Nutrients for pumpkins?

Does anyone know what nutrients I should feed my pumpkin, especially in order to get big, fully developed flowers? My pumpkin hasn't had a female and male flower open at the same time yet, but I think it's close. The problem now is that the flowers used to be big with tonnes of pollen, now the male flowers are flowering when they are still quite small and don't have much pollen in them any more. At the moment I've been feeding them tomato feed but is there something better/ aswell as, that I can feed it? I really would like just one pumpkin, even if it's not ready for Halloween which it looks like it won't be.

 

It seems a bit late in the year to hope for a pumpkin now. We're running out of daylight and pollinating insects and you'll be short of flowers as well. I'm sure that's disappointing for you but maybe you'll get a teensy little one. At this stage I think you can only carry on with the tomato feed and hope.

If you want to try again next year then pumpkins and that whole family are greedy feeders. I make what amounts to a compost heap for them. Dig a hole and fill it over the winter with your compost material, adding manure if you have any, and cover it with the soil from the hole as you go. Plant the pumpkin into it next year. It will just love it.

You can use the same method for courgettes and beans.

Hope you get a little baby pumpkin and a whopper next year.

 

I'm in the UK. I guess I'll have to see what happens and keep my fingers crossed.

 

Hitch the trailer to the car, transplant the whole plant & drive to Spain, its the only way to be sure.

 

I second Ziggy on this one.

 

Oh Alice, you're so gloomy up there in Scotland!

I'm going against the grain on the season again. JW, if you are in the South, you might yet get a fruit of some description, don't give up hope.

In terms of feeding, maybe a splash of liquid tomato feed. It probably won't make much difference either way, though.

 

I planted some spring bulbs today, Brussels sprouts are in at the farm shop, maincrop spuds are available.
Its mid autumn and the weather says its late autumn.

Just a month till Halloween, so its all a bit late for pumpkins to grow fruit.

 

Bring on gloomy Scotland
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Good stuff, Alice! I love Scotland.

I'm off to Aviemore in Febuary. Wouldn't fancy gardening there, but might visit a pub or two!

 

Just to be on the safe side, Mr K has always hand fertilized pumpkins & co. BTW, got the tip somewhere on here several years ago.

There always seems to be plenty of male flowers before the first of the few female ones appear. So when a female one does open, break off a male flower and gently rub the pollon from it on to the female - then stand back! Too late for this year, but you can look forward to next year's crop.

We always plant our either directly in the compost heap or use plenty of the stuff in the planting hole. Can't remember ever feeding them anything, but tomato food is a good all-round solution.

Alice, that is a really wonderful havest that you got. Well done. :gnthb:

 

The female flower died just before it bloomed :cry:oh well. Looks like no pumpkin for me since all the other female flowers are smaller and seem to be dying off aswell. Maybe another year.