The Pumpkin growing and carving challenge 2015

Got back as quick as I could from my trip to Manchester today (flipping traffic at RHS Flower Show delayed me on way there) and by the time I got home found 3 female flowers had opened and closed before I got back at about 4pm, found a few likely male germinators, pulled open the flowers and stuck them inside, but think I may have been too late.

I'm now getting female flowers appearing everywhere, but there's hardly any male flowers being produced, wondering if some tomato feed might encourage more flowers....

 

My Big ones dont seemed to have grown much but my Howden are growing now about 18 inch,ive just come across this,im wondering if its a method worth trying next yr maybe?
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=65

 

When I got to the plot this morning I too had an open female flower on the windswept plant at around 8ft...I'll remove it tomorrow.

I read somewhere that warmer weather encourages more male flowers whilst cooler weather produces the females. I've no idea how true that is.

But I have noticed over the last couple of years that soon after you have female after female appear on the main vine, you will start to get a lot of male flowers and that why I always aim to pollinate the second or third female along.

No point in trying to pollinate an already open female, it wont be true if you intend to cross pumpkins and use the resultant seeds for future growing, besides a bee will already have pollinated it with other cucurbit pollen.

Steve...

 

My plants have had it, ripped up and pulled to shreds...I'm guessing it's the Fox ...to be fair the plants had been neglected but I was giving them a chance.

There seems to have been an invasion here because half my tomato plants in the GH have had the tops nibbled off too...there's a conspiracy I tell you....

Keep going chaps looking forward to seeing some giants

 

So sorry to hear that Loli, maybe next year..

Steve...

 

I was planning on choosing the pollinator myself so I could use the resulting seeds, and I was intending to bag (M&F) flowers the night before to prevent open pollination of female flowers/contamination of pollen in male flowers, but as I was fairly certain they'd be opening the next day, but wasn't going to be around in the morning, I avoided that, otherwise the flowers would've opened within 'bags' preventing any form of pollination whatsoever, but I still wanted to ensure it happened as I've had too many pumpkins left to open pollination wither away and fail.

With 3 plants I'll be happy if I only get 1 big pumpkin for competition, but I want to ensure I also get 1 reasonable size one for a Halloween party (Pumpkin Wine 2014 will be mature by then) plus something that will, hopefully, raise a few pounds for a local good cause, so I'm OK about making compromises with up to 2 plants. Plus, as I'm lugging 40 - 100 galls of water/day to my plot (no mains water), I'm anxious to start seeing some sort of return for the effort I'm putting in (at least with big Marrows they make great curries).

 

Scrungee,give it a few more days and at every node on your main vine you will get a female growing, aim to be pollinating the second or third of these and you should have enough enough males to pollinate with.

It happened this way the last three years for me...and is happening again right now.

I reported yesterday I had two consecutive females on the main vine, sure enough this morning I have 4 or 5 males growing up, both sexes are a few days from opening but as that day approaches I will lightly tie the flowers up with string. you can even cut the male flowers off after tieing and hold in the fridge until needed.

Last years photo's






Steve...

 

I feel more confident 'bagging' them as I do with my big marrows.

 

Tie or bag..whatever your more comfortable with works for me. Just do it before they open is the main point I was making, pollinating after they have opened is a waste really as you wont know what they are crossed with, especially as you want seed to use again in the future. Unless you want Pumpgettes or Courkins.

But you mentioned not bagging your females because you thought they would open in the bag whilst you where away, and you would miss pollinating at all. If they are tied they stay closed till you open them. Then you close and tie again and leave till the flower falls of, I find this simple and easy to control, I have never tried the bag method.

Steve...

 

Looking well webmaster

 

My pumpkin plants are growing like mad - so much so that i'm going to have to rearrange the garden & get them on the ground.
I planted them in a huge wooden box that cant be moved & built a frame for them to grow up. Theyve over taken the frame & i cant really build any higher or wider, so will dismantle later.

Its the first time I've ever grown pumpkins so not really much of a clue what I'm doing