Pumpkins: the all-season survival food

Pumpkins belong to three different species: Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata and C. pepo, and there is truly a pumpkin for everyone and every purpose. Our focus here, though, is on those that store well, providing food through the seasons and providing your own degree of food security.

Planting seed

Pumpkins are a summer vegetable and can take a while to get going, so in cool climates especially, you will want to sow seed in spring or early summer to give them plenty of time to establish and ripen. You can soak seed first to soften the hard outer casing and aid germination, but it’s not essential. 

In warmer regions, plant seed directly into your garden bed once the soil has warmed up in spring. It’s a good idea to sow at least three seeds and thin out to the strongest seedling. 

In cooler regions, sow pumpkin seed into individual pots indoors in a warm and sunny position. Be warned: pumpkin seedlings are extremely fast-growing and will quickly outgrow their initial pots. Size up to larger pots or plant out into the garden once the last chance of frost has passed. Alternatively purchase seedlings and plant them but you won’t get much choice for cultivars.

If you want to save your own seed, head to our essential guide to seed saving. 

Going up

Pumpkins adore the sun so pick the sunniest spot in your garden. If you have a shadier yard, don’t despair – you can still grow a pumpkin bounty in a small space, especially if you can grow up. Here are some of the many advantages of growing vertically:

•   It saves valuable ground space as pumpkins are sprawlers and will take over the world if allowed.
•   It reduces fungal disease as it keeps the fruit and the vine off the ground and promotes better air flow. 
•   In a shady yard (like ours), it allows your pumpkins to access more sunlight at higher altitudes, while providing valuable summer shade for your vegies below.

We have 10 arches in our garden: each one is a whopping 6m of growing space – don’t underestimate pumpkins! Our disused washing line is also adorned with pumpkins in summer. These beauties are natural climbers and will easily clamber up trellises, trees and the walls and roofs of sheds and carports. If growing vertically, the fruit of larger varieties like ‘Queensland Blue’ will need support using hammocks/slings made from netting or old clothing, or grow smaller varieties like ‘Buttercup’ and ‘Golden Nugget’ which don’t need extra support. ‘Pimply’ pumpkins (see below) are one of our favourites for growing on an arch.

Jian Liu’s favourite pumpkins and tips for growing first appeared in our Early Summer 2022 issue (OG 137). There’s a selection of back issues available here — you can also subscribe and get the most recent issues delivered to your door!