Can someone check my pumpkins?

[imnewatthis2010]

I'm new at gardening and this is my first time growing pumpkins. I planted at the end of May and right now have 1 small pumpkin starting (This particular plant I started 3 weeks before the others in a small jar, so that's why it's ahead of the others I think).

But I'm not too sure if I planted them too close together or in a small area, as some leaves are dying,wilting,getting white mildew and turning yellow. I uploaded some pictures of the various stages from first planting up until today, along with some close ups of the leaves.

When I planted I just cleared out the grass and weeds and mixed the dirt in with gardening soil, I've also been spraying it with a organic vegetable fertilizer that connects to my hose nozzle.

Please Note: The white stuff on there now is due from the powdered pesticide (sevin) that I just sprinkled on there. Also I covered the small patch with a tarp as it's been storming the past 2 days(should I cover it up or leave it be?), but other than that the weather has been very hot and dry, I water once a day around noon. Any tips on how to get these things healthy or anything else? Thanks


Heres the pictures: https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/578240232GBGFEJ

Let me know if you need anymore info. Thanks

[kgall]

I certainly can't answer all of you're questions but...I would water early morning, preferably without getting the leaves wet if possible, this will help to hold powdery mildew at bay. I would also cut out all of the affected leaves.
Good luck!

[imnewatthis2010]

Thank you very much. Now do I cut where the leaf is or do I cut the whole stem off down to where it sprouts out of the ground?

[engineeredgarden]

The damage to this leaf is from too much water in the past - perhaps from a torrential downpour in your area. It's the cause for the damage to the laeves in the other pictures, too.

[url=https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2074039190106647109JKZUfh][img]https://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/43988/2074039190106647109S425x425Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

I hate to tell you, but there are way too many plants in that space. One pumpkin vine will easily grow to at least 15 feet long, and the foliage will spread out 4-5 feet wide.

EG

[imnewatthis2010]

Should I maybe completely pull some plants out and maybe start covering the garden with a tarp whenever it rains?


I want to salvage all that I can since I've been very excited to start and get a few pumpkins for Halloween

[stella1751]

I'm growing pumpkins for my second time. The first time was years and years ago, back when I hadn't a clue what I was doing. This year I've been studying pumpkins. There are some great websites out there with advice on how to get the most out of 'em.

This one offers advice on how to [url=https://www.informeddemocracy.com/pumpkin/growing.html#pruning]prune.[/url] I think, based upon my limited experience, that EG is right. You've got too many in too small an area. Pruning might help.

This one, given me by another forum member, has fascinating information on their [url=https://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch33.html]root system[/url], which helped me figure out where to feed them. They like a rich soil, something capable of sustaining their rapid growth. However, before reading this, I had been fertilizing them at the base of the plant instead of feeding the wide ranging lateral roots.

This one talks about [url=https://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/soil.htm]what to feed them.[/url] They appear to like easily attained soil amendments like compost, manure, and coffee grounds. I've been giving mine a weekly dose of manure tea, and their response has been gratifying.

I found several other websites, too. I just keyed "How to grow pumpkins" into my search engine, and dozens of websites came up.

I'm attempting to grow three pumpkin plants and one watermelon in a 40 square foot raised bed, so I understand what you are up against. Each morning and each afternoon, I train my vines, using wire-coat-hanger clips I made to steer them in the desired direction. So far, it appears to be working, but because of my late start, it's early days yet to be sure!

[engineeredgarden]

You definitely need to remove several, but don't pull the plants. Instead, just cut the vines with a pair of pruning shears - as you won't disturb roots of the other plants this way.

EG

[garden5]

Prune some of the plants.

Spray with a solution of 1 part milk to 4 parts water about once a week or a little more (this helps the powdery mildew).

Stop using Seven ([url=https://www.organicfertilizersources.com/blog/organic-fertilizer-beyond-the-crap/deadly-skin-cancer-linked-with-pesticide-exposure]read this[/url])

[imnewatthis2010]

Oh wow thank you everyone. I'll get to pruning and spraying today.


