Growing the tasty Hokkaido pumpkin in your own garden is, as with almost all other types of pumpkin, child's play. The plants are pleasantly undemanding and frugal, requiring only nutrient-rich soil and regular watering.
How do I grow Hokkaido pumpkin in my own garden?
To grow Hokkaido pumpkin yourself, you need nutrient-rich, well-prepared soil, a sunny location, enough water, little fertilizer and protection from snails. The best sowing or planting time is after the Ice Saints in May.
The optimal sowing time
Like so many other cucurbits, the Hokkaido tolerates cold very poorly. The plants are not cold-resistant and should therefore only be brought outdoors as soon as night frosts are no longer expected. Therefore, the best sowing or planting time is the time after the Ice Saints in May.
Preparing the soil properly
Hokkaido plants like well-aerated, nutrient-rich soil. Dig the soil well in the fall and add plenty of manure to it, which will enrich the soil with nitrogen until spring. Horn shavings or green manure are also suitable for biological soil preparation. Before sowing or putting the young plants into the bed, you should dig up the soil thoroughly again and loosen it.
Spreading the young plants into the outdoor bed
You can put the young plants in the outdoor bed from mid-May. It has been shown that around eight plants per square meter produce the highest yield of fruit, but that the more space a single plant can take up, the larger these fruits become.
Sow seeds directly or prefer plants?
Of course you can also sow the seeds directly into the bed. However, you will then have to wait longer until the harvest, as the seeds are only allowed outside from mid-May. For this reason, it has proven to be best to grow the plants on the windowsill or in the greenhouse.
Caring for Hokkaido plants
Like all pumpkins, Hokkaido plants need plenty of water and a sunny and warm location. It only needs to be fertilized rarely. However, be careful to protect your plants from slug damage. These voracious animals are particularly fond of young pumpkin plants.
This is what your Hokkaido plants need:
- loose, nutrient-rich and well-prepared soil
- Soil should have been well fertilized with manure in the previous year
- a sunny location
- sufficient water (careful! Soil should be moist, but not wet)
- little fertilizer (nettle manure is ideal)
- Protection from snail damage: Wrap the older plants all around in sawdust
Tips & Tricks
Hokkaido plants tend to have strong, climbing growth. You can prune the tendrils if they grow too much.
