Ok...my allotment neighboors think i am a pumpkin expert...i LOVE pumpkins (esp pumpkin pie)...but this year i have major problems.
i have 3 kinds of pumpkins/squashes: Early autumn F1 pumpkin, saved seeds from Mars F1 pumpkin last year, and butternut squash.
I started out all 3 in the greenhouse. planted them out. the butternuts and early autumns went out planted above a big hole filled with manure - these plants have all produced beautiful leaves and lots of male flowers but still have no females. the mars f1 and two early autumns went straight into the manure pile. the mars has loads of weird shaped pumpkins that are turning orange already (hope they taste good!). the early autumns didn't even grow at all. The manure was about 8 months old when i did my planting.
so what did i do wrong?? normally i get loads of pumpkins. this is the first year i have had manure, but i would have thought that would make more pumpkins not less. so many of my pumpkins/butternuts grew huge vines with lots of male flowers, but no females and so no fruit! any ideas why?
also - do you think the saved f1 seed mars pumpkins will be edible?
thanks!
shamrock
Hi umshamrock :)
My main, mollycoddled pumpkin plants are grown on a heap which has muck and leaf mould added.
My two biggest pumpkin plants on that heap have produced four pumpkins this year, they are bigger than last year but last year plants grown on the same spot produced thirteen good sized pumpkins.
The pumpkins are starting to mature and the leaves are starting to yellow slightly.
I think that the long late spring followed by the hot weather has shortened the growing season and everything is maturing early, at least in this part of the world. I think that this has put the plants out of synch with the insects and theres a shortage of pollinators at the right time. Yields seem to be down for some crops with huge gluts in others. Its not over yet.
maybe?? Col
Hi unshamrock, :D
as i hear they say up north, "tis a bugger this gardening" ::)
I echo columbus on the odd weather may be having a part, I can`t see that you have done anything wrong at all. I have done as well this year as last, my blue kuri have produced 14 good size pumpkins (3 plants) & the winter festival (1 plant) at least 10 ;D
the butternuts as last year only 2 or 3 from 2 plants.
With regard to the mars F1, as you used saved seed, I doubt that you will get the same fruit as last year, pumpkins are very promiscuous, & last year they will have been pollinated from more than one type, so your seeds will not be true Mars. They should however be fine to eat ;D
Just look forward to next year.
Adrian.
I agree with Adrian and Col, shamrock, it must be something about the weather this year and the pumpkins. We had a late start.
I doubt it is possible to overfeed a pumpkin, but as mine just go in the ground it might be, you could assume it has too much nitrogen. You could try pinching out the leaders to encourage side shoots and give it a tomato feed fertiliser to encourage fruits/flowers. Or sit tight with your fingers crossed..
???
My squashes are the same; the cucumbers are OK but everything else is producing very little in the way of fruit, so far at any rate.
My Butternuts have been really slow this year too, only 2 fruit so far. My 'jack be little' pumpkins on the other hand are producing like there's no tomorrow, although it's the first time I've grown them so no idea if tha's normal. Other squash have given mixed results, my 'Marina di chioggia', west indian pumpkin, and 'blue kuri' have only produced one fruit each, but 'trombolino', 'jaspee de vendee', and 'delicata' have produced a decent quantity of fruit,although again it's my first year with all of these squashes so no idea if what I'm getting is normal.
I normally always plant in heaps of fresh steamy horse manure, but this year we ran out of time so didn't get any....pumpkins and squashes went in and started okay, but we lost half due to the drought, and those that are left are only just starting to really produce fruits. Cucumbers haven't seemed to mind, and the melons are doing great, but no butternuts, 1 turks turban, 2 crown prince and a splattering of others....I normally have to take mine back to the car by the wheel barrow...this year it looks like a carrier bag will do! :'(
My West Indian pumpkins, which were the only squash which got off to a good start, have produced two fruit between four plants. The Veg Spaghetti one between two. The butternut squash none, and the Northern Bush did nothing because I forgot where I'd put them and they didn't get watered while they were establishing themselves. Never mind, I'll make sure they stay warmer at the seedling stage next year, and hopefully it'll be a bit wetter.
thanks, guys.
none of my plot neighboors seem to be having squash/pumpkin issues though, that's what really gets me! i'll try feeding with tomato feed again. i put down potash yesterday for the rain to wash into the soil.
it seems the only squash i have that are producing anything are saved seeds from F1 hybrids. i saved spaghetti squash seeds last year, and my spag squash plants are producing huge fruits, way bigger than last year, that taste almost the same.
ok let's all blame the weather...
so glad you posted this umshamrock, was wondering what I'd done wrong - plenty of male flowers, but very few fruit on otherwise bouncy squash plants >:( I will plant them a little further apart next year though, as the courgettes are being bullied by the ramblers - and will definitely do more in the way of growing upwards. Sorry this doesn't answer your question but it's happening here too :-\