Growing Pumpkins

These terms are all fairly much interchangeable, for the marrows, pumpkins and summer squashes are all varieties of Cucurbita pepo. The winter squashes, however, are varieties of Cucurbita maxima, while the Cushaw pumpkin is Cucurbita mixia. The last, while popular in the United States is not a success in Britain, taking too long to mature.

Marrows should he planted in full sun and where they may be sheltered from cold winds. They resent root disturbance, so must he grown in pots from the beginning. One method is to raise the plants over a hot bed made in a frame and sowing the seed at the end of March. Over the compost is placed 3 inches of fine soil and into this is pressed 2A-inch pots touching each other. The pots are filled with John limes sowing compost, in which peat is substituted by well decayed manure, old mushroom bed compost being ideal.

The seeds are pressed into the compost, their pointed end towards the top and just covered with the compost. The pots are given a thorough soaking and the frames are kept closed until germination has taken place, watering whenever necessary. To prevent the pots drying out too quickly, damp peat may be pressed around them as they are placed in the frame. During the first 3 weeks of April the frames should be covered with sacking at night if frost is expected.

Early in May, when the plants have formed their second pair of leaves, they will he ready for removal to a cold frame for hardening. This is done by first leaving off the glass during the daytime, then gradually at night, so that by the month end the plants will be ready for planting out.

Soil preparation When manure was plentiful, one would plant marrows on mountains of compost, and how well they grew. Today these mountains have been reduced to minute hillocks and the plants make little headway, especially in a warm, dry summer which should suit them well. The reason is not that they lack nourishment but moisture, these little mounds drying out too readily which is fatal to the marrow, for it requires plenty of moisture about its roots.

With the shortage of compost, it is better to plant on the flat, into a soil containing plenty of humus—some decayed manure, peat, spent hops, even decayed leaves or bark fibre being incorporated. If the soil is heavy or the ground low lying then make a raised bed, but work in the same quantity of humus.

Set out the plants at the end of May allowing 3-4 feet for the bush varieties, and 5-6 feet for the trailers. Where growing under barn cloches (and this is an excellent crop to grow under glass) make the beds to fit the cloches and plant out early in May. The glass may be removed odd-June, when the plants will have made considerable growth.

If no frame is available, the plants may he grown entirely under cloches and, though the crop will not be so early to mature, it will prove much earlier than where the seed is sown in the open. Plants sown over a hot-bed will be showing fruit before seedlings raised in the open have made their second leaves.

Those able to obtain manure could raise an early crop by making up a hot-bed in the open early in April, covering with 6 inches of soil and sowing the seed under a barn cloche, covering the ends with glass to retain the warmth.

Plant firmly and press the small poi into the soil about 2 inches from the plant, water being given through the pot when required. Before knocking the plant from the pot, first give it a thorough watering to bind the roots so that there is almost no root disturbance.

When the plants have made about t If inches of growth, pinch out the leader shoots to encourage the formation of side shoots, and to ensure a heavy crop which will set well. Under glass, give daily syringing to flowers and foliage whenever the weather is warm, and those growing in the open should be kept free from weeds and heavily watered during dry weather. A mulch of peat and decayed strawy manure will be appreciated, so will regular watering with liquid manure from the time the first fruits form. This will he about July ist from early sown seed in the south; 3 to 4 weeks later in the north.

The fruits should always be removed when they have attained a reasonable size: to allow them to remain on the plants until they have become too large will not only reduce the quality but will also reduce the crop. Removing the fruits quickly will enable others to fin-m.

Care must be taken in removing the fruits or the plants may be damaged. Cut away the marrow where it lies rather than lifting it first, for this will disturb the plant. At the same time carefully remove and dead foliage. The fruits should be handled carefully so as not to cause bruising.

Pollinating This is in many instances done by insects, especially during dry, sunny periods but more so in the south than the north. However, the plants will begin to fruit earlier and bear heavier crops with artificial pollination.

This may take place in two ways, either by dusting the male flowers and transferring the pollen to those of the female, or by removing the male flower entirely, folding back its petals and pressing it into the female flower. This should be done only on a dry day, when the pollen is dry, and only when the flowers are open and the pollen ripe. Plants growing under glass will benefit most by this artificial pollination.