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Why do I prefer container gardening?

Almost all my plants are kept in containers - any shape and size! A lot of people do prefer to garden in raised beds, the soil can keep its quality better year after year in the ground.  But I prefer to use a different container for each plant! Keep reading to hear my pros and cons for container gardening. u/Longjumping-Quit7471, u/Living-Valuable-376, u/Parking-Bit-9217, u/RaintreeJames   What is container gardening? Container gardening is keeping all your plants in pots. It's ideal for if you don't have much space, or for me it works better! For beginners it's a good way to start, you don't need to buy much.  Weeding your plants is much easier: With only the space in the container, it's easier to keep up with weeding. As I’m weeding more often, I find the roots don't get a chance to develop, and they pull out easier. I can avoid the pesky mosquitoes in the summer: Mosquitos are the devil in the summer! Where I still have some beds, over the winter I can't ...
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How to grow pumpkins

Photo via Shutterstock

Today I carved my first pumpkin of this year! I want to grow pumpkins so I have saved the seeds and will go through how to grow pumpkins.


Popular types of pumpkin to grow:

  • Atlantic giant – giant variety, grows up to 300kg! Usually only grows one fruit
  • Baby Bear – small, perfect for gardeners with little space. A culinary pumpkin with tasty flesh
  • Cargo – perfect size and shape for carving, and bred to grow well in the UK.
  • Ornamental pumpkins – strange colours and textures, great if you’re looking for something different!

 

Growing shaped pumpkins using moulds. Photo by Sylvar

Planting:

  • Sow indoors in mid to late April – harden off in May, plant out in early June
  • Or outdoors late May to early June
  • They grow best in a sunny spot, away from any strong and cold winds
  • You can grow them in the ground or in containers, just make sure they are about a spade’s depth and width in the soil
  • You can also grow them up a ‘hill’ (really a mound of dirt). The hill will warm up faster and drain faster, the vines will trail down the hill and not spread across your garden.
  • They need generous watering, so a moisture retentive soil is best

TIP: keep on top of weeds to ensure best growth, and you can mulch the soil to boost the moisture

  • Keep the pumpkins off the soil! I will prop them on a piece of slate, but anything will do.

 

Feed:

  • They like a lot of feed, so sprinkle any general-purpose vegetable fertiliser after planting
  • And feed them a high potassium liquid fertiliser once the fruit starts to grow

 

Harvesting:

  • Harvest them once they have full colour and the stem connecting to fruit to the plant starts to crack – around Autumn.
  • Once the first frost comes, you will need to cover them with straw/fleece/cardboard as frosted pumpkins do not store nicely

 

Problems with pumpkins:

  • Pests – until flowering, you can cover them with gardening net/fleece. Once they flower, they will need the insects to pollinate them
  • Powdery mildew – keep the soil moist to prevent this
  • Mould – the mould appears grey, and you will need to cut off the affected parts and reduce the humidity around the plants. To reduce humidty, remove any of the weaker plants.


 ----> Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Nate.

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