Pumpkin ponderings - will they ripen? What's wrong with the leaves? (etc)

Hi all

Not sure what to do with my pumpkin plant... Just to clarify, I don't do Halloween so these are strictly for eating They are the "Racer" variety.

1. At the moment there are two reasonably sized fruits on there (see pics). I'm presuming at this time in the season it would be too late for any others to grow, so I'll only get these two. Is that right?

2. Are they likely to ripen and turn orange or is it getting too late for that? Are they edible/usable as they are now?

3. A few leaves have powdery mildew (I think) and I'll remove them today. I'll also treat the other leaves so that they do not get it. But a lot of the leaves also seem to have another problem whereby there are losing their greenness, mottling, and crisping up a bit. Not sure if it might be rust? Can anyone tell from the pics, and what should I do about it? The leaves at the far end of the plant look much healthier.

4. As the photos show, the plant is in a bed with a couple of a courgette plants and a butternut squash. It's all a bit tangled and overcrowded in there! (Our first year so we weren't aware how big the pumpkin would be). On the one hand, I want to persevere with the pumpkin and would loathe to pull it up. But on the other, if it is unlikely to produce anything useful on account of the dodgy leaves, and or on the ripeness of the fruit, the I guess I'll have to consider sending it to plant heaven (aka the compost bin) so that the courgette and butternut have more room to flourish.

So any thoughts on that or any other pumpkin gems of information would be most welcome.

Many thanks

Max

 

Many thanks for the reply

 

Your fruits can ripen of the plant, I have done this in the past by leaving them in a cold greenhouse once harvested, so anywhere protected but in sunlight.

As John says you could still get more fruit growing yet, but the season is knocking on now.

Butternut squash are more fickle and can take a lot longer to grow, and with a pumpkin and a pair of courgettes for company, that is unlikely to produce now, unless you have some on already.

Battered or dying leaves at this stage of the season is normal and I would guess the discolouration is due to lack of feed. ALL the plants you have in that small bed are very hungry feeders.

Looking at the size of the bed it is big enough for a couple of courgettes, but earlier in the season a few lettuce and radish can go in with them.

Steve...