[Kis20]

Hello All! My first attempt in a forum! I have two large allotment plots and this year I planted a pumpkin patch with 15 plants amongst corn and sunflowers in one. It’s a sea of green now! Some fruits forming but SO many leaves that I’m afraid insects can’t find their way in. My question is this: should I cut back some of the leaves?
Grateful for any suggestions!
Kis20

[Kleftiwallah]

Good afternoon Kis20, as a past pub pumpkin champion leave the leaves alone!  They are the factory of the plant turning sunlight into nutrents.Pumkin growing secret...If you look along the runners you may see swellings, these are auxiliary root nodes, cover these in soil or better still compost and you will get bigger fruits.

Cheers,   Tony.

[mrsbean]

Hello Kis20, must be big  for that many plants. When did you plant yours. Think i may be to late to plant mine now 1 plant. Unless anyone could tell me different xx

[mumofstig]

It is a bit late, unless we get an Indian Summer heatwave...

If the planting area is going spare, with nothing else to plant there instead - then go for it nothing wasted, but, IMO - If you've got dwarf bean seeds or something else you could sow/plant there, that would make more sense at this time of the year.

[Mr Dog]

Agree with mum but would add that a few years ago I had some Butternut seeds that sprouted weeks after being sown. The resulting plants were plonked in some free ground and we used the small fruits that formed like courgettes - they were very tasty!

[Subversive_plot]

Good afternoon Kis20, as a past pub pumpkin champion leave the leaves alone!  They are the factory of the plant turning sunlight into nutrents.Pumkin growing secret...If you look along the runners you may see swellings, these are auxiliary root nodes, cover these in soil or better still compost and you will get bigger fruits.

Cheers,   Tony.

Tony, thanks for that secret!  I am seeing those auxiliary root nodes even on my Butterbush squash.  Mine are now covered in compost.

[mrsbean]

Thanks Mum and Mr Dog, will go for it. Dwarf bean seeds were hit and miss germinating but got perpetual spinach coming on in pots if pumpkin does not do well x

[Kleftiwallah]

Hello Kis20, must be big  for that many plants. When did you plant yours. Think i may be to late to plant mine now 1 plant. Unless anyone could tell me different xx

As to the comment above  our prize winning SINGLE plant (1st, 2nd & 4th) grew to the size of a squash court!  Cheers,  Tony.