GC Pumpkin Growing Challenge 2013

Hundredweight

 

I planted some dills Atlantic giants but they never germinated, so im stuck with my jack 'o lanterns and sugar pie's. ill try again next year with the giants.

 

Second pumpkin on a vine not growing as well but nice colour

 

Looks like you guys are coming along now smiley and Allan

 

yeah I wish they would grow quicker though. I wanna cook me some pumpkin pie.

 

Maybe at this point in the season, everyone can report in with photo's and words on how/what they are doing with their pumpkin plants, it would be good to get an assessment right across the whole breadth of those taking part in this challenge, to those already growing fruits please place something of a recognisable size next to them so we get a good idea of how your doing.

If we could all report in over this next week by a week tomorrow (Sun 4th Aug)...that would be great.

One of my plants is not far from opening its first female flower, no fruits growing as yet...but I'll post up photo's this week none the less.

Steve...

 

ill have the report submitted by Monday lol.

 

As you can see my plants are growing like crazy but no pollination so far by the hand of mother nature so I got my make up brush out. The hopeful subject is below, I think it's a little swollen today but want to give it a little longer before I get excited

 

My one pumpkin that I have on an Atlantic Giant plant was swelling nicely but it now seems to have stalled??, I've kept it watered and fed regularly but its being a little stubborn I've removed excess growth on the plant to try and divert more energy into it, so fingers crossed I'll try and get a photo this week

 

Heres mine



Had to cut the tendrils off the vine for this one - the stalk was bending as it grew



This one is on the main vine of the same plant (bigger one on secondary) and has grown alot since yesterday so need to keep an eye on them both.

Other 2 plants have a few fertilised but not growing as rapidly

I'm feeding them with general purpose plant food once a week and i've buried some secondary roots in growbags where the vines went over the patio, amazing how well they root themselves in, growbags are full of roots now

 

I have 3 kins growing very happily at the minute. I would of had 5 but when we had the first rain after the hot weather, it filled my female plants with water which I had just fertilised a few hours before and the pollen must of been washed away. I've been feeding them with a dose of 14.10.27 phostrogen, every few days or so (might sound like overkill but I did little to no soil improvement before I dug out a chunk of grass for my patch). On my plants with pumpkins I have removed all but a few male flowers to encourage growth, but I am leaving the vines to grow so they can gather as much sun as possible. I just noticed some poorly looking leaves on 2 of my backup vines, just wondering if anyone knows what it looks like it could be? powdery mildew? Female flower production seems to of very much slowed down on all but a few of my plants.

does anyone know whats going on with these leaves? Those leaves are on 2 plants.


My 3rd pumpkin to take.



Hopefully my 4th. Tomorrow.

 

I never knew picking unwanted males off helped - will do on mine later

I've pruned mine now and plucked out side shoots all bar a few

 

its just because I have absolutely LOADS of small male flowers on my plants and id rather the plant put all its energy into growing the pumpkin.

 

I'm out guys , I had two pumpkins growing, and went out today to take photos and something has been munching on them through the night, not slugs or anything this looked liked a fox with vegetarian tendencies or something, it's made a right old mess, some of the leaves were bent over and the plants generally disturbed??, most unusual

No other pollinated fruits to back them up either so looks like I'm visiting Asda again this halloween