Guv's Gardens
Photo: Agnes Monkelbaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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- Sun
- Full sun.
- Soil
- Very rich and well-drained; grows well on compost heaps.
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0 ideal (tolerates about 5.5-7.5).
- Water
- Regular deep watering.
- Hardiness
- Frost-tender warm-season crop; grown Australia-wide.
- Height and spread
- Trailing vines spread several metres (6 m+); bush types (e.g. Golden Nugget) are compact.
Guv's tipPumpkins love very rich soil and even grow well on compost heaps. Harvest when the vine dies back and the stalk is hard and brown.
Through the year
Timings are for temperate Australia. Tropical and arid gardens follow different seasons.
When to plant
Cool and temperate areas: spring to early summer (Tasmania Sep-Jan). Subtropics and tropics: year-round (e.g. autumn plantings).
Harvest or flowering
About 14 weeks or more from planting. Harvest when the vine dies back and the stalk and skin are hard (stalk brown); cure before storing.
Pruning
Optional: pinch off the ends of long runners to keep compact.
Making more plants
Seed.
Watch out for
Snails and slugs
Look for: Holes chewed in leaves and seedlings; slime trails.
What to do: Hand-pick at night, protect seedlings, and use a registered snail and slug bait sparingly (e.g. iron-based).
Powdery mildew
Fungal (powdery mildew fungi).Look for: White powdery spots or coating on leaves and stems.
What to do: Give good airflow and sun, water at soil level, remove badly affected leaves, and use a registered fungicide (e.g. sulfur) if needed.
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Not listed by the ASPCA. Plain pumpkin flesh is generally safe for dogs.
Weed risk: Not listed as a weed on Weeds Australia or the Queensland restricted invasive plant list.
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and the USA.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 Australia plants in one book.
