Halloween Pumpkins Advice Please!

[firsttimer]

as the name says im a first timer at this as well as veg growing.

i want to grow pumpkins for the grandchildren for halloween .

have got the seeds of Jack o Lantern to germinate and they are growing well but questions i have are.

1.. what is this thing about the flowers need hand pollanating..help!how?

2 when should i plant them out. i only have room for 2 in my small garden so need to plant others in grow bag, is that ok to do?

while here may i also ask for some advice, from all you wise ones, on hints to growing sweetcorn. i have plants due from mail order soon and want to do the right thing with them.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi firsttimer and welcome to the forum. If you do a search for the questions you have (click on the search bit in the green strip at the top) you may well find answers to your questions! Looking forward to reading how you get on! Good luck!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[JennieAtkinson]

Hello Firstimer and welcome to the Vine. Lots of questions you need answers to!!
If you want to start a new thread you need to go back to the main page (go to the top of the page here and click on Grapevine). You will then see all the relevant topic areas, click on the one that is most relevant and you will get a second menu area. It is here that you can click on Start New Thread. If this is as clear as mud - let me know!

If you search on sweetcorn and corn (search button at the top of the page) you will find that there have been a number of threads about growing sweetcorn and the small minipops.

I'll let someone else answer your questions about the pumpkins! I've never had any success with them - too far north unfortunately.

Good luck - and hope you find the Vine addictive and helpful like the rest of us.

[Paulottie]

Welcome Firstimer

[pigletwillie]

Hi Firsttimer and welcome to the vine.

Pumpkins like to be really well fed and like lots of water. If grown if growbags you will need to keep them well looked after as they tend to dry out quickly.

As an alternative you could get a standard (80 litre) bag of multipurpose compost and stand it on end. Then cut the top off the bag and roll the sides down until you are a few inches above the contents and plant 1 pumpkin in each. This gives you a much deeper root run and a greater volume of compost per plant which will dry out much more slowly.

Once flowers form you can feed it with a tomato feed as per the instructions but do restrict it to only 3-4 fruit. If you want a bigger one, restrict a plant to one. To grow a monster you will need something like the variety "Atlantic Giant" but the foliage on these is rather rampant.

[shirlthegirl43]

hello and welcome to the vine firsttimer

[yoanbob]

growing pumpkins with the nephews this year so looking forward to everyones replys.

[Flummery]

Hi Firstimer. I think PW meant 3 - 4 fruit! I agree your main aim is to keep the thing moist. If you want only a few biggies for kids for Halloween you might only need one plant. Don't worry about pollination. Nature will take care of it! You can end up with an embarrassment of riches with pumpkins - don't grow TOO many!

Welcome to the grapevine, by the way.

Flum

[LaurenGrows]

Hello FirstTimer and welcome to the Vine

[Headfry]

Hi and Welcome Firsttimer!
This is a fab forum, and very very adictive!!
good luck with the pumpkins and sweetcorn!
give the pumpkins loads of water!