Is your pumpkin still growing?

[COMPOST CORNER]

Mine isn't growing, it's on the work surface in the kitchen waiting for recipe inspiration.

[Two_Sheds]

My butternuts are still throwing out fresh shoots and flowers

[Matt.]

Sadly a rabbit family has finished off my pumpkin ambitions this year. I have the most beautiful plant 12' by 12' with superb main vine and secondaries and not a single fruit! During mid-summer a rabbit decided the freshly dug soil was an ideal location to start a warren... I thought I'd let it be given as it always hides down the hole when I'm there, but now now I realise rabbits like eating young squash. You can see the stumps of the nibbled fruit so I know thats whats happened. Oh well that'll teach me to plant on an unfenced plot.

[Storming Norman]

I had a baby stray butternut pop up amongst the potatoes for a while until it got swamped in July. By mid august blight had struck the potatoes.

I've not yet been able to dig them up yet - the squash started up again- early Sept it started putting out fruit and now I have 5 big but rather unripe squash on the go. How do I get them to stop growing and ripen up? Time for cloches? I'd really like to dig up the pots as well before the slugs get in.

Should'nt complain of course........

[sqweek01]

I haven't done too badly compared to last year, I have 1 pumpkin! He's a reasonable size but nowhere big as he should be (hundredweight!), but that's mt fault for not feeding him! Still I'm chuffed!

He's ripening but I'm worried he won't before colder weather gets here. I've heard that you can wrap them in fleece to keep them warm but will this help ripening?

Regards

Clare

[maytreefrannie]

I took mine indoors yesterday - even though weather is fairly mild for this time of year, I keep thinking - What if the first frost decides to make itself felt? I have two pumpkins - one just about big enough for the grandchildren to make a Jack-o-Lantern, the other smaller, that's for ourselves.

I've never cooked them, so not sure what to do with my one.

They're currently ripening (I hope) in the kitchen.