Pumpkins getting going

Last year was my best year for squashes and pumpkins: I started them early in a polytunnel (which paid off with the dry spring) and by mid summer, the vines were trailing everywhere and covering a good third of my plot. I harvested 30 squashes and pumpkins (some weighing in at over 4 kilos!) in the autumn and we ate delicious soups, quiches and pies all winter. I even learned new recipes: pumpkin jam, bread and muffins!

This year was looking like a disaster but luckily Crown Prince is a reliable pumpkin variety for the UK climate and I'm very happy to see the first fruit looking promising. I doubt there'll be more than a dozen small fruit to harvest but at least I'll have something!