Pumkins

[lemanie]

Hello
Does anyone know anything about pumpkin plants? Mine seems to be very happy it's huge and setting fruit, i'm just wondering if it's suposed to climb .slightly, it's got tendrils but i'm not sure. would certainly help if it could climb a bit as it's travelling quiet a difference
Thanks for you help
Lem

[Penny Drops]

hi Lem
No - they are not supposed to climb - the fruits should get too big for that. To stop them rotting - put some straw under the fruits. Oh - and they love chicken poo manure!!

[lemanie]

thank you Penny, i'm trying them for the first time ever, glad someone know's something about them.

[Fi]

lemanie said:

Hello
Does anyone know anything about pumpkin plants? Mine seems to be very happy it's huge and setting fruit, i'm just wondering if it's suposed to climb .slightly, it's got tendrils but i'm not sure. would certainly help if it could climb a bit as it's travelling quiet a difference
Thanks for you help
Lem

What sort of pumpkin is it lemanie? If it's one of the big ones it's best to leave then trailing over the ground as Penny suggests, although it is possible to support growing fruits in suspended mesh baskets. A lot of the smaller ones, however, can be trained up suports - the advantage is that it keeps them away from many pests such as slugs and they don't take up as much garden space. I grew one of the big ones in my greenhouse a few years ago - the plant eventually filled the greenhouse!