Knucklehead pumpkin
This year I was given a selection of squashes to grow by Marshalls Seeds, and whilst I’m still trying to find a way to use up all the courgettes, the other cucurbits are also romping away. The happiest of all is my Knucklehead Pumpkin plant, which has now grown to about 7 or 8 metres long and is producing two large fruits. Well, that’s two fruits that I can see as the vine has scrambled its way across the scrubby area by the compost bins. There could be more lurking.
The knucklehead pumpkin is yet to start going orange or knobbly… but I’m hoping that by mid to late October we’ll have a lovely pumpkin to harvest for pies, soup and all sorts of autumnal foodie treats.
Munchkin pumpkins growing up the arch
And on the arch – my biggest, bestest bargain of this year – nestling amongst the flowering Spanish Flag, my munchkin pumpkins from Sarah Raven are also starting to fruit. Although it’s fairly late in the year for the vines to be producing flowers, I’m hopeful that they’ve got a lot of growing left in them and we’ll have more than just a small handful of the impossibly cute and pretty mini pumpkins for harvesting this year. I’ve counted about ten flowers and buds so it’s a game of wait and see… not sure the persistent damp conditions and lack of warm autumn sunshine will help my cause though…
Funnily enough, the sunniest side of the arch has been swamped by the Spanish Flag climbing vines, so the munchkin pumpkin plants have struggled to compete. On the less sunny side that faces to the east, the munchkin pumpkins are thriving. Something to bear in mind next year as I’ll most definitely be going for a Spanish Flag-munchkin pumpkin combo again. It’s been my little crowning glory this year.
Arch with scrambling Spanish Flag (Ipomoea lobata) and Munchkin pumpkins
Hi I have grown and eaten a lot of swash and you can harvest them at any age, the flowers are good battered and deep fried the young swash can be microwaved or backed and filled if they are big enough with chille, curry,or any thing tasty the flesh cab be peeled and backed in pies with currents sugar and cinnamon. even the leaves can be used as a substitute for vine levees and stuffed. there are so many different ones too spaghetti squash when backed the flesh comes away in long strings just like spaghetti and a lot less calories . my fave is acorn swash the flesh is reach and creamy.
Thanks for the tips 🙂 I am really looking forward to harvesting our squashes this year as, you say, they’re so versatile. Especially love pumpkins in pies and also savoury in curries. Yum!