Send in your questions, I’ll try to answer.

Where do I get seed?  You can order it from abroad (you need a permit and some money to spare) or from us on this website.  Contact me and I’ll send you an order form.

When do I plant?  Not easy to answer because it differs from region to region, but you are safe if you plant after the last expected frost.  Normally any day in September.  I plant from 1September to 15 September.  You can plant earlier if you do it indoors and then transplant later in your patch.

Where do I plant?  You can either plant directly in the ground or in pots. See the “How to” section.

Why don’t all my seed germinate?  You must be very careful not to make your soil too wet.  Pumpkin seed rot very easily.  Keep your soil moist and not wet.  Pumpkin seed germinate best at 25 - 28 degrees Celsius.  Try to keep as close to this as possible.  Unfortunately, like all seed, not all pumpkin seed germinate.  That is why I buy more than one seed of a specific pumpkin.  If you only plant one seed and nothing happens in 10 days, you are 10 days behind your schedule if you must plant another one.  If you plant two and they both germinate, you can always give the second best one to a rival and tell him its your best plant.  HA-ha, as if he’s going to believe you!

How long does germination take?  If everything is just right and you are in luck - 3 - 4 days.  But normally between 5 - 10 days.

Some guys file the seed.  How is it done and why?  Because pumpkin seed are quite hard, you can file the edge of the seed so it can absorb the water better.  Here you must be very careful not to damage the internal parts of the seed nor the radicle (small hole where the first roots come out).  Carefully file until you see a colour change and then........STOP!!

When is my pumpkin ripe?  I measure my pumpkin every day from about the size of a football.  After it has stopped growing, leave it for another 10 days.  If you are going to enter for a competition, you can leave it on for about 3 weeks.  I tried once for 40 days and all I got was a bad smelling (rotten) pumpkin.

How big must my plant grow?  Again a not so easy answer. Some growers pollinate at about 500 leaves, others at 700.  I pollinate when there is a female flower at about 4 meters from where I planted the seed, i.e. at about 500 - 600 leaves.  Try to use a flower on the main shoot.  The best pumpkins are grown there.  On the average you can let your pumpkin grow to cover about 25 square metres.

Where do I plant?  Full shade, full sun, etc.?  Pumpkins are sun loving but they don’t much like temperatures above 36 degrees Celsius.  I put up 30% shade netting in mid summer, but roll it up below 36 degrees.  If your leaves begin to wilt from the heat it is too hot.  If it is very bad you can spray the leaves with water (be gentle).  I use a Gardena mister to do the job.  A disadvantage of this method is the high humidity you cause around the plant - just what the fungi was waiting for.  Keep your fungicide on standby for she smallest indication of any fungi.

What about those pesky fruit flies I get on my other fruit?  You don’t have to worry about fruit flies, you do have to worry about pumpkin flies.  They look almost alike.  Where I live, on the West Coast, they destroy about a third of my small pumpkins.  An authority on fruit- and pumpkin flies at the University of Stellenbosch told me that these pests are about immune against our insecticides.  So, if the bottle says spray every 10 days, spray every 7 days.  PLEASE - don’t over dose - you can kill your plant.  Mix your water with about 20 ml of sugar per 1 litre of water before adding the insecticide.  This will help the insecticide to adhere to the plant.  You can also use a good wetting agent - available at any good nursery.  Two or three drops of dish washing liquid will do   the trick as well.  (For those of you who like to do your own brick laying, 20 ml of dish washing liquid per 20 litres of water does wonders to the workability of concrete, mortar and plaster without affecting the final strength.)  Make sure to wet every individual small pumpkin very well.  Keep this up until your pumpkin is about the size of a soccer ball.  Good luck !

What do I do with my pumpkin when it’s ripe?  Very good question!  After you won the pumpkin competition, EAT IT !!!  I don’t like to eat my own baby, so I cut it up and give it to my friends, their friends and their friend’s friends.  The school hostels in my town get their share too (the kids never greet me at pumpkin time).

I see one gets yellow/orange and white fruit. Any reason?  As far as I know it has something to do with genetics (not my strong point).  Some say yellow is a pumpkin and white is a squash.  About three years ago I was lucky to get a green one, but it got blossom end rot at about 60 kg.  (Blossom end rot is mainly caused by a deficiency in Calcium.)  Green peppers are very susceptible to blossom end rot.  The most common is yellow/orange, then white and then green (very rare).  In 90% of the cases, if you pollinate as follows, you will get: Yellow plant, yellow pollen = yellow pumpkin.  Yellow plant, white pollen = yellow pumpkin.  White plant, yellow pollen = yellow pumpkin.  White plant, green pollen = white pumpkin.  i.e. yellow always dominates.  i.e. if you want a green pumpkin you must have a green plant and pollinate with green pollen.  A yellow plant means that the plant comes from the seed of a yellow pumpkin.  As do pollen.

Where do I store my seed for the following year?  You first dry your seed for two to three weeks in a warm shady spot. NEVER in the sun.  You then put it in a plastic bag (I use Energade/Powerade bottles) in the driest place in your home - the deep freezer - yes that is correct - minus 18 degrees Celsius won’t hurt your seed.  Don’t try this with all seed.  All seed stays fertile for longer if it is stored at a constant temperature and humidity (humidity as low as possible).  If you don’t want to keep your seed, fry it in a pan or eat it as is. (I only eat the inside, not the shell.)

Must I protect my pumpkin from the sun?  Yes, this is very important. The sun hardens the top of your fruit and because it grows at such a rate the hardened skin can’t keep up and WILL split. Shade protection should be provide to prevent cracks. Build a frame around your pumpkin without stepping on any vines.