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Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
	S	S		P

(Best months for planting Pumpkin in USA - Zone 5a regions)

S = Plant undercover in seed trays. P = Plant direct in garden where they are to grow.

A large trailing plant with yellow, bell-shaped flowers, pumpkin is frost tender. Most varieties will take up a lot of room . Grow them at the edge of your garden patch so that they can spread away from other vegetables. Butternut produces small to medium pear-shaped fruit with deep orange flesh . Buttercup are small to medium round pumpkins with dark green skin. There are a number of large pumpkins, some round and flattish - good for storage and eating - others will produce the "Cinderella coach" type giant round fruit which are not such good eating.

Harvest when the vines die off and the pumpkins' stalks are dry. Leave a small piece of stalk attached to the fruit to prevent damp causing rot. The fruit can be stored for months in a cool airy place. In some parts of New Zealand, they are stored on shed roofs.

Pumpkins sometimes need hand pollination if the fruit are not setting well or die off after starting to grow.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Pumpkin

Cut up, remove the skin and roast with other vegetables or meat.

Young crisp shoots with young leaves can be cooked and eaten - stewed in coconut milk they are popular in Melanesia. Remove any strings and tough parts and stew until tender, or cook as a vegetable in boiling water 3-5 minutes.

Your comments and tips

12 Jun 13, Sylvia Allan (Australia - arid climate)

Hi Daniel, Importing & exporting, carries high risks of the spread of germs diseases, complicated paper work stringent rules & regulations, expensive import & export license & also the cost to import or export & really scary penalties, like Jail & thousands of dollars in fines, for violation of any rules that are not carried out, nobody wants to go there. So I guess you have to research your own country to see what is available, I know many US nurseries do grow Australian Pumpkins. Good luck with your quest. Sylvia

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12 Jun 13, Narayan (Australia - temperate climate)

hi all, i have pumpkins growing in my front yard in sydney. Vandals have destroyed my apical shoots so my plants can t keep extending. On the other hand the leaves at the base of the stem are slowly dying off. Do you know if they will start sending out axillary shoots like other plants do?

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12 Jun 13, Sylvia Allan (Australia - arid climate)

Hi David Before all the rain I had harvested about 60 varieties of pumpkin, all the types that get pumpkins on them about12 weeks I lost all the types that16-20 weeks. 2ndly. When you want to grow pumpkins true to variety, You have to hand pollinate You have to keep a well developed Female & also a male flower of the same variety closed by clip or a twisty tie, and get up early after sunrise & if the male flower pollen is soft And fluffy it is time, you Pic the male flower strip the petals away, open the female flower up & brush the pollen over the Females ovary, then close the female flower up again & tag it like Trombone X trombone 1-1-13. for other people reading this message The Female always has a baby pumpkin underneath the flower. And you close the male as well because bees & insects can contaminate the pollen with other varieties. Hope this answers your question. Sylvia.

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10 Jun 13, Sylvia Allan (Australia - arid climate)

No I haven't been able to get any more Windsor Black seeds I only had a couple of seeds that were given to me, I planted them on the side of a very small hill in Heavy soil they grew and branched every where were getting male flowers And the female flowers were forming, but 10 days of solid rain the patch was absolutely saturated the rest of our property was flooded I thought they would be alright but thr female buds went yellow & dropped off. I prayed & begged for the vines not to die but 90% did.I was shattered. one vine in the row above it The McLeay Mongrel survived Another Victorian Pumpkin, was so sick I just forgot it, went down the Hill the other day the grass was 2 & 1/2 feet high and I trod on something in the grass and nearly fell over looked and found one McLeay Mongrel Pumpkin I have collected the seed from what has to be the weirdest Pumpkin ever, But probably the nicest eating Pumpkin ever, I would say it is probably the rarest as well. The McLeay Mongrel Is a very dry pumpkin with superb flavor much like Iron Bark sweeter & nuttier, I have looked at it it is more than likely a Triamble Iron Bark cross Maybe some Qld. Blue. I am offering 4 seeds up for Auction on eBay I do not have many seeds, so thought if I put a good reserve in them only the very serious growers would buy them. Be Warned it is not a pretty pumpkin but needs some serious pumpkin growers to keep it from extinction, it is a heavy solid pumpkin, looks like an Alien lava Rock. visit eBay Pumpkins just to see it. Regards. Sylvia.

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13 Jun 13, hz (Australia - temperate climate)

WOW Sylvia I am impressed! I have given up on pumpkin, only having a suburban back yard, lack of space, but I can drive to the country in autumn and early winter and get farmers produce - and we eat a lot, all year round ! It's a fabulous vegetable. I really, really hope your varieties can find some seed-saver people to grow them on for you Sylvia - keep us posted. Perhaps you could contact Diggers Seeds , or New Gippsland Seed Farm, (google them) and see if they are interested in helping you continue these varieties. Good luck.

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03 Jun 13, Daniel Bentley (USA - Zone 4b climate)

Do you have any whole fresh pumpkins available to ship to the United States? If not do you know where I can get some? Thank You

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30 May 13, (Australia - temperate climate)

I am getting this mould or rust on my vegetables in my garden. It is causing many of the butternuts to die and the spinach to be spoiled. What could I do to prevent this?

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27 May 13, David Trees (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Sylvia Allan, so so sorry to hear of the loss of all your produce/seeds. It must be heart breaking to be close yet so far from gaing the joy of the harvest. I am intrigued by your comment though. Excuse me if I seem to be thick, but, how can one grow more than one variety and keep the seeds pure. I really want to grow 4 to 6 different pumpkin / squash varieties but was told it could be done if saving seeds...? Did I read it right that your grow 50 different varieties on the same property...? Finally, did you source your seeds as above? Thanks in advance for your patient reply. :) David

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27 May 13, Marian (Australia - arid climate)

I planted pumpkins for the first time: we have very hot summer so I waited til the heat was over, planted seeds late Feb. Vines now looking like the cold will start to slow the ripening process. Our frosts will start soon. I am wondering if I will actually get to pick any pumpkins. Our days are warm but nights cold.

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09 May 13, Diane (Australia - temperate climate)

When is the best time to plant pumpkins from seed on the south east coast of NSW

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