If you’re growing winter squash or pumpkins and the plants are only just beginning to form fruits now, then there are a few things you can do to help them reach maturity before the end of their growing season.
Pinch out the growing tips
Once you have two or three fruits on a plant, then you can happily pinch out the growing tips of the vines – simply snip off the ends. This will stop the plant from putting its energy into growth of leaves, and instead encourage it to put its energy and resources into swelling the fruits.
Give it a liquid feed
If you can, try and give the plants a liquid feed once every ten days from now on. You can buy plant feed from your local garden centre – a tomato feed is great, being high in potassium.
Give them extra warmth
As we move closer to autumn and the night time temperatures begin to drop, it’s a really good idea to cover your winter squashes with a cloche tunnel, horticultural fleece or a makeshift polythene cover to try and keep them nice and warm.
Keep them weed-free
The fewer weeds they have to compete with, the better. They will have better access to nutrients, water and sunshine to help them reach maturity before it’s too late.
Prune out leaves in October
Once we reach October, you really want the plants to put as much energy into the fruits as possible, and pruning out some of the leaves at this point, ensuring that the fruits have as much sun exposure as possible will really help.
Leave the fruits on the plants as long as you can
You need to harvest them before the first frosts, but up until then, being on the plant is their best bet for reaching maturity. Once you do harvest, store them in a warm, dry room – a kitchen windowsill is usually a safe bet.