[CarolW]

we have 2 pumpkins a little bigger than a football, the rest are still fairly small. I have  2 questions if anyone can help please:
1  how do you know when they are ready to eat ?
2  do I need to do anything to stop the side of the pumpkin that's on the soil from rotting ?

it would be a shame to fail now !

[Millwood]

To stop the soil side rotting, elevate it using a brick or an upturned box or whatever else may be lying around! As to when its ready, could depend somewhat on variety, but generally the advice it to leave it on the plant as long as possible before any frosts, they are usually ready to eat when turned the full orange colour, about early October time.

[CarolW]

Thank you, we have lifted them today - (they look to have grown overnight) !
I hope we can keep them until bonfire night !

[Hatty]

As to when its ready, could depend somewhat on variety, but generally the advice it to leave it on the plant as long as possible before any frosts, they are usually ready to eat when turned the full orange colour, about early October time.

Thank you, we have lifted them today - (they look to have grown overnight) !
I hope we can keep them until bonfire night !

   

[Millwood]

I think they've lifted the onto something whilst still attached to the plant! Should be able to keep them until bonfire night if you harvest them before any frost and store them in a cool, dark, dry, frost free place.

[CarolW]

   OOPS sorry, I should have said we raised the pumpkins off the soil  ! 

Also thanks for the advice on storage !!

[Fowgill Farm]

Mine are rubbish this year, just seem to be sitting on the muck heap, no sign of any pumpkins. Marrows however off like stink possibly a showstopper amongst them. Butternut squash also dire, am wondering if they're slow because i did my back in so they were late planted out and had to stay in their pots longer than planned. Hope this rain spurs them into action, we rely heavily on them in the autumn for the pigs when the polytunnel stuff has finished.
Mandy 

[Greenerlife]

have grown the seeds of Italy Marmellata pumpkins this year, and I now have about 10 of them!  That's a lot of pumpkin jam,  eeek!

[Hatty]

Scoop the middle chop it and put it back in the skin with some cheese and cream and bake in a hot oven for 45mins (on a baking tray) lovely soup and the cooking pot goes in the bin or to the chickens 

If you fancy a change from pumpkin jam

[northfifeduckling]

roasted or grilled, lovely! as a sweet pickle 

[egbert]

My pumpkins are not doing well - I had 2 small ones start but they never got to be bigger than a tennis ball and then they disappeared. I think they dried out.

I now have 2 more small ones on 1 vine and none on the other - I am trying to grow giants for Halloween for the kids 

[northfifeduckling]

I think they fall off if they have not been pollinated. I am trying to do that every morning as insects in the polytunnel are pot luck. But I'm growing the exotic Hokaido, which does not do well at all outdoors here. Where do grow yours, egbert? the local varieties do best on the compost heap! 

[Greenerlife]

I found a haikaido hiding underneath my peas!  Very exciting - never had any success with it before!

[northfifeduckling]

they are so difficult - first the germination is a lottery and then they need a lot of heat  . I hope yours will do well! did you buy the seeds? 

[Greenerlife]

Yes - bought them from Real Seeds I think a couple of years back.  Should be hot enough here I hope, but water is a problem.  How big should they get?  It is a little bigger than a Honeydew melon at the moment.