Help with Pumpkins

[Garden_Chris]

Hi guys,

I've noticed that the male and female flowers on my pumpkins have flowered and begun to wither away whilst my attention was else where in the garden. Now, I'm not entirely sure whether the plant has successfully managed to pollinate itself without any interference from myself, so I'm hoping that someone will recognise what a recently pollinated pumpkin will look like.









Here's hoping that it's successfully been pollinated! And, if not, well.. there are two more female flowers (even though they're exceptionally small) on the way.

[rustylady]

Just leave them alone and be patient.

[Creemteez]

Hi Chris - me again! It's hard to tell with pumpkins. Again, time will tell. If they have been pollinated they will swell very quickly - I have one which is the size of a small football and seems to double in size every time I check it! There are many more on the various plants I have (Mostly volunteer ones from seeds that were in the compost!), but until they start to swell you cannot be sure. To be honest, the fact that they are quite yellow in colour is not a good sign as the ones that seem to be swelling on my plants are quite green. Don't sweat it too much, I'm sure your plant will produce quite a few more fruits and nature will take it's course!
Good luck!

[Two_Sheds]

I've never had a problem with courgettes & pumpkins. I put it down to being completely ignorant of their pollinating habits ~ I just leave them alone and they get on with it

[Newton]

Mine are yellow and small football sized. Very similar to the photos. I am hoping they will turn a Halloween orange colour? Will they?

[horticultural_hobbit]

What Creemteez says rings true, in my experience. There are three babies on Bruno that are green and swelling. There were quite a few babies that were yellow and have fallen off.The same happened with Gladys the BNS. Now, with the pollination, I did some assisted pollination with a cotton bud for Bruno and got the boys and girls shaking hands. I assume that this worked, as there are green swelling babies. Can't say it was me with any confidence as I sorta just did it in a mad panic. All the flowers suddenly opened and I had a "oh,flip" moment. There are regular walks down the garden path, out of nervousness. One of the babies looks like it might have a goodnight Vienna moment. It keeps raining, and I really need to pull my finger out and give Bruno a good feed.

[reetnproper]

The colour of the baby pumpkins will depend on variety, as far as I am aware. My pumpkin embryos are yellow and this is correct for Hundredweight (well it was last year ) and I have 3 growing. One is size of large football; 1 is orange size; 3rd is lemon size but butternut shape . I have several others which, hopefully, have just been pollinated and will start to swell over next couple of days.

They will turn orange eventually - be patient .

For info' the football sized pumpkin was size of large orange this time last week - that's how fast they grow when they take off.

HTH
Reet
x

[Florence Fennel]

At the mo I've only one that has "taken off", but I'm sure the others will catch up. I remember finding one last year hidden from sight behind a dalek and it was huge. I didn't even know it was there!

[Florence Fennel]

Actually Reet, you might be able to help me. I planted 4 pumpkins through some really thick cardboard I put down on what was lawn last October. They have been in quite a long time and are really small plants that have not spread at all, but they do have flowers. Do you think their roots are too restricted? Have you ever had fruit on a vine with not much foliage? I really don't hold out much hope for these plants.

[Two_Sheds]

Do you think their roots are too restricted?

Yes ... if the lawn was well used, the soil will be very compacted and hard for the pumpkin's roots to grow into.

If you dug them up, I expect the roots would look really small

[Garden_Chris]

The colour of the baby pumpkins will depend on variety, as far as I am aware.

My pumpkins came in a seed packet simply labelled "Mammoth Pumpkins". from the 'Little Growers' (don't tease :P) chain. Click on the following link to see if you can recognise them Unwins Little Growers Pumpkin Mammoth Seeds - Seeds For Kids from Plants Plus UK

Update on the Pumpkin: I can't tell if it's grown, bit the flower has certainly shrivelled up into almost nothing. I'll check back tomorrow and hopefully there will be a sign to indicate either bad news, or good news.

[reetnproper]

Florence - to be honest hun I've only been growing pumpkins for 3 years (inclusive) and have learned what little I know from what I've picked up along the way and from asking the experts here.

That said, if, as Two Sheds has said, the roots have been restricted but the plants are flowering anyway, I'd leave them in situ and see what happens, unless that is you have designs on the space. Ma Nature works in mysterious ways and may surprise you

Reet
x

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks TS and Reet, they really don't look like they're going to make it, but I'll leave them in situ until I can persuade my son to move the cardboard and dig over the bed!