieties to choose (sold by Kings Seeds):-

• Metro F1 PMR – an attractive butternut type. Slightly smaller than most and powdery mildew resistant.
• Honey Bear F1 – the small fruits are just the right size halved for a single serving. This acorn type is deliciously starchy and sweet. Compact and bushy. Resistant to powdery mildew.
• Hundredweight – the traditional Halloween pumpkin. Can grow to a huge weight if grown singly. Oval to round in shape with deep orange flesh.

How to grow

Sow

Pumpkins and squashes are grown from seed. Sow the seeds in gentle heat in 3ins/9cm pots filled with fresh seed compost during April – May. The seed is large and must be planted on its edge to prevent it rotting off in the damp compost. Push the seed pointed end downwards into the compost and tap the pot on the bench to settle the loose compost around the seed. Cover the pot with a sheet of glass or plastic and shade using a sheet of newspaper until the seed germinates in about 10 days. The seed can be sown in the open ground during May but it is not worth the risk.

Growing on

When the seedlings begin to produce their first true leaves they can be potted on into 6in/15cm pots filled with fresh potting compost. When the roots begin to show at the bottom of the pot they are ready to transplant into the open ground. Pumpkins and squashes like a well dug, water holding soil containing plenty of organic matter. Create a shallow raised conical mound by digging a ”moat” and throwing the soil up to create the mound. Plant at the centre of the mound and water it in well never letting it go short of water. As the pumpkin or squash plant grows it will produce a mass of white roots on the surface of the soil. Cover these with potting compost, garden compost or well-rotted manure. Keep covering the roots as they appear gradually over the course of the summer the moat will disappear and the mound will spread outwards.

Aftercare

The plants must be kept well watered at every stage of their growth. If the roots are allowed to dry out it will lead to an attack by mildew and the plants will be ruined. Feed the plants once a week with liquid seaweed to encourage plenty of strong healthy growth. The tips of the trailing shoots must be pinched out when they are around 1yd/1mt long to encourage the development of fruit bearing side shoots. Hoe regularly between the plants to keep the weeds under control.

How to Harvest

The summer squashes become ready for cutting as required from July onwards cut the fruit with a short length of stalk and they can store somewhere cool for about a week. The winter squashes are gathered at the end of the summer and after being ripened they can be stored until the end of February. Pumpkins and squashes are not frost hardy and all of the fruits must be removed from the plants before the first hard frosts arrive at the end of the summer.

Issues

White fly and aphids are the two main problems. Spray the plants regularly with an insecticidal soap to control them. Red spider mite can become a pest if the plants are allowed to dry out at the roots water overhead as well to provide some humidity.

Slugs and snails can be a problem to young plants.

Neck rot can be a problem if the main growing stalk is damaged it will become soft and mushy and the plant will eventually collapse and die.

Cucumber mosaic virus is transmitted by aphids once a plant is infected it will have to be dug up and destroyed.