Thinking ahead to Halloween (Bored at work)

[Jamesy_uk]

Good afternoon folks,

I was just daydreaming fun things to get my just turned 2 year old son involved with in the garden and first thing that popped into my head was growing pumpkins for halloween for him to help carve. However as I am loathe to let a large patch of land get used only for that I was wondering what a good variety of nice tasting Pumpkin would be that gets to the size of a football or bigger. I did have a thumb through the search results I got but didn't really see one that addressed taste as I heard the really big pumpkins taste of very little so is it a case of picking it early?


Thanks in advance
James

P.S Found some purple beans called Cosse Violette thought they might be kind of fun for him, any thoughts on crop yields?

[Leeds_lad]

A really good crop to get anyone introduced with, radishes. Quick to germinate and you are eating them in just over 4 weeks. A great beginner vegetable to start with, means there interest is sparked pretty much straight away

[SarzWix]

Cosse Violette are a lovely bean, I've grown them a few years and they're on my 'permanent list' now

Pumpkins, yes, the smaller they are, the better the flavour in my experience. We've tried 'Jack of All Trades' and 'Aladdin' so far, neither of them particularly tasty, although they looked fab The smaller 'potimarron' or 'Uchi Kuri' types taste better, but don't work so well for carving.

[Jamesy_uk]

@Leedslad - good idea, I have done the usual kids stuff Cress, mustard, Chucking carrot tops in water and watching the greenery grow

@Sarzwix - Thanks for the info, I did Cobra and Blue Lake last year and they were great (still have some in the freezer) I plan to do a 3 stage planting of french beans this year as they finished a bit early for me planting them all the same time. On the pumpkin front it is as I feared pretty much but it's going to be good fun growing then carving assuming it doesn't all go wrong hehe.

[Jelliebabe]

Tey a winter squash like a smallish pumpkin.... Red Kuri came just big enough to carve for me last year (with a v small knife and a tea light) Or you can try a medium sized pumpkin instead! Squash are great !

[Scarlet]

Well I grew summer ball this year. It's a "dual purpose" variety,easy to grow, same size as a courgette plant- pick young and use as a courgette(stuffed or sliced) and you can leave one on later to carve like a pumpkin ( not huge, maybe football size) My boys both had one each. Can't remember how many fruit we had but there was enough.

[Paulieb]

Can't beat the Cosse Violet beans. Really easy to grow like runners, and I found you can leave them to grow for ages and they don't go stringy at all. They do go green when cooked though! Taste nice all the same!

[zazen999]

If you start with a mahoosive pumpkin when he is 2 - then it will only get smaller as he grows up.

A 2 yr old will be happy as larry with a smaller, but tastier pumpkin - such as Sugar Pie - which he can then eat in a lovely Pumpkin Pie after it's been carved.

Or - and my nieces love these to look at - some of the summer scallop squashes [which are of course, flying saucers not squashes]....

[Snadger]

I wanted to grow Hallowean pumpkins for the grandbairns last year. I bought a packet of un-named pumpkin seeds (a yellow packet it was, from the kids range.)
They all got pumpkins, all six at the time and I've still got one in the kitchen and two at the allotment. They appear to last forever once ripened. (pumpkins that is, not kids!)

When I next use one of the pumpkins for cooking, which up until now has been never, I would imagine I will get a host of useable seeds as I can't imagine them being F1's at the price I paid for them.

[Jamesy_uk]

Thanks for the great replies folks, much appreciated I think I will hedge my bets and grow one big and then some squash types and see how big they can get. I harranged my mum into letting me clear another section of her garden all in the name of her Grandson