Sow pumpkins in pots

Pumpkins and winter squash are easy to grow and come in some amazing shapes, sizes and colours. Pumpkins vary from the very large to very small, so choose your variety carefully as some are more suitable for Hallowe’en lanterns than for cooking and eating.
Some of the most popular and tasty winter squash include acorn, butternut, spaghetti squash (with stringy flesh that can be served like pasta) and ‘cheese’ squash (which look a bit like flat wheels of cheese).
Pumpkins and squash are straightforward to grow and as long as you keep them in the sun they can be persuaded to trail and make good ground cover to choke weeds. Provided you prepare the planting holes well, plants can also be used to cover areas of poor soil. Pumpkin and squash plants can also be grown upwards on well supported trellis or netting to cover ugly fences or sheds.
Pumpkin and squash need a long growing season (the larger the fruit, the longer the time to harvest).
Although the fruit can be picked when small, it is usually left on the plant to ripen and mature. Once the skins have hardened, called curing, winter squash can be harvested and stored for use throughout
the winter.
Growing tips
The seeds of pumpkin and squash need rich, moist soil and consistent warmth to germinate, so are best sown and grown in a heated propagator or greenhouse.
Gradually harden off seedlings before planting
out into rich fertile soil in early-mid June when all danger of frost has passed, and plant them in the sunniest spot you can give them. Cover young plants with a cloche or fleece to protect from wind until they become sturdier. 
You can sow pumpkins and squash surprisingly late so don’t give up if for some reason your seeds fail to germinate. Later sown seeds won’t produce such big fruits but will still crop well, especially if the autumn stays mild.