As Halloween is approaching, I have been thinking of a suitable article which will celebrate the event and came up with the obvious seasonal fruit: 'pumpkins'. Many people only think about pumpkins when Halloween is approaching, but they can be grown and used in your meals at other times in the year. They are tasty, fun to grow and kids love them as lanterns during the scary evening event!

Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America around 5500 B.C. However, they could have been discovered earlier but exact evidence has not been recorded before this date. Pumpkins generally weigh between 10-15 lbs (4-6 kg), but growers have managed to exceed this figure dramatically by using specialist methods to achieve a much bigger fruit. All around the country pumpkins are being entered into vegetable competitions, some having to be transported by special machinery because they weigh over a ton!

I was in my local supermarket the other day, and was looking at the big display box full of Halloween pumpkins. The quality and size is not very good this year, and I was surprised to see many of the skins were scabby. It does depend in which country they were grown, but my personal opinion is that they were grown in England and the damage was due to the harsh weather conditions.

Pumpkins are not always orange; they can be a variety of greens, yellow, white, and red, even grey. Many of the varieties grown are generally an orangey colour, as most people associate this colour with pumpkins, and these are usually the tastiest if eaten.

Talking about being the tastiest, pumpkins have some useful nutrients in to keep our bodies in tip-top form, the main one being vitamin A.

I have enjoyed a bowl of pumpkin soup and the odd pie, but I am not very hot on cooking like I used to be, so here are some useful hints and tips from the best recipes I have found:

I like the idea of the pumpkin spiced cake found in The Times Pumpkin recipes

I have to share a program with you staring Valentine Warner, which is called 'What to Eat Now'. He makes a mouth watering pumpkin soup, which you can try from this BBC Good Food recipe

If you would like to watch him make it, then the episode is available on BBC iPlayer - Episode 3

Anyway, that is enough on the cooking front; let's get back to gardening! You can easily grow pumpkins from seed during the summer. It is fun, and great for kids. Simply follow my next section on growing the perfect pumpkin.

There are usually a range of different varieties of pumpkin seeds available at your local garden centre, or seed supplier.

It is best to start the seeds off around May time in 7.5 cm (3 in) pots in a good quality seed, or multi-purpose compost. Gently make a 2.5 cm (1 in) hole, and carefully push a single seed in per pot. Cover gently and water in, topping up the compost if necessary.

Place in a propagator if available, or if not, a piece of clear plastic over the top of the pots will be sufficient. Place on a lightly sunny window sill, or in a cold frame/greenhouse. I always find it ideal to put a piece of newspaper over the top for protection from direct sunlight, which could dry the compost up and burn the seedlings when they start to emerge.

Keep the soil moist and when they start to emerge, remove the coverings (propagator lid or plastic, and newspaper) to allow the growth to continue. Continue to check them on a daily basis, watering them if the compost is dry.

Once the roots are beginning to show through the bottom of the pot, then it is time to repot into a 12.5 cm (5 in) pot using a general purpose compost.

After all signs of frost have gone, and they are taking over your home, then it is time for them to be planted outside in their fruiting spot. They require a sunny well drained position, mixing in plenty of organic fertiliser before planting to give them the best possible start. Once they have established, feed regularly with tomato feed; watering them on a regular basis according to weather conditions.

When they start to fruit, it is always worth taking some off to leave three fruits per plant. This will ensure that the plant has enough energy to produce a larger healthier fruit. As the fruits get larger it is best to lay them on wood or bricks to prevent them from rotting, and ensure slugs and snails don't start nibbling away! Remove any leaves that are shading the fruit, protecting them with straw or cardboard if there is any sign of frost.

Leave the fruit on as long as possible to mature, and when the stem starts to crack and the skin is very tough, it is ready to be picked. Expose the pumpkin to sunlight outside for 10 days, or keep indoors at 27-32 C (81-90 F) for four days to harden. Keep the pumpkins in a well ventilated place for storing.

For pumpkin carving tips and patterns, see Pumpkin Carving 101 and The Perfect Pumpkin.

Happy Gardening!

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