Instructions courtesy of Harvest Envy

Ready to grow a pumpkin for The Mora Arrowtown Autumn Festival’s, Pumpkin Growing and Carving Competition? Let’s get started!

Planting Your Seed:
Start your pumpkin seed indoors by planting it about 2-3 cm deep in a small pot filled with seed raising mix. Keep the soil damp but not flooded – nobody likes a soggy bottom. A sunny windowsill or warm spot is ideal for germination. Once the seedling pokes through the soil, you can give it a little boost with an organic liquid fertiliser, it is a competition after all.

Nurturing Your Seedling:
As your pumpkin seedling grows inside, it’ll need plenty of sunlight and warmth. You can even take it outside for a little sunshine on warm days to “harden off”, this will get it prepped and ready for its life outside, starting with 1 hour a day and gradually increasing the time. Don’t forget to bring it back indoors at night – it’s still a baby and needs to stay warm!

Preparing the Garden Bed:
While your pumpkin is growing indoors, prep its outdoor space. Pumpkins love the sun and room to sprawl, so choose a sunny spot where it can spread out. If space is tight, think vertical! Grow it up a fence, teepee, trellis, dead tree, slow-moving relative! Enrich the soil with compost (either homemade or from Mr Chippy), manure, or worm castings – pumpkins are heavy feeders. Water this fertiliser in while your seedling is still inside, the soil needs a little time to settle to your new soil additions.

Planting Outdoors:
Once the threat of frost has passed (around early to mid November for here), it’s time to plant your seedling outside. Keep it well-fed with compost or natural fertiliser and water regularly, either in the evening or early morning. As the fruit of your pumpkin starts to grow, place a rock, brick, or something flat under the fruit to prevent it from sitting in wet soil, which can cause rot (remember no soggy bottoms). If your plant produces more than 1 fruit, decide whether you want many or 1 special pumpkin, remove what fruit you don’t want if that’s what you choose. 1 fruit means the plants energy is concentrated into 1, more fruit means that same energy is divided. 

Ongoing Care:
Throughout the season, keep up with watering and feeding. If you’re going on holiday, check www.harvestenvy.com for tips on water-saving methods. Come autumn, protect your pumpkins from frost by covering them with frost cloth, blankets, kids playhouse, same slow-moving relative! 

Harvest Time:
Your pumpkin is ready when the stem dries out and dies off, leaving a tidy stalk. If you can lift it, bring it inside to protect it until the festival!

Let’s get growing!