A feast of pumpkins at RHS Gardens

The joy of growing and showing pumpkins isn’t just for Halloween. These wonderfully versatile veggies, along with their cousins from the cucurbit family, squashes and gourds, come in an astonishing array of shapes, colours and sizes and are much more varied, exciting and tastier than the classic orange carving pumpkin.

Across the five RHS Gardens, our edible teams have grown an amazing showcase of more than 100 different pumpkins and squashes, highlighting their diversity and offering inspiration for growing your own. In early autumn, the hundreds of swelling, ripening fruits create a spectacle in our fruit and vegetable gardens as they emerge through sprawling, vine-like foliage.

Pumpkins and squashes in the Global Growth Vegetable Garden at RHS Hyde Hall

Pick of the patch

RHS Garden Rosemoor, North Devon

Discover more than 50 different pumpkins, squashes and gourds grown in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden and allotment area at RHS Rosemoor. Each year, the edibles team enjoy experimenting with growing different varieties, so you’ll find an enticing mix of new and unusual cultivars along with tried-and-tested favourites.

Interesting varieties include the spectacular heirloom squash ‘Turks Turban’. With amazing skin colour variation and wearing a stripey hat, it looks like another squash is bursting out of its top. Just as striking, Japanese heirloom variety ‘Black Futsu’ has deeply ribbed, dark green almost black skin that turns to orange when fully matured. It stores well and is delightfully sweet when roasted.

Winter squash ‘Turks Turban’

Fig-leaf gourd tunnel in Fruit and Vegetable Garden at RHS Rosemoor

RHS Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire

At RHS Harlow Carr, around 50 squashes and pumpkins romp through the pumpkin patch of the Kitchen Garden. Flavour and texture play a big part in choosing which varieties are grown.

Tempting in both taste and appearance is winter squash ‘Crown Prince’, which has lovely firm, deep orange flesh with a nutty taste and intriguing smooth blue-grey skin. Another favourite for flavour is ‘Red Kuri’, an onion squash with bright orange skin and flesh, and outstanding sweet chestnut flavour.

Winter squash ‘Crown Prince’

Onion squash ‘Red Kuri’

Pumpkin ‘Marina di Chioggia’

RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford

In the Kitchen Garden and pumpkin field at RHS Bridgewater, keep an eye out for pumpkin ‘Atlantic Giant’. This heavyweight of the pumpkin world is often grown for competitions, reaching 100s of kilograms in weight, and holds the world record for giant pumpkins. Although not typically grown to eat, their watery flesh can be used to gently flavour stocks and soups. Another whopper grown for its size is pumpkin ‘Mammoth’. This colossal

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

Pumpkin ‘Jack be Little’

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey

Whether you’re growing for flavour or for fun, RHS Wisley’s World Food Garden and nearby Fruit Garden offer plenty of inspiration no matter your level of experience or size of space. Among the wonderful array, ‘Barbara’ is a great butternut squash to try. It’s slightly more reliable in the UK than others and has the added appeal of green and orange stripey skin.

Butternut squash ‘Barbara’

Squash ‘Tromboncino’

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex

Squash ‘Blue Banana’ (centre)

Winter squash ‘Galeux d’Eysines’

Perfect for making pumpkin jam, Italian cultivar ‘Zucca Da Marmellata’ literally translates as “pumpkin for jam”. This is a great way of using a glut of pumpkins or squashes if you don’t have space to store them. Smaller varieties with high sugar and low water content work best, and the sweet preserve can be spread on bread or eaten with cheese.
 

Growing tips

Getting started

The period of time when an individual plant is in active growth. This will depend on the local climate and light levels, and can vary between different plants, although it is broadly from spring to autumn.

growing season

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

germination

A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

seedlings

Cat says:

To avoid root rot, I usually let the pots become fairly dry and lightweight, but before the plants show signs of wilting, between waterings. This also helps develop a strong root network as the plants seek out water.

Fungus gnats

This year at RHS Bridgewater, RHS Rosemoor and RHS Wisley the pumpkin seedlings were damaged by an attack of fungus gnats (sciarid fly), a common nuisance for greenhouse and indoor plants. Pete Adams, Edibles Team Leader at RHS Rosemoor says: “Their larvae  can attack the young developing root system, and it seems that pumpkins and squashes are a particular favourite of theirs. We use a biological control nematode that hunts out the larvae of the fungus gnat to control their numbers.”

Pete says:

Careful management of watering can help deter fungus gnats. They enjoy damp compost, so try to avoid over watering young plants.

Green manures

Various fast-growing plants that are sown densely on bare ground, usually in vegetable plots, to protect the soil and suppress weeds. When the area is then required for crops, the green manure is dug into the soil to enrich it. A wide range of plants can be used, including alfalfa, red clover, mustard and fenugreek.

green manure

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

mulch

To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth.

nutrients

Suzie says:

Another way to feed young squash and pumpkin plants, is to bury comfrey leaves into the soil around the base of the plant and water them in. Use around 8-10 comfrey leaves per plant. As they break down they release nutrients into the soil.

Moving outdoors

As summer approaches, the plants are hardened off to acclimatise them to life outdoors. Horticulturist Cat Hood says: “Typically, we plant them outside once nights are relatively warm, ideally 10°C and, if possible, not below 7°C. This year that meant the first week of June for us at RHS Hyde Hall, Essex.”

“If plants are hit by a cold snap they can go into transplant shock. It can be a worrying time as your plants sit in the ground showing no signs of growth. However, once nighttime temperatures pick up, the plants will start to grow – be patient, as this can take as long as three to four weeks.”

Summer droughts

Pumpkins relish the heat, and hot weather can be an asset as these plants need warmth to get going, as long as they get enough water. Horticulturist Cat Hood says: “We use no-dig cultivation in the veg garden so before planting we mulch our beds with a good layer of homemade compost. This helps ensure there’s plenty of organic matter in the soil to provide nutrients, support soil life and keep in moisture. We keep the pumpkins watered, giving them a good soaking every five to seven days during periods of drought.”

Pumpkin events