Pumpkin archways are a great way to grow a lot of pumpkins whilst also saving a lot of space! Even if you have a fairly big allotment plot, pumpkins can be a real space killer. So if you can grow them vertically, I would definitely recommend trying it.
Archways have the added benefit of being absolutely beautiful. The pumpkins will hang down like dainty Christmas ornaments and you’ll feel like a magical fairy walking underneath them all!
There are certain varieties of pumpkin that work better grown vertically or over an archway. Jack be littles, baby boos and Uchiki Kuri are great choices as they are quite small and will hang without snapping. However, if you do want to grow slightly bigger varieties, you can. Just think about adding some extra support for them so they don’t snap from the one prematurely or bring the archway down! Hammocks made from fleece are a good option for this.
MY 2024 PUMPKIN ARCHWAY
The archway this year was made out of an old Polytunnel frame. I decided to go bigger in the hope of being able to grow even more pumpkins over it.
To start I wrapped the Polytunnel with garden mesh. I’ve found mesh to be much better than something like chick wire as the mesh is more flexible. You want it to have a bit of give to it so that it allows the pumpkins to sink a little and stretch out, as opposed to having to grow around a solid frame. If pumpkin decide to grow on top of the mesh, it can be helpful to place a bit of folded up fleece underneath them so that they don’t get ridges cut into them.
I added lots of manure and compost to the beds. Pumpkins are hungry plants and require lots of natural organic material to grow well. They also need lots of watering, but like a free draining soil.
I positioned the archway in direct sun. It’s the sunniest part of my new allotment plot and gets sun pretty much the entire day long.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Slugs. Slugs. More slugs. That’s what went wrong guys! The pumpkins were attacked from the second I put them into the ground and didn’t stand much of a chance. I tried every single slug and snail deterrent I could think of, but to no avail.
I even waited until the pumpkins were a good size before planting them out in the hope they would be able to fight them off a bit. Pumpkin plants develop spikes on their stems and leaves which act as a good slug deterrent (usually). However, it seems the slugs didn’t care about the risk of a spike in the mouth and munched their way through my plants anyway.
I did manage to grow a few smaller pumpkins and a lot of runner beans which I whacked in to fill empty spaces. but it was a bit of a disappointing year.
LESSONS LEARNT
When anything on my allotment doesn’t work, I always try to at least find the lessons in it. I think in this case, I can safely say that I need to work on more secure slug defences. It might also be an idea to wait even longer before planting the pumpkins outside in the hope that they will be stronger to regrow after a potential attack.
I’ve already layered the beds with more fresh manure and compost. As it’s a new plot, it will take time to build up the quality of soil.
It won’t deter me from giving the pumpkin archway another go next year. After all, we learn more from our failures than we ever do from our successes!
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