Giant pumpkin

How long do Giant Pumpkin seeds take to germinate? Ours have been planted since 1st May = 24 days and still no signs of life! Any advice please? :eek:

 

I am growing normal size pumpkins and got impatient waiting for something to show.
I dug down with a plant lable and thought my seeds were a little too deep.I gently squeezed them to split the shell then popped them back. They have now all taken.The seeds were soft as had been watered well. Don't know wether that was the right thing to do?? They have 2 large leaves on now still in the greenhouse. ?? when should i plant them outside,My courgettes are a little futher on with 4 leaves, should they now be out? .
Sorry to sneek a few questions in on your topic.
Jacqui.

 

This isn't exactly a helpful reply but I thought I'd link to a seriously giant pumpkin

Giant Pumpkin

I used to sell the fertiliser that grew this thing - I guess the fact that the pic is still on the net means it must still be one of the biggest

[ May 24, 2005, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: Will Dunkerley ]

 

ah, found the edit button at last...

[ May 24, 2005, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: Will Dunkerley ]

 

Thank you slugbug and Will Dunkerly - we shall follow advice and just wait!

 

Follow-up to 24th May - still no signs of life so investigated the pumpkin seeds and found they were just hollow shells , they were not like that when planted! Have planted a few more and keeping my fingers crossed hoping these don't suffer the same fate. Again, any advice please?

 

How about keeping them indoors?

 

Thanks michaelmasdaisy - they are in a greenhouse!

 

To update on my very first posting : a pic of my pumpkin plant with FLOWERS + baby PUMPKIN!!
I now have 5 thriving plants in the garden - doing better now the sun is shining again
- they don't seem to like it much when not very warm. Only a very few female flowers at the moment but then I'm not expecting to produce a Giant Pumpkin this year.
Do I have to feed them yet?

 

jjordie great plants ,yes all plants specially for fruit need feeding long before they produce flowers, let alone fruit....Feed is for producing flowers...I feed all young plants from second potting onwards,how ever little but increase as they grow...in your case a tomato feed would do them the world of good...better late then never lol

Ladybird

 

Hi jjordie, don't forget to leave just 2 - 3 fruits per plant - pinch out any that form after the first couple, so you get good strong pumpkins, & the plant doesn't waste energy - you can eat the pinched out ones (& the flowers) - lovely fried in a bit of olive oil. I use liquid seaweed to feed mine. Here's some from last year, biggest one is about 40cm diameter. The innards were very tasty!

 

Will follow advice, but I think I will be lucky if my pumpkins get to 14cm diameter never mind 40cm! When should they be ready - end of September or October?

 

ohhhh Bayleaf clever you ...you have actually beaten me lol but my animals are not so keen on them so stopped growing them. Everybody in our gardening club after show, throws them at me,so they had a good taste of them. They prefer broccoli, leek, cabbage, and carrots,banana skin and if lucky my supplier often has a box gone over,all babana, then ask what's for sweet?? I say Pumkin lol ohhhh they say...we not hungry any more, better have some hay.

Ladybird

[ 04. August 2005, 06:45 PM: Message edited by: Ladybird ]

 

I am very impressed with your pumpkins Bayleaf - I have planted some for the first time this year and they are doing great - 4 plants in all - the advise you gave has helped me and looks like I am reluctantly going to have to take some off - they are already growing quite big and have at least 5 on each plant - I need big ones for the kids at Halloween so better thin out - sorry to steal thread here - but sometimes the advise given here is shared and useful to all.

Oli

 

if i were you id leave my pumpkin seeds for a few months