Crop type: Pumpkins
Cucurbita pepo ‘Charmant’
Common name: Pumpkin ‘Charmant’
Crop slug: pumpkins
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Charmant’ is an accepted Cucurbita pepo cultivar grown as a scrambling annual. Green leaves and yellow flowers are followed by medium to large pumpkins with orange skin and orange flesh. The crop guide describes bright-orange fruits of about 6–8kg, an approachable size for Halloween carving as well as autumn kitchen use.
Although its vines can travel about 2m along the ground, ‘Charmant’ is presented as a relatively compact pumpkin. Its useful resistance to powdery mildew helps foliage remain effective as fruits mature, and sound pumpkins store well into winter. The flowers also provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metre
- Ultimate spread
- 1.5–2.5 metres
- Time to maturity
- one year
- Typical fruit weight
- about 6–8kg
- Habit
- spreading, branched and trailing
Allow the plant room to scramble for roughly 2m even though it is more compact than many giant trailing pumpkins. Direct flexible stems around a broad circle if necessary, taking care not to kink them, and keep the developing fruits where they can remain dry and receive sun.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, clay, loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Preferred pH
- Acid, neutral or alkaline
This adaptable cultivar accepts all principal soil textures and pH ranges, but growth is best in rich, fertile ground that drains freely. Prepare a deep planting pocket with compost or well-rotted manure. Water consistently at the roots, especially as the 6–8kg fruits swell, and mulch the warm soil while leaving the stem base clear.
A high-potassium liquid feed supports flowering and fruit development where plants are container-grown or soil fertility is limited. Avoid repeated drought, which stresses foliage and may reduce fruit set despite the cultivar's mildew resistance.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- East-, north-, south- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H1c
‘Charmant’ is a tender summer crop that tolerates outdoor warmth but not cold. Raise it under protection and plant out only when frost has passed and temperatures are reliably mild. A sheltered full-sun position is more important than compass aspect, giving leaves and fruit the heat and light needed to mature.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
The spreading annual carries broad green palmately lobed leaves and golden-yellow summer flowers. In autumn it produces clean, medium-to-large, rounded pumpkins with bright-orange ribbed skin, orange flesh and strong stalks. The variety illustration should show a manageable carving-sized fruit rather than the extreme proportions of Hundredweight or Atlantic Giant, and may reveal a small cut wedge of orange flesh while keeping the main pumpkin whole and uncarved.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Spreading, branched and trailing
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Cucurbita contains climbing and trailing annual plants native to Central and South America. Cultivated members have prickly palmately lobed leaves, separate golden-yellow flowers and fleshy fruits used for food and decoration.
Safety
Do not eat or give pets any pumpkin that tastes bitter. Unusual bitterness may indicate harmful cucurbitacins. Discard the fruit and plant, and use gloves or other protection if the rough stems and leaves irritate skin.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Sow one seed on its side about 1cm deep in an individual pot indoors in mid- to late April, keeping the compost at 18–21°C. Provide bright light after germination. Harden seedlings off gradually and plant into rich, well-drained soil in full sun after the last frost.
Water deeply and regularly, directing water to the root zone rather than over leaves. Mulch to conserve moisture and feed with a high-potassium fertiliser once fruits begin to swell. Place a tile or board beneath each pumpkin before it becomes heavy, and allow leaves enough space for air circulation.
Harvest before the first frost when the bright-orange skin is hard. Cut with at least 10cm of stalk, cure for seven to ten dry days and store sound fruits apart in a ventilated place at about 10–15°C. Inspect them regularly through winter.
Propagation
Propagate by seed, retaining the strongest seedling at each growing position.
Suggested locations
- Allotment or vegetable garden
- Productive wildlife garden
- Sunny raised bed
- Large patio container or grow bag
Pruning
No routine pruning is required. Remove damaged leaves and unwanted late fruits cleanly if concentrating growth into a smaller number of pumpkins.
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs and snails. Protect tender seedlings and lift developing fruits away from damp soil.
Diseases
May be susceptible to grey mould and powdery mildew, although the cultivar shows some resistance to mildew. Keep foliage dry when watering, avoid crowding and remove decaying tissue promptly.