Eat Seasonably

Complete growing directions

1. Buy a young plant. Choose between a giant kind for carving into a lantern or a more tasty variety (which often look a little weird!)
2. Hint: make sure the frosts are over in your area before planting as frost kills young pumpkins.
3. Plant them directly into the soil about 3 feet apart in the garden. Water and wait!
4. Grow your pumpkins on to maturity and only harvest after the leaves have started to wither and crisp.
5. Remove your pumpkins with a short length of stem and leave them out in the sun or in a shed to dry out, so that the skin hardens.

Watering

1. The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
2. If the soil is damp just under the surface, don't water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
3. Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don't over-water them.
4. It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Compost

Check out Compost Made Simple for all your composting needs and know-how.