Pumpkins & Squash

[Salina]

In a few days I'm going to be buying some pumpkin seeds and probably some sqaush seeds as well if I can find some lol.
I have never tried growing either before so does anyone know if they can be grown outdoors (in large pots/tubs etc) or do you need a polytunnel/greenhouse? also, how long approx. from seedling to eating your first pumpkins/squash's? lol.
Thanks for any advice

[rustylady]

You can certainly grow them outdoors, but they do take up a lot of room (not the roots, the plants themselves) so in the ground would be better. I always germinate my seeds in 3 and a half inch pots indoors or in the greenhouse and plant them out when big enough. Pumpkins and winter squashes take a long time to mature, e.g. plant out May/June, harvest from August or September. Courgettes are much quicker to crop, but obviously don't store (they are actually tiny, tender, baby marrows)

[Salina]

okay thanks I don't know if I could plant them out in our ground as it is really wet mucky clay soil and no shelter, only shelter is near the house which is gravelled. we live on top of a hill so very wild and windy even today when it's supposed to be spring lol.

[Scruffy Duffy]

Do yourself a raised bed. Then you can make sure you've good soil. We're on clay too, if you dig down 6 inch - 1 ft or so depending on which part of the garden.

We bought 'Link-a-bord' for our raised beds, type it into google and you'll get their web address. It's cheapest to buy direct, believe me we looked - long and hard which is why we're very behind. It's easier to put together than hammering planks to stakes, unless you're a dab habd at that kind of thing. We built our on top of membrane (didn't see the point in diggin the ground) and it's all holding together very well, as I'm sure it would on gravel. It's made from recycled UPVC and comes in black, green, white, blue and terracotta I think.

Would certainly help in your growing endeavours.

Best of luck

Scruffy Duffy

[JennieAtkinson]

Salina - I have three wooden compost bins and one of them has been partially emptied of some very good compost. So I'm going to plant two in what is left of the compost in the compost bin. As they are hungry feeders I am hoping this is going to work. I haven't had any luck growing squash outside up here (or indoors in the polytunnel for that matter!), but I'm hoping that the sides of the compost bin will provide a little shelter from the wind (I'm leaving off the front boards).