HELP! pumpkin plant has taken over garden

[littlerach]

I didn't think it would even grow!

hav eabout 20 flowers on, some have the mini pumpkin too.

But it has swamped the veg patch.

Can I cut it back/trim it/technical word for make it stop!!!?

Or will it die?

You could try training it up some sturdy supporting trellis/canes/wahtever. They do go a bit, don't they.

I hacked at ours (stems are hollow) and reduced it by half,was fine and we still had a decent crop.

Be careful of the spines they bloody hurt

(note to self buy new gardening gloves)

Just to add, I normally limit the pumpkins that I allow to grow, in order to grow larger ones for the children.

I just pick off the unwanted ones and left the remaining ones grow huge.

Although my garden is simply too small for these as the can definately overtake the whole garden if allowed, so my SIL allows me to grow mine in her garden, in exchange for bringing on a few plants for her.

Last year she grew one of hers up a trellis and had a pumpkin growing on top of her wall, 8 feet up. It was quite a funny sight.