This year I planted 6 orbit pumpkin plants for the children to have something at Hallowe'en...the first 2 plants in the ground were great, pollinated straight away, are growing shrub like and now the fruits are just smaller than a jacko'lantern and beginning to turn orange. The other 4 plants have all now finally set a fruit each, all different sizes...but now beginning to grow. It seems to me that there seems to be no more female flowers coming on the strongest 2 plants, as their fruit has been set for a while.
Do these plants only ever produce one fruit each? If I harvest the 2 oldest/largest will these plants then start to produce female flowers again and I might get a second fruit off each plant.
Is there time to grow another fruit on each plant from scratch?
..and if I harvest them now will they store OK to last until October?