Thank you for that info about sevin, I've only sprinkled it twice, but I'll definitely get rid of it now. Thank you very much

[imnewatthis2010]

So I took out a few plants today, turns out a lot of them didn't actually make it too far. I also checked to see how many female plants were on there, besides the one that is already growing, I found one more with a golf ball size pumpkin on it, so that's 2 so far. I didn't see any other females. But I did see a few bees flying around.

I also saw 2 beetle type things on one of my plants, they seemed to be on top of eachother and not moving. unsure of what to do I just cut that leaf off and stomped on them, hopefully I got them. I tried to et a picture but my camera phone sucks

[BP]

Those were probably Japanese beetles mating. They are going at it constantly here lol. They didn't mess with my cantaloupe or honeydew plants, but did start on watermelon leaves. They also devoured peach tree leaves, zinias, and cannas. I got one of those Japanese beetle traps you see everywhere and it works great. I rarely have any in the garden and pick off only a couple a day off the zinias on the edge of the garden. I have emptied the bag on the trap twice and would say there were around 200 each time.

[imnewatthis2010]

So I see a lot of tiny little female flowers starting with pumpkins on them, I want to say about 5-6? I tried to count but I keep losing track of where they are, I also have 2 started already, one's turning orangish already and the other one is about the size of a small grapefruit.

The whole leaf situation still sucks, they're turning white still so I've been watering the roots directly with watering can and avoiding the leaves. I also did a combination of water/baking soda on them today to kill and fungus.

Hopefully these young pumpkins start and don't die off, I self pollenated one today with a male leaf and carefully opened the female flower then just twisted the male into it.

Any tips on how to keep theese tiny female flowers going so they start develoing!?



Thanks a lot

[engineeredgarden]

Well, you've got to remove the affected foliage (powdery mildew, dying leaves, etc.) , but also produce alot of new ones. Basically, the larger the surface area that photosynthesis can take place (more leaves), the better pumkins you will get. Proper watering and fertilization is important too....

EG

[garden5]

Hopefully these young pumpkins start and don't die off, I self pollenated one today with a male leaf and carefully opened the female flower then just twisted the male into it.

Do you mean that the flower was closed and you pried it open to pollinate it? The flowers open when the flower parts are ready to be pollinated. If you just forced it open to pollinate it, there's a chance pollination may not be successful. It's best to work on your plant's schedule .

[imnewatthis2010]

It seems the more I cut off dead leaves the more it looks like the plants dying, but if I leave them on it looks horrible too.


Some of the female flowers with tiny buldges on them that looked fine 2 days ago just fell off today.. I'm not sure if they're getting enough water or what ( I water directly on the roots going into the ground and avoid the leaves). They just seemed to plop off, the flower part looked like it turned yellow. Idk if it was fully formed or not yet.

Also my littlest pumpkin, I'm not sure if it's still growing or not. It's still very green but it's been the same size for awhile now. I'm not sure if it's getting enough water anymore or it's dying. But the stem and pumpkin are very green but the vine leading to it looks thin. I cut off the leaves around it so it would focus just on that pumpkin.


I really don't want to lose anymore pumpkins = / but I feel like I messed up on them.
I'm hoping to get atleast 5 good looking ones for Halloween

[C00KiE46]

^^^I know what you mean. I also have powdery mildew on my pumpkins. I don't use the baking soda method. Does that seem like it's working? I have been using the milk mixture and I spray it every other day. If I see the leaves drying out I just cut those off, but I still keep the ones with PM and spray them. I know it doesn't look attractive with or without the leaves gone, but I notice that vines from other pumpkins come up and are filling up the spot.

[imnewatthis2010]

I tried the baking soda mixture just once, but it seemed like it just made it worse. Maybe I'll try the milk mixture.

How exactly do I make it in a watering can? or should I get a spray bottle and spray it on the leaves?

[C00KiE46]

I use 3 parts milk and 7 parts water and use a spray bottle. I spray it on and under the leaves I also spray the vines if I see PM present. I spray mine when the sun is going down and the garden is shaded through out the day.

[imnewatthis2010]

Recently a lot of new leaves started growing in other spots in the garden, hopefully that means things won't die as much now.

1 of the 2 growing pumpkins I have is almost completely orange, I was wondering exactly when I should take it off the vine?


