Your comments and tips

20 Sep 13, Seila (Australia - temperate climate)

Yes I would like some seeds too

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10 Apr 16, Evelyn (Australia - tropical climate)

I am looking for "Spookie" Pumpkin seeds. Can you help me please? I understand the Spookie is a smallish, hard skinned, long keeping flavoursome pumpkin, that WILL grow well in South Queensland (Gold Coast) ?? Any advice would be valued, Thank you, Evelyn

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17 Apr 09, Robert B (Australia - temperate climate)

I have been growing Queensland Blues & Jap Pumpkins here in Sydneys West for a while and would like to know the following : Male flowers are plentiful usually at the start of the vine & female flowers are not as many but as the vine lengthens more females appear, so how far do you let the vine grow. If cut does the right ratio of flowers continue shoot or that stops everything, what you have is all you get and do you plug the cut end to prevent disease getting into the vine (read that on the net) Also everyone says when the vine withers pick your crop, mine was going great and green but I picked them (stem still green & firm) as I felt they were large enough but several had started to rot inside, we saved them luckey as another couple of weeks would have lost the lot. So how do you know when to pick. heard about tapping it sound hollow its ripe, pick a piece of skin with fingernail the skin can give you an idea. Noticed in the fruit shop many pumpkins have fingernail pieces dug out ??? somebody know something !!!!! As the pumpkin is pollinated & starts to grow do you sit it on a tile or similar keeping it off the ground ( for air & warmth circulation) sometimes when left on the ground the under side looks soft and worms and bugs seem to love that position.

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19 Apr 09, dette (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

My pumpkin isn't getting any female flowers at all. 4 plants and not a female among them. The squash etc which grow in the same area under same conditions are doing great. Any ideas. Should I rip them out and try again? Or should I just be more patient?

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04 May 09, Michael Stapleton (Australia - temperate climate)

My butternut pumkins flower and then start to grow a small pumkin around 4 cm across then they turn yellow and rot.Can you tell me why? I am only a novis gardener.

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04 May 09, Tim (Australia - temperate climate)

Michael, the pumpkins usually turn yellow and die if the female flower had not been fertilised. You could try planting bee attracting flowers around the pumpkin plants or pollinating the female flowers by hand. Just pick one of the male flowers and rub it across any female flowers. Should help. I did this with my passion fruit due to lack of bees and now have well over 70 beautiful fruits developing.

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05 May 09, tony bray (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

For Robert B of Sydney West,17 April, dette-19April andMichael Stapleton 4 May. Forget about growing Jap Pumpkins. They are rubbish, far too soft to make good roasting pumpkin.. About growing pumpkins - plant your seed in September/October, male flowers will appear then in second week January the females will start. If fruit does not develop and turns yellow and dies that means the female has not been pollinated by the male, due to absence of bees. You will have to do it by hand. Determine how many fruit you want and then remove any female flowers that appear. I usually leave this until March. Do NOT prune the end of your vine. Feed with potash and phosphorous (liquid manure the best organic source). Note - phosphorous helps initiate the onset of female flowers The first pumpkins will be ready to pick in mid April. Place some coarse straw under the vine in January where you find a female (to prevent rot). Happy to answer any questions and provide seed of "Ironbark", the original Aussie pumpkin and still the best for colour, flavour and texture (sweet, smooth and dry - lovely) Tony 02 62310508

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15 May 12, harold reid (Australia - temperate climate)

you can buy ironbark pumpkin seeds from online suppliers .

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06 May 09, Mason Batley (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I'm currently living in Finland and I've managed to grow 2 pumpkins in plastic party cups which are currently about 15cm and I'm going to plant the in the forrest, somewhere suitable to hopefully produce pumpkins in this cool climate which gets down around the -15 mark in winter but in summer it can get in the 20-30 mark so we will see how they go. I'm experimenting at the moment by putting cups with newly planted seeds into our sauna which is around 30c most of the time because of the infloor heating and it's a well insulated room and then I could bring the seedlings out when they rise above the soil. Will see how it goes! :)

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17 May 09, Lindsay Langley (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi, I have a very healthy Jap pumpkin vine, that seeded itself in the compost heap. I have one pumpkin on it, and would love more. I have tried fertilising the female flowers with the males but they still rot and fall off. Any other ideas please.

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