As with almost all other pumpkin varieties, growing the tasty Hokkaido pumpkin in your own garden is child's play. The plants are pleasantly undemanding and undemanding, they only require nutrient-rich soil and regular watering.

The optimal sowing time

Like so many other gourds, the Hokkaido does not tolerate cold very well. The plants are not cold-resistant and should therefore only be brought outside as soon as night frosts are no longer to be expected. Therefore, the best time to sow or plant is after the Ice Saints in May.

Prepare the soil properly

Hokkaido plants like well-aerated, nutrient-rich soil. Dig up the soil well in autumn and place plenty of manure in it, which will enrich the soil with nitrogen until spring. Horn shavings (€32.93) or green manure are also good for biological soil preparation. Before sowing or placing the young plants in the bed, you should dig up the soil again thoroughly to loosen it.

Putting out the young plants in the open ground bed

You can place the young plants in the outdoor bed from mid-May. It has been shown that about eight plants per square meter bring the highest yield of fruit, but that the more space a single plant can take up, the larger the fruit.

Sow seeds directly or prefer plants?

Of course, you can also sow the seeds directly into the bed. However, you then have to wait longer before harvesting, since the seeds are only allowed outside from mid-May. For this reason, it has proven useful to prefer the plants on the windowsill or in the greenhouse.

The care of the Hokkaido plants

Like all gourds, Hokkaido plants need plenty of water and a sunny and warm location. It rarely needs to be fertilized. However, make sure to protect your plants from snail damage. These gluttonous 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 stable manure in the previous year
  • a sunny location
  • sufficient water (caution! soil should be moist, but not wet)
  • little fertilizer (nettle manure is ideal)
  • Protection against snail damage: Pack the older plants all around in sawdust

tips and tricks

Hokkaido plants tend to have strong, climbing growth. You can prune the tendrils if they get too big.

Category:

Vegetable garden