Now that we’re in April, we can start thinking about sowing pumpkin and squash seeds on your windowsill or in your greenhouse ready to plant out later on in the year to give you a fantastic harvest of colourful varieties of squash and pumpkins. But how should you prepare the beds that you’re going to plant your crops in? Luckily, one of our new PlantGrow Champions, Kirsty Ward from @My_little_allotment, has put together a handy video to show you how to get your patch ready. Read on to find out her top tips for getting a bumper harvest of pumpkins and squash his year.

5 tips for preparing and planting out your pumpkin and squash plants

Pumpkin and squash are really hungry and thirsty plants so you want to make sure that the patch you wish to grow them in is adequately prepped. There are 5 steps you can take to ensure that you’re giving your crop the best chance.

1.     Dig over the soil and add a light mulch

Kirsty digs over her soil to get out any perennial weeds like thistles to ensure that they don’t steal all the nutrients from her plants. She then adds a light mulch of PlantGrow Natural Soil Conditioner in the autumn or very early spring. This gives the worms a chance to pull the nutrients into the soil, fertilising and helping to change the soil structure. This layer will also act as a mulch on top of the soil which will help retain moisture in the soil over the warmer months.

2.     Dig a hole and add PlantGrow

When you’re planting out your pumpkin and squash plants when all risks of frost have gone, dig a hole double the width you would need for the plant and add a layer of PlantGrow soil conditioner to the bottom. This will help to fertilise your plant and give it the best chance of becoming a giant pumpkin!

3.     Add a plastic pot

To one side of your hole, add a plastic plant pot. This genius idea gives you a watering spot, as it shows exactly where the plant’s roots are. By watering here, you’re going direct to the root source and ensuring that your pumpkin and squash plants get all the water they need.

4.     Mulch around your plants

Mulch around the plants once they are planted up with more PlantGrow soil conditioner as this will help retain any moisture and rainfall that lands around the plant.

5.     Feed once a week

Feed your plants once a week with the PlantGrow Natural Fertiliser Liquid to give them an extra boost.

Watch Kirsty’s video below to find out more about prepping your pumpkin and squash patch, and make sure you follow her on Instagram to follow her journey as she attempts to grow a giant pumpkin using only PlantGrow products!