Pumpkin ‘Musquée de Provence’ seeds require no prior treatment although an overnight soak in lukewarm water will encourage germination.

How to Sow

Sow under glass: March-April.
Pumpkins like the heat and sowing them in the greenhouse or indoors with a windowsill propagator will work well. Use not too small turf pots filled with a good potting compost, or just use a seed tray. A mix of both can work really well too.
Try to give your propagator some heat from below - a temperature of 20° C day and night will really help them to germinate. Don't allow your seedlings to dry out.
Plant one seed per pot at a depth of half a centimetre and cover with more soil. Press lightly down and sprinkle with water. Stand in a sunny spot on the windowsill and depending on temperature, germination will take place within the week.
After germination, you can reduce the humidity for a few days by opening the sliding doors on your propagator. If using a plastic covering on a seed tray prick some holes in it. When the seedlings reach a height of 10 cm, acclimatise them to normal humidity by taking off all coverings for one hour longer every day for 5 days. This will soon be necessary as pumpkins grow quite quickly. To allow for a steady growth of the young plants try as long as possible to keep them at 20° C. They can then be potted up.
 

When there are no longer signs of an impending frost, your pumpkin seedlings can go outdoors. They like a moisture retaining soil, like clay. Choose a nice sunny spot in the garden. Pumpkins also thrive in pots on the patio. Do acclimatise them first by standing them outside every day for a week (in the shade), one hour longer each day. After this week, pot them up, several plants to a pot if there is sufficient room (be aware they do grow fairly large). Stand the pots in a warm, sheltered spot in full sun.
Pumpkin plants tend to creep over the soil. The fruits can rot if left on bare ground so a layer of garden plastic or just straw around them can be handy. Garden plastic will also help to heat the soil, encouraging fast growth. A plank on the soil can hold a number of pumpkins off the ground.
Pumpkins grow fast and will respond positively to a fertiliser like Bakkers feed for flowering plants, or our tomato feed. Water extra, daily when the weather is dry and keep the pumpkin bed free of weeds. Pulling weeds up by hand is best as pumpkin roots are just below the surface and hoeing can easily damage them.

Harvesting

Harvest in September-November.
 
Harvest simply by cutting the fruit loose from the plant with a sharp knife.

Pumpkins can easily be grown on your compost heap too!
Cucurbita maxima (pumpkin) belongs in the cucumber family (cucurbitaceae) and these plants have both male and female flowers. To encourage pollination, we would advise planting at least 2 or 3 plants together. (Bumble) bees will do the rest for you.
Pumpkins, marrows and gourds all belong to the autumn season and of course Halloween. Their warm colours add a nice touch to the home when displayed too!
Pumpkins are really good for you! They are packed with vitamins C and E, minerals (calcium and iron) and antioxidants in the form of carotene. Pumpkins are a great source of fibre and have very few calories!