A Pumpkin question for the gardeners here

[Tringa]

I've grown all sort of veg over the many years but not for a good few years now and never pumpkins.

I was given a small plant a month or so ago. I didn't have any room in the garden so I put it in a pot. It is doing well and now I need advice about how to keep it growing.

I have looked online but all I can find refers to plants in the ground.

Grateful for any advice about how to treat it. Does it need a frame to grow up or shall I let it grow over the pot and on to the ground? How many pumpkins should let it grow. I don't know the variety but if possible I would like to eat the result.

Thanks

Dave

Here is what it looks like now. The diameter of the pot is about 37cm.

 

[dom71]

Pumpkins are really greedy plants, which need both a lot of water and a lot of nutrients. If you keep it in a pot, it's likely to restrict its growth quite a bit. If you're aiming to eat, rather than produce lantern sized fruit, I'd probably stick with 3 or 4 fruit. You may struggle to achieve decent sized fruit, but they'll probably be adequate size, assuming the weather stays as it is. If it looks like they're not going to achieve adequate size, take a couple off sooner, rather than later. A lot really depends on the exact variety, which I'm guessing you probably don't know?

 

[Tringa]

Thanks Dominic.

Dave

 

[Nod]

Too many options to know whether the fruits will be worth eating or to advise on how many fruits it'll give you - all too many of the modern varieties give one or 2 huge but almost totally flavour free fruits only fit for halloween use. Keep it well (but not over) watered and feed it once a fortnight with something like Tomorite (the Wilko own brand works just as well). The bigger the pot the better - that one looks a little too small for the plant's later stages.

 

[Donnie]

Honestly its never going to do well in a pot whether its pumpkin or squash :-/

 

[Tringa]

Thanks Nod and Paul.

Dave

 

[jessica1]

Just seen this thread so hopefully not to late but I grew some in a grow bag on my patio, they have produced a couple of small pumpkins. They grow long tentacles which I had to train along the bag so not to tread on the fruit but I think you'll have a better chance of getting something if it can spread out. Good luck!

 

[Tringa]

Thanks Jessica. The pumpkin is doing well. Only one small pumpkin so far. It seems to be growing but I can't work out how the flower got fertilised as no male flowers were open while the female on was open.

Dave

 

[tijuana taxi]

Never grow them in a window box if you live in a tower block.
I remember seeing what happened when I accidentally dropped a tomato from the 19th floor

 

[Nod]

I can't work out how the flower got fertilised as no male flowers were open while the female on was open.

So many people grow courgettes and other squashes that I expect there are/were plenty of pollenating partners within bee flight!