Ecomarsho's Pumpkin Project, 2009

The pumpkin project was an attempt to grow pumpkins in a small fairly shaded urban garden in London, UK. Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) normally grow better with plenty of light and warmth, so one problem was positioning to avoid excess shade from opaque wooden fences. Initially, the project was seen as a strategy to put into effect the principle of crop rotation, since there had been rust on leeks in previous years, to which maize is also vulnerable, and the idea of pumpkins was one which appeared to offer a more appetising solution. Root crops and strawberries had been grown fairly successfully in previous years also, but disease tends to accumulate in urban gardens.

The project was conceived with minimum budget and environmentally-friendly principles in mind. Seeds used were of two kinds: some saved from a healthy pumpkin sold in the supermarket, and some giant pumpkin seeds sold in packets by a reputable dealer. Buying from a reputable dealer means that an after sales service will allow redress if disease is evident in the seed from the outset, which did actually turn out to be the case.

Seeds saved from the supermarket culinary pumpkin were started early in the year on damp tissue paper, subsequently potted in compost mixture, and given maximum sunlight, plus extended daylight from the home-life. This strategy was very successful initially, resulting in large healthy seedlings, in sufficient quantity for one or two to be sold at £1 each.

The giant pumpkin seeds from the packet did not grow well. On damp tissue, they failed entirely. There was yellow staining of the tissue, which spread to a second batch of supermarket pumpkin seeds in the same container, with the result that none at all grew. Black mold then grew from the larger seeds.

A paradox was that two seedlings of the giant variety emerged from below compost where they had been placed for experiment in the garden. This seems to suggest that they may have benefitted from interaction with microorganisms in the soil. More scientific research therefore would be of benefit to ascertain more details of symbiotic relationships, and also how it is that pumpkins can sometimes outgrow a disease like downy mildew if given enough sunlight and nutrition.

     Results and Photos    

Pumpkin Growers' Notanda

Symbology

Widely sourced glimpses, or attempts at grasping the meaning in the round of the wondrous orange-fruited pumpkin would perhaps suggest that the shape signifies the human head, or nature's pregnancy. These disparate attributions may be reconciled in the abstracted sense in which the pumpkin as symbol is perceived as an absurd kind of completion - at once a definitive thing in itself, and also an obscurant reference to a whole growth process of which it is but a part. There is certainly much joy in the existential encounter with the odd, round but oft mis-shaped ball which symbolises wholeness and probable consciousness.

Culture

This is a most popular theme at this time of year as Halloween pumpkin, and also in the rhetorical genre of myth as Cinderella's coach and actualisation in the man's world hypothesis of the prince's ball. The candle-lit pumpkin lantern affords an eery reference to conscious awakening in dark evenings of trick-or-treat, but is also implies use of a very practical and edible commodity. Whether wild pagan spiritual connections are really necessary relates to the question of what is needed for a satisfying awareness of environmental issues in a modern world where amassed juxtapositions of proven or provable definitions do not always form an integrated scientific view or a basis for new culture. But becaus net organic relationship will always require culture, pumpkin links grow beyond the fat ego, or champions showtime - which, of course, is still important.

Soil

Hopefully, the kind of soil you use is one which has not previously been used for diseased pumpkins, or fruit that has not decayed naturally. The best kind of soil for experimenting with growing pumpkins is one which is rich, but quite well drained - for example, the top of a mound of compost, rather than the bottom of a ditch. However, optimum conditions are needed for best results, because although pumpkins like sunshine and warmth, the broad leaves can be prone to drought in high summer, in a way in which narrow-leaved plants, such as grasses and those with needles are not.

Growth Factors

Some growers have tried mounding up the earth to force the plant to establish a deeper rooting system, and others pick off flowers that seem too early for the size of the plant, or wrongly positioned, while waiting for a significant date. Certainly, enough sunshine is essential, especially during the period of fruit growth, and non pollinated or diseased fruits will simply drop off early. The pollen bearing male flowers on long stems usually appear before the female fruit-based flowers; yet, if no females appear, potash (potassium) fertilizer seems to help, and males without pollen is a sign of disease. No poisonous chemicals to be allowed during flowering.

Plant Nutrition

Those aiming for giant-sized pumpkins recommend adding plant food to successive waterings, i.e. mixing in a fertilizer with a little of the three well-known fertilising chemicals: Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Potassium. Flow of resources to the growing fruit is an extra factor to calculate for. With adequate growth factors and nutrition, the plant has a high chance of outgrowing any disease, so a canny organic gardener should not entirely shun use of trace minerals such as iron or copper to combat yellow leaves - such use is preferable to toxic artificial chemical fungicides and insecticides.

Diseases

The main diseases that pumpkins very often get are types of mildew. Downy mildew will turn leaves yellow, only appearing later as fur on underside of leaves, powdery mildew appears especially in damp and shady conditions, as grey patches on the surface of the leaves. Of the two, powdery mildew turns out to be less of a problem, as fruit will still grow when much of the plant is covered - it even appears to keep downy mildew at bay to an extent. Early small-scale systemic treatment of seedlings will help to avoid subsequent problems nearer to flowering time, when toxic artificial chemical fungicides and insecticides are forbidden to nature lovers who consider news stories about falling bee populations seriously.

Produce Values

The fruits contain plenty of edible flesh between the outer rind and the seeds, and the seeds also can be dried and eaten. Although not as heavy in terms of food production as potatoes or swedes, pumpkin flesh is easily digested and adds well to stews if one does not want to eat it on its own. As with other bright yellow, orange or red fruits and vegetables, the pumpkin provides a valuable source of anticarcinogenic natural compounds.

Weighing

Despite the fact that larger pumpkins generally tend to weigh more, there can be a considerable difference in weights of pumpkins of comparable size, which is due to state of ripening or amount of denser flesh, also moisture content. The standard culinary pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) does not grow as large as the giant varieties (Atlantic Giant, Cucurbita maxima) and is not as dense (a mature pumpkin also has large airspaces internally in the center with the seeds).

The seeds can, of course, can be dried and used for next year if healthy.

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