The other one seems to have been staying the same size, green and the size of a softball. I'm not sure if somethings wrong with the vine supporting it or not, It's still connected and not cut, but it looks thinner than some other ones.

[stella1751]

1 of the 2 growing pumpkins I have is almost completely orange, I was wondering exactly when I should take it off the vine?

I came on to ask this exactly question! I will just add my voice to yours: When am I supposed to pick my pumpkin? The skin is hard and orange. If I leave it on the vine, will it rot or explode?

The other one seems to have been staying the same size, green and the size of a softball. I'm not sure if somethings wrong with the vine supporting it or not, It's still connected and not cut, but it looks thinner than some other ones.

I had the same think happen with one of my growing pumpkins, a little fellow the size of a softball. I think my plants have too many pumpkins to support so have begun aborting the little guys, but I'm not certain. I'll look forward to hearing what others have to say.

[imnewatthis2010]

anyone have any advice?



Thanks

[stella1751]

I still don't know when to pick them, imnewatthis2010. I've left mine on the vine so far, and I now have two more that appear to be ready. I found this link on [url=https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/how-to-tell-when-pumpkins-are-ripe.htm]How to Tell When a Pumpkin Is Ripe[/url], and based upon what it says, I need to pick my first one for sure.

Because I plan on freezing mine, I'm going to wait to pick it until I am certain I have the time to process it.

As for the other part of your earlier question, I have now lost two, maybe three, of my smallest pumpkins. I pruned off all the non-producing vines yesterday, and I hope that helps. I think my pumpkin plants have too many pumpkins to support all of them.

[imnewatthis2010]

Hmm.. my orange one looks like it's ready for picking, but one side still has some greenish on it. I wonder if I leave it go for a little longer if it'll get bigger?

I planted jack o lantern pumpkins, but the one I have is about 7 inches high and kind of skinny around it. The other is about the size of a softball, green with slight hints of orange.

I really wanted some big ones, but I think I definitely over planted my small area = / , especially considering I only have 2 going right now and they're this size.

Hopefully I'll get atleast a few more ones the 7inch size before halloween, I wonder if I take the almost pure orange one off it it'll help the other plants to keep their females on instead of falling off?

[stella1751]

I found two different varieties called Jack-O-Lantern. The one that is a heirloom is supposed to get pretty big. I found the following description of the heirloom one at the Roguelands Heirloom Vegetable Seeds Company website:

Jack O Lantern is a pumpkin variety bred specifically for carving Jack O Lanterns, but they are also very good for making pumpkin pies as well. Jack O Lantern is a deep orange colored, 18-24 lb. pumpkin growing from very long vines. The thick stems make for sturdy tops for Jack O'Lanterns.

The other one, a hybrid, is probably what you have. I found this description at [url=https://www.backyardgardener.com/RUPP.HTM]Rupp Seeds[/url]:

Jack O'Lantern 100 8x8" 10# Orange Large Round, uniform, snoothskinned, yellow thik flesh.

Interestingly, mine is in the same category as yours (mid-size). Rupp Seeds writes this about mine:

Autumn Gold - F1 90 10-12" 10# Orange Medium AAS Winner. Turns orange early in growing season

So, based on the Rupp description, mine is 90 days, and yours is 100. Both of ours should weigh about 10 pounds at maturity, but mine is supposed to be 10 to 12" in diameter, and yours is supposed to be 8". You said yours is already 7", right?

Here's what I think. I think mine is ready to pick. It satisfies all the criteria in that link I posted a reply or two ago. It is also at least 10" in diameter, probably more. I haven't picked it up to see what color it is underneath, though. I suppose I should do that, huh?

I don't think your pumpkin is ready to pick. It's close to the right size, but it hasn't completely turned color.

What do you think?

[imnewatthis2010]

Thanks for all this info btw.


I think I might leave mine on the vine still then, maybe for another week or two and see what happens with it, just hopefully some others start by then.

