HelpfulGardener.com

hi- last year we kinda had this random pot of dirt and someone threw an old pumpkin it it. well it broke down and we forgot about it, and we dumped that dirt in the corner of my yard. this spring pumpkin sprouths came up and I'm trying to see what I can do with them. my main worry is that they might not develop female flowers - there are plenty of male flowerbuds (and the most developed is already orange, so I'm assuming it will open tomorrow.) but I can't seem to find any even very tiny female ones, with the baby pumpkin thing underneath. I should probably mention that they unfortunately don't get direct sunlight all day, but they do get a good amount, and the way they randomly came up they're kind of all coming from the same spot and spreading out, sort of clumped together. Any ideas? they're kind of under a lilac bush, but I trimmed it so it didnt block any sun. if it helps weather/climatewise, I'm in northeast pennsylvania. thanks!

Its often recommended that you cut the first few vines that start growing buds because almost always they will be male flowers. By cutting it, it encourages other growth and results in more female flowers getting energy from the plant, instead of it focusing on the male flowers that are already there. Also, for maximum flower and fruit development, plants need phosphorus. A vegetalbe fertilizer should take care of that.

fem

thanks. but I'm not sure what you mean by vine and trimming. because right now the flowerbuds are basically on a central stem - there isnt much separation into different vines yet. or do you mean to take off just the flowerbud?

Ah then yeah. If its not sending out vines with the flowers on them, then you can just trim off the flower buds. This is a common problem for the whole family of veggies, from pumkins to gourds (which are growing up my fence right now) and you just need to get rid of the male buds.

Also, I forgot to mention, you will probably want to thin out your pumpkin patch, otherwise you will likely end up with many sad pumkins instead of a few really nice ones. They need room to stretch their tendrills and breath.

fem

thank you! I'll have to do that. and I'm glad to know that its not just me and that my garden isn't just messed up. haha