Why grow pumpkins and melons

Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable that stores extremely well and brings colour and sweetness to your Winter meals. It is relatively easy to grow as long as it is in full sun. Melons are similar, requiring full sun also, and the taste of a home-grown melon is pure joy. 

What else do they need

Melons and pumpkins, like most vegetables, require a soil rich in organic matter, a balanced organic fertiliser with trace elements, and mulch to keep their root systems cool and suppress weeds. Water them daily in hot weather, and avoid stress as this makes them more susceptible to pests and disease. 

How to grow them in a small space

If you don't have much room, remember that even one vine can produce a bumper crop. Last year we got four enormous pumpkins from one vine that was planted in full sun near a brick wall. Both melons and pumpkins can also be grown vertically, provided that they are supported with a strong trellis, and the individual fruits are hung in little hammocks. You can use stockings for this so the hammock can expand with the fruit as it grows. Melons and pumpkins can also be grown amongst other ornamental plants as their rambling habit acts as a ground cover to suppress weeds. Just be sure to prevent them from actually climbing over your plants and suffocating them. You will also need to provide additional fertiliser and water so both plants are supported adequately. Also remember that some native plants have different fertiliser requirements to pumpkins and melons so it may be a good idea to keep them separate.  

Still to come

Next time I will talk about planning your Winter vegetable garden in the heat of Summer. 

This week's recipe links

Corn Ribs from Recipe Tin Eats. 

Zucchini Pickles from Not Quite Nigella. 

Stir-Fried Chicken and Pak Choy from Adam Liaw. 

Greek Roasted Potatoes with Meatballs in Tomato Sauce from Dimitra's Dishes. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.