Pumpkins!!!

[SusieG]

My two pumpkin plants are growing side-by-side in a bed of their own (a few flowers dotted in there...) and they are growing, well EVERYWHERE..!

Should I be pinching out, or whatever...... I think they'll take over the whole garden soon....!

They have produced a few little fruits, so far...... Help!

[lmayhow]

Snap will be interested to hear peoples opinions....

[noviceveggrower]

I grew one a couple of years ago. I just let it ramble about and it produced a couple of pumpkins. The biggest weighed in at 21lbs.

[Jungle Jane]

The pumpkins I had spread about 10 foot across the garden,it might depend what variety you're growing,but I had one plant with two pumpkins,which were smaller than my one plant with one pumpkin. So I wonder if having two pumpkins per plant makes the plant think,I can't cope with that you can have small pumpkins? Or maybe I didn't feed them enough?

[Containergardener]

Susie's pumpkin patch may need a thread of its own

[Snadger]

Whatever the space you alot for pumpkins will never be enough!

[Small pumpkin]

I wish mine were taking over the garden Starting to worry if it's getting a bit late for then to set fruit. They are looking a bit pathetic this year.
What variety are you growing susieG?

[Small pumpkin]

Another thing are your little fruits actually set?

[SusieG]

I'm growing : Rouge Vif d'Etampes (planted out on 28th May...)

Don't know if the fruits have 'set' though?? How'dyou know?

Some pics taken this morning:

[Containergardener]

I wouldn't have a clue but everything looks great

[Small pumpkin]

They look great...... A little jealous .
The picture of the fruit where the flower has died back. Give him a gentle squeeze, if he feels a bit squashy he has not set. I then leave him there to prove me wrong and when he gets extra squashy A. I'm not surprised B. Then I cut him off so he doesn't make any other part of the plant rot.

I think you can remove side shoots if you want, ( when you want). Pinch out main stem after (however many you want) fruit have set.

[SusieG]

..........And you know what, SP, I don't think I did anything extraordinary for them when I planted out ~ dug a deep hole, added a bit of compost, puddled them in and earthed up around them a bit!

Think I've fed them once (with some nettle tea) and watered them once!

Just beginners luck, I think It'll be interesting to see if I actually do manage to get a fruit to set....... A couple of them fell off in my hand when I touched them. They were about the size of a squash ball (appropriate!!).

So think I might need to rein them in a bit soon - there's a danger they'll be up and over the runner bean frame while I'm not looking............

[GreaterMarrow]

Pumpkins

I grew 1 full size pumpkin plant last year (and multiple miniature pumpkin plants) - I read loads of advice on limiting the plant to just 1-2 pumpkins so they grow bigger but I wanted to leave it and see how many I could get!

Once the plant had about 10 healthy looking fruits that were growing steadily I started to pick off any new fruits that came and pinched out the growing tips of each shoot (it was taking over the allotment at this point). I ended up with 10 medium sized pumpkins but only 6-7 actually ripened in time for Halloween.

This photo was taken 18th October as the leaves started to die back.

[Small pumpkin]

Very nice greatermarrow like that.

[SusieG]

Gm ~ wow!!!