Whats wrong with my pumpkins?
Well, first of all, a lot of you have told me that I planted my pumpkins to late. I planted them on July 4th and the seed packet says 100-120 harvest time. So shouldn't they be ready by Halloween? Also, I only planted one plant and no flowers have appeared yet. I'm worried. Is this normal? When will they appear? Thanks.
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engineeredgarden
- Green Thumb
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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You posted this elsewhere and I already responded about your baby vines.
But re the days to maturity... that's not from planting the seed, that's from sprouting or more usually from when a well started seedling is transplanted into the ground. But 120 days is four months. Four months from July is November, so you didn't give yourself a good chance to start with.
But as I said elsewhere, if it had been growing as expected you would have lots more vine and flowers by now. But I didn't quite realize you were talking about direct seeding them in July.
The thing about starting the seeds earlier is that temps are milder earlier. Pumpkins do like sun and heat, but a seedling is still a seedling and tender. If your July was anything like ours, it was fierce weather to bring a seedling into.
But re the days to maturity... that's not from planting the seed, that's from sprouting or more usually from when a well started seedling is transplanted into the ground. But 120 days is four months. Four months from July is November, so you didn't give yourself a good chance to start with.
But as I said elsewhere, if it had been growing as expected you would have lots more vine and flowers by now. But I didn't quite realize you were talking about direct seeding them in July.
The thing about starting the seeds earlier is that temps are milder earlier. Pumpkins do like sun and heat, but a seedling is still a seedling and tender. If your July was anything like ours, it was fierce weather to bring a seedling into.
Agreed. Like RG said, the seed packet is referring to when the seeds sprout. Even then, I've found that the dates tend to be a little on the early side. Personally, I think they write those dates assuming that the plants will be growing under optimal conditions....something most gardeners don't have the luxury of enjoying.rainbowgardener wrote:You posted this elsewhere and I already responded about your baby vines.
But re the days to maturity... that's not from planting the seed, that's from sprouting or more usually from when a well started seedling is transplanted into the ground. But 120 days is four months. Four months from July is November, so you didn't give yourself a good chance to start with.
But as I said elsewhere, if it had been growing as expected you would have lots more vine and flowers by now. But I didn't quite realize you were talking about direct seeding them in July.
The thing about starting the seeds earlier is that temps are milder earlier. Pumpkins do like sun and heat, but a seedling is still a seedling and tender. If your July was anything like ours, it was fierce weather to bring a seedling into.
I always add a little time to the listed maturity date on the packet.
I doubt you would be able to get a pumpkin to grow to maturity by Halloween due to several factors.
1. Even small pumpkins will need at least 3 months to grow the vine, have fruit set and have the fruit mature.
2. the amount of daylight and temperatures are decreasing now. The pumpkins would slow growth quite a bit when the temperatures are around 50°F and cooler every night.
3. If you plant pumpkins now, you would be looking at a December harvest, which besides being well past Halloween, you would have to make the plants survive through the first frosts and cooler temperatures and less daylight.
With that said, why not try growing something else and save pumpkins for next year?
You still have time to plant all of the cool-season plants which will grow very well in the winter in Louisiana. I recommend planting some Brassicas.
1. Even small pumpkins will need at least 3 months to grow the vine, have fruit set and have the fruit mature.
2. the amount of daylight and temperatures are decreasing now. The pumpkins would slow growth quite a bit when the temperatures are around 50°F and cooler every night.
3. If you plant pumpkins now, you would be looking at a December harvest, which besides being well past Halloween, you would have to make the plants survive through the first frosts and cooler temperatures and less daylight.
With that said, why not try growing something else and save pumpkins for next year?
You still have time to plant all of the cool-season plants which will grow very well in the winter in Louisiana. I recommend planting some Brassicas.