questions for pumpkin growers...

[kerryp]

Hi,

To make sure my pumpkin plant gets fruit do i need to pinch out the "growing shoot" after it gets to a certain size? (Ive never gorwn pumpkins before & we only managed to get one plant from planting 6 seeds so its precious!)

If so (yes im gonna sound thick) which bit is the growing shoot coz everytime i get to it its at a "junction" so there is no defined growing bit to see...

ALSO its got white bits coming out from these bits im calling junctions (see the photo), what are these? Is it trying to replant itself? Does it need to?

ARGH so many questions!

Thanks for any help

[Two_Sheds]

I pinch off the growing tip when 2 fruits have set and are *about* softball size - it's a bit early yet though.

[rustylady]

First picture - the little thing in the junction is a flower - you need to leave these or you won't get any pumpkins. Second picture - looks like the plant is producing roots at the junctions. No problem, let them root into the ground. I wouldn't consider pinching anything out until you have at least 3 pumpkins growing.

[Florence Fennel]

It looks really healthy, let it ramble for a while longer yet!

[kerryp]

do you think i could put it outside? its taking over my half size greenhouse!! Ive now got 2 TINY little ball things somewhere within the plant, i say somewhere coz its reached the walls of the greenhouse (one with plastic "material" walls not glass ones) & is growing in a circle! im scared of putting it outside coz it was the only pumpkin seed out of 6 i tried that has survived! It seems to be loving it in my greenhouse thingy but at the same time its taking over & ive got other plants in there that need to be able to "breathe" hehehehehe

Ive tried to take a picture of one of my "ball" things so anyone can tell me if i might be getting a pumpkin (il be SO excited if i am!), excuse the broken leaf next to it but like i said its taking over my greenhouse & i caught a leaf when i went in!

As for healthy... some of the leaves are suddenly changing... whats happening? does anyone know?! If i can find out hopefully i can rectify it...

Ideas anyone? Thanks.

[NewbieGardenerRow]

Mine are all outside with a meter in between and are about the same size as yours fruit wise.They seem to love it in a very stony bed.
Mine are Jack O Lanterns.
I started them off in the plastic greenhouse and they have been out now for quite a few weeks. But the first night they got munched by slugs.
I put a ring of egg shells around and now they are big the slugs seem to be ignoring them.
I keep going and moving the trailing bits of mine to keep it on the bed rather than straggling all over my onion patch. They seem to like a lot of water so they get a good dowsing when I do my courgettes and squash.
Its my first year growing pumpkins and squash so I can't offer any more advice about your leaves.
I'm sure a much more knowledgeable Grape will be along shortly to help.

[RobintheBobin]

I think the leaf just looks a little fried - in the greenhouse it will probably be getting very hot especially in this hot and sunny weather

If you have space I'd pop it in the ground, preferably on top of some manure (I just got a small bag of farmyard manure from the garden centre) and you can grow it in a circle by putting little bits of cane in the ground to guide the shoots.

You can see this in my picture and it does seem to work; my plants are a bit bigger now but quite happily growing to no more than the square metre of space I've allocated.

Oh yes and they do like a lot of water so plant them so they are on a slight mound and I slosh a bucket of water around each plant once a week, maybe two if it is really hot.

[hamsterhead]

Hi Kerriep, looks like your growing yours in pots, same as me, although mine are outside on gravel. Like you, this is my first time growing them, in fact, first time growing anything. Seeing the big yellow flowers in the morning makes me smile but by the time I get home from work, they've all closed up again which make me slightly sad. I'm sure yours will turn out fine. You just need to be patient, which I find great difficulty in doing.

[MalUK]

Ive tried to take a picture of one of my "ball" things so anyone can tell me if i might be getting a pumpkin

That's a female flower forming, it will become a pumpkin if it gets fertilised.

[kerryp]

no room in my little raised bed anymore as my OH put our "spare" courgette plants in! My pumpkin is "New England Pie" (seeds were on offer when i got them)... the pants is now "clinging" on to the metal frame of my greenhouse! i think its going to take over...

how do i know the difference between a female flower & a male one? Is it the same as courgette where the male ones are just on long thin stalks? If so i need to try & get between the leaves & fertlise it! (wanna beat my sis in law who tried growing pumpkins last year but all they got was a 15-20ft plant & nothing else! hehehehe

[SMT]

Yes, the males have no baby pumpkin behind the flower. When it comes to pollinating try using 2 or 3 male flowers if you can to ensure a good pollination. Good luck with the comp.

[kerryp]

we decided to go for it & move the pumpkin into the raised bed, so dug up some things that werent doing well... i hope itsurvives the move as its looking very pityful now ( think i might have 1 possible pumpkin starting as the other ball hasnt grown but one is getting bigger. Ive never seen the flower on it open though coz once i see it open ill be dusting it with every male flower i can find hehehehe