It does sound like we have similar pumpkins, just my poor decision to plant too many in this small sport caused mine to now grow as much as yours = /

[stella1751]

It does sound like we have similar pumpkins, just my poor decision to plant too many in this small sport caused mine to now grow as much as yours = /

I had too many in a small location, too. Not as many as you, but more than the soil could handle. When I looked at mine this morning, I ccould see the poor plants are just tapped. Leaves are starting to brown; there's a patch of powdery mildew in the center; and I believe I am losing another small pumpkin.

Gardening is all about experience. You can ask all the questions you want and get all the great advice you can, but in the long run, trial-and-error is the best teacher. There's always next year, when you can make brand new mistakes. Along with those mistakes, however, come extraordinary successes!

I am toying with omitting pumpkins from next year's garden. Because of them and their voracious appetite, I got only one watermelon. I like watermelons better, and my garden is too tiny to grow both. I do believe next year will be a watermelon year for my cucurbits. Now I need to research which watermelon is best for my climate (Zone 4 + High Winds) and best for my garden (several small raised beds, of which cucurbits will go in three).

Will you be trying pumpkins again next year, imnewatthis2010?

[imnewatthis2010]

I think I may try pumpkins next year, just because I really want a nice looking sized one for Halloween. But I may also try to extend the garden or put it somewhere else in my backyard for some lettuce or corn maybe. The only problem is my yard is just a normal fenced in backyard which makes it difficult to make space. There's so many options though that I'm not really sure what to grow, it all looks fun.

[garden5]

I'll definitely give pumpkins a go again next year. This year I planted them a little too late and I think I shouldn't have planted them so close to the edge of the garden, my reasoning for this?

Pumpkins have a vast, shallow roost system. I think if half of this root system is competing with grass, well, things won't take off as good.

It took 3 years to get good onions, let's see how long for winner pumpkins.

[imnewatthis2010]

Found 2 new pumpkins the other day. One is the size of 2 golfballs,the other is just starting out.

Hopefully this rain storm the past 2 days hasn't affected them too much..

[stella1751]

I picked my biggest one yesterday to help give my poor depleted plants a break. Wouldn't you know it--there was a splotch of green right up by the stem! I had checked it to be sure, but I didn't lift it high enough.

That one was promised to my neighbor's grandchildren, anyway, so I bet it's no big deal. I still have eleven pumpkins left, in varying degrees of maturity. I haven't lost any in the last few days, so maybe the pruning helped.

I think I'll be glad when they are done. They were great in the beginning, but they get a little boring after a while I'm ready to tear out the plant and start prepping the soil for next year!

[imnewatthis2010]

I should probably prune mine, though I'm not exactly sure how to do it. It seems everytime I would cut off dead leaves or anything then it'd just make the plants look horrible. I bet this rain storm the past few days hasn't helped either.


How do you get the soil ready to sit over winter until next spring? Do you just leave teh plants in there or can you uproot them and leave them on the soil to decompose for nutrients?

[stella1751]

How do you get the soil ready to sit over winter until next spring? Do you just leave teh plants in there or can you uproot them and leave them on the soil to decompose for nutrients?

It depends on who you ask. I know at least one member cuts her plants off at the soil and leaves the roots in to decompose over the winter. I pull my plants and stick them on the compost pile. Well, because this particular plant developed a slight case of powdery mildew when it became stressed, I will bag its leaves and toss them. Normally, though, I just add them into the compost.

I then work compost into the soil and, because we have a wicked wind up here, I layer compost on top of the bed to protect the loose soil from blowing away. Of course, this depends upon having a gradual shift from fall to winter. Sometimes winter is just here. You go to sleep in the fall and wake up in winter, with frigid temps, high winds, and snow. Ick. Then I just leave the bed as it is, wearing the mulch it wore during the summer.

In the spring, I turn the soil again and generally amend it with nutritional goodies, depending on what plants I'll be growing there. I'll be growing beans in this bed next year. Beans don't really have terrific needs. They're not heavy feeders, so I'll probably forego amendments on this bed: Compost will keep beans happy and productive. Were I growing tomatoes or peppers, I'd work in at least some bone and kelp meal, the sooner the better on the bone meal, which takes a while to degrade.

As you can see, I'm ready for these pumpkin plants to finish their job I'm starting to think next year!

