A little different approach, if you have room around your girls...... I would place a barrier between your pot and the small compost pot.

Composting for Your Pumpkin Patch
The best stuff that I believe you can put into your pumpkin patch is compost. I'm no expert on composting but there really isn't to much too it. Basically I like to take manure, alfalfa pellets, leaves and build them up into a nicely layered pile. I then spread some organic fertilizer in the pile (I used some leftover Happy Frog brand fertilizer that has some bacteria in the mix) and then poured 5 gallons of compost tea over it to help heat it up quickly (this step isn't necessary, but I think it might help the process go faster). The heat in the compost pile is generated by mesophilic microorganisms which rapidly break down the soluble, readily degradable compounds. The heat they produce causes the compost temperature to rapidly rise.

As the temperature rises above about 103°F,

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Giant Pumpkin Growing Tips From The Pumpkin Man: Composting for Your Pumpkin Patch
Schrodingers Cat Reviewed by Schrodingers Cat on . cold weather help! Growing in the garage the only source of heatis n the lights. Temps are expected to drop into the teens the next couple of. weeks. Garage temps drop to lower 40 now. I'm worried that it will get too cold. my question is how cold is too cold. I have both a veg side and a bloom side.. how do you protect your babies?? Rating: 5