Squash & Pumpkins

[squashysu]

Hi

I have ony had one seed from my squash germinate in the greenhouse, it was plenty warm enough.........i havent planted my pumpkins yet, but will do in the next couple of weeks.........

my question is - can i grow them in my greenhouse in a growbag, as i am only growing the one, it is a trial, i dont want to waste it!!

Also do pumpkins take months to grow loads and loads, as i only want them for halloween!!!!

Cheers

Squashysu

[ClayGarden]

not sure but you have a good few months before now and end of oct

[Herbie]

I did squash outside last year, total waste of time, the weather was rubbish so that didn't help

I'm no expert but I think pumpkins need alot of room to grow and like good soil. They are hungry plants and like the sun, bit like my OH

I would try them in open ground, not sure if a grow bag would sustain them.

[MrsBond]

I have heard lately (sorry can't remember where) that pumpkins grow ok in a compost heap So as an experiment, I am going to pop a small pumpkin plant (Alladin F1) into the top of one of my nearly finished dalek style compost bins (lid off of course) and see how it goes....livin on the edge!

MrsB x

[Speed Gardener]

I've grown all kinds of squash and pumpkins over the years, they do take up a lot of space. Are you using the whole growbag for one plant? You might be better off digging a hole in the floor of the greenhouse and emptying the growbag into it. The plants need access to plenty of water and above all, warmth. I have seen a programme where a bloke grew a monster pumpkin that started in a heated greenhouse in april and grew outwards onto his plot. By mid august, it covered the whole plot. Not saying yours will get that big but....
I dig a hole 1 cubic foot in size, then put several layers of manure/compost and soil, and plant the pumpkin in the slight mound at the top. This helps to hold plenty of moisture and means you don't have to water every single day.
I know a couple of people who used compost heaps to grow pumkins, with quite good success too, but it means you can't use that heap.

[JO,JO]

i have sown some patty pan yellow mini sqaush from lidl,but have had no luck yet with them germinating

[Lavenderblue]

i am having a nightmare with squash and pumpkin this year. I can't get any to germinate. Its a bit depressing when your friend in the next village is showing her try of healthy mini plants off. She grows lovely pumpkins in her veggie patch outdoors. She does digs in some manure and away they go. They keep really well too, she baked one for us and we were scoffing it in February.

[ghp]

I think they need quite a bit of heat to germinate - mine were in the heated propagator and have come up OK.

[deezyb]

i've got two (out of 4) butternut sprinters and one jaspee de vende (out of 2) growing quite well as seedlings...they took a hell of a time to germinate...even on a warm window! last years squash was worse than rubbish, am determined to grow some this year...!

[dajehle]

Hi - my poor polytunnel will be full to bursting soon, so no room for a squash - not unless it wants permanent shade under the toms/aubergine/melon e.t.c.

I'm trying to grow them outside in a hole filled with manure, then a cloche over the top until the weather gets a lot better. Good luck!

[sarahspatch]

How weird, I've had trouble this year getting my squash to germinate. I kept them in a warm room and only 1 came up, so I popped them in the airing cupboard and all but one has now germinated - but do check them every day if anyone tries this!

I had a good crop of squash last year on the allotment, and didn't have access to manure then. So will dig a large hole this year, and fill with manure.

I believe a grow bag won't be enough to sustain any pumpkins, the soil gets exausted pretty quickly and they are always hard to re-wet thoroughly when they dry out.
I tried a courgette in a pot a few times but that didn't do well at all!

[dajehle]

Well - I guess I'm growing something odd, as all my packets say to sow b/w 25-20 degrees. So I stick it in my (boyfriends) heated propagator. Waahahaha... No room for his stuff - but hey...

They've all come up (though I was away one day and they're a tad tall now).

My problems always seem to be after the fact, i.e. get a squash, rot a squash. ho hum.

[JO,JO]

my patty pan sqaush seeds have been in the heated propagator in the unheated greenhouse for three weeks and no sign,the seed is new so dont know what has happened

[Janna]

Hi Jo Jo, I had really successful pattypans last year, and they took ages, at least 3 weeks to come up, you may well be fine yet.