[garden5]

If you take the almost ripe pumpkin you picked inside, it should turn fully orange. The taste probably won't get any better than it is now, but, if it's kids who are getting it, that probably won't matter mush .

[stella1751]

"What a Mess," or "Plan Ahead." Check this out:

[img]https://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/mitbah/pumpkins_August.jpg[/img]

You can't see them all in this photo, but I have six pumpkins there, vying for 4 square feet of acreage. One is slung from the chain link fence in the upper left; another is resting on a styrofoam cylinder, and the others are all fighting for a foothold at the base.

[imnewatthis2010]

picked my largest one today as when I looked at the plants vine it was soggy brown and falling apart, must have been from the rain storm but only this vine was affected.

Well after I took it inside to wash up, the vine snapped off.... gah.
I just broke off half a tooth pick and stuck them back together. Fail.


Btw. your pumpkins look real nice, I wish I could get mine growing like that

[stella1751]

picked my largest one today as when I looked at the plants vine it was soggy brown and falling apart, must have been from the rain storm but only this vine was affected.

Well after I took it inside to wash up, the vine snapped off.... gah.
I just broke off half a tooth pick and stuck them back together. Fail.


Btw. your pumpkins look real nice, I wish I could get mine growing like that

Thanks! Remember, though, that I'm growing a different type pumpkin from yours. The Autumn Gold starts out yellow from the very beginning, which I think is way cool, and then turns orange as it ripens. None of these are ripe yet, and I live in daily fear I will lose another. I'm now down to only 13 pumpkins.

Did the "vine" break off when you took your pumpkin inside, or was it the stem?

That soggy brown vine you mentioned is odd. I wonder whether it was a leftover from the plants you pulled earlier this month.

Don't get dejected, imnewatthis2010! If you want to hear some horror stories of my first few years of gardening, if it will make you feel better, I will tell you some. We all make mistakes. I'm wishing I hadn't put all three of my pumpkin plants in the same bed as that watermelon, so I guess I'm still making mistakes

(Sue me. I thought the blasted watermelon plant was dead.)

[imnewatthis2010]

The whole vine leading from the ground up to the pumpkin was just squishy and brown and falling apart, so I just pulled it from the ground to get rid of it and cut off the pumpkin.

Though the stem wasn't as soggy, it did break off while I held it. Hopefully that tooth pick holds it on and it doesn't wither too fast. I'm still not sure what exactly I want to do with it as it's not even close to halloween

[garden5]

The whole vine leading from the ground up to the pumpkin was just squishy and brown and falling apart, so I just pulled it from the ground to get rid of it and cut off the pumpkin.

Though the stem wasn't as soggy, it did break off while I held it. Hopefully that tooth pick holds it on and it doesn't wither too fast. I'm still not sure what exactly I want to do with it as it's not even close to halloween

Weird, it almost sounds like SVB (squash vine borer), but I'm not totally certain that they affect pumpkins (I don't see why they wouldn't, especially if there aren't any other host-plants).

Stella, that pic is great. It looks like the three at the bottom are collaborating on how to knock the other guy off the "pedestal." If you look close....the one in the middle it getting ready to go for it .

[imnewatthis2010]

I was wondering how long these pumpkins I picked will last?
When I picked them the vines were completely used up and falling apart, the one was almost completely green, but is slowly turning orange now.. the other biggest one is completely orange.. but the stem popped off so I just glued it back on = /

About how long will these 2 last before I should carve them? I'd love to be able to keep them until halloween

[garden5]

I was wondering how long these pumpkins I picked will last?
When I picked them the vines were completely used up and falling apart, the one was almost completely green, but is slowly turning orange now.. the other biggest one is completely orange.. but the stem popped off so I just glued it back on = /

About how long will these 2 last before I should carve them? I'd love to be able to keep them until halloween

[url=https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CCkQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pumpkingrowingtips.com%2Fharvesting.htm&rct=j&q=store%20harvested%20pumpkins&ei=6_iETMShKoPknAfe6IT9AQ&usg=AFQjCNHt1lR15pwhgGGP25nMSn5JquscBg&cad=rja]Harevesting and storing pumpkins[/url].

I don't see any reason why they shouldn't make it till then.