Swelling nicely for the Halloween harvest is a patch of Pumpkins. These trailing members of the Cucurbitaceae family have appreciated the warmth of this summer.

Cucurbita maxima ‘Yellow Hundredweight’ is a cultivar traditionally grown as a Halloween pumpkin. It is also edible. The flowers arise from the leaf axils and are a solid bright yellow. Lasting only one day, in bright sunshine the colour bleaches from the petals and these then scrunch up and wither. The vegetative growth trails along the ground for two metres and more. Enjoying a full sun situation in a well-drained fertile organic soil. Another cultivar Cucurbita pepo ‘Jack be Little’ colours earlier in the season, not as large, but of good flavour. These pumpkins can be grown in compost or manure heaps where the roots benefit from rotting organic matter.

Cucurbita maxima ‘Yellow Hundredweight’

Cucurbita pepo ‘Jack be Little’