This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
I have three very large pumpkin plants with all male flowers on them. I saw one female and a marble size pumpkin started to emerge then shriveled up. I seen many bees in the garden. I haven't planted the pumpkins near anyother similar crop; eg: cucumbers or squash. What can I do to promote female flower growth and get them to bear fruit?
Wow- yours is way ahead of mine. I just planted it a few weeks ago from seed, and they are only now setting their 3rd and 4th true leaves. Nice to watch yours growing!
My understanding is that the timing that squashes and pumpkins produce female flowers is set by their genetics. Most will produce male flowers first, followed by a mix of male and females. The best way yo get female flowers is to wait a bit. You can stuff and fry the male flowers in the meantime.
In my experience, pumpkin set is a lot like tomato set. It can take a while, especially if its a large variety. The plants need to be big and healthy enough to support growth of the large fruit. Bees love the flowers, so my guess is they are well pollinated, especially if you're seeing lots of bees.
Last year, my big pumpkins did not set fruit until early August. Once they set, they grew very fast to 10-12 lbs in mid September. Then they ripened by early October.
To encourage pumpkin fruit set, make sure the plants have full sun, lots of nutrients, and good irrigation. Dig in compost or composted manure around them if you didn't do this before planting. Pumpkins are VERY heavy feeders and are known to grow great right in the compost pile.
If you're a fanatic who wants the biggest pumpkins you can get, I have never tried, but have heard rumors about milk feeding. "Pick off all the pumpkins on the vine except the biggest pumpkin. Then take a bowl with milk and sugar in it and place it by the pumpkin. Very carefully take a knife and make a small slit in the stem near where the pumpkin is starting to grow. Put a piece of cotton wick into the slit and put the other end of the wick into the milk and sugar. Make sure the wick is soaked with the milk and sugar first. The pumpkin will suck up the milk and sugar mixture and grow bigger. Keep the bowl full of the milk mix all the time and watch the pumpkin grow." Amazing that someone would do this! (This was written by Donna Daniels Home Improvement site: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/289722/tips_for_growing_giant_pumpkins.html?cat=32)
Your squash looks amazing! Two of our squash started getting blossom rot, so we had to discard them. Do you take the blooms off your squash or leave them on?
Hello fellow gardener, What beautiful plants! I've had to replant due to 4 legged vegetarians. caught one today in a have a heart trap,Mrs chuckie,heard the other trap slam shut while I was in the kitchen. It would be freat to take care of Mr and Mrs together,getting with animal control and or game wardens later. They loved the finely fresh chopped salad I made with apples compliments of a suggestion from a woman at a farm coop. They ate all the leaves off the sweet potato plants and I feared they were lost but left them and they grew back beautifully but don't look as terific as yours. I hope your growing season is a very rewarding and peaceful one. Have fun! Take care,signed DIRTY NAILS AND CALUSES
Yes! so exciting to get your first anything..looks as if you have lots of flowers behind that one too. Summer is really here, at last!
ReplyDeleteI have three very large pumpkin plants with all male flowers on them. I saw one female and a marble size pumpkin started to emerge then shriveled up. I seen many bees in the garden. I haven't planted the pumpkins near anyother similar crop; eg: cucumbers or squash. What can I do to promote female flower growth and get them to bear fruit?
ReplyDeleteWow- yours is way ahead of mine. I just planted it a few weeks ago from seed, and they are only now setting their 3rd and 4th true leaves. Nice to watch yours growing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. I have quite a few tomatoes coming in this year at my place. Love to garden!
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful garden btw
My understanding is that the timing that squashes and pumpkins produce female flowers is set by their genetics. Most will produce male flowers first, followed by a mix of male and females. The best way yo get female flowers is to wait a bit. You can stuff and fry the male flowers in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, pumpkin set is a lot like tomato set. It can take a while, especially if its a large variety. The plants need to be big and healthy enough to support growth of the large fruit. Bees love the flowers, so my guess is they are well pollinated, especially if you're seeing lots of bees.
Last year, my big pumpkins did not set fruit until early August. Once they set, they grew very fast to 10-12 lbs in mid September. Then they ripened by early October.
To encourage pumpkin fruit set, make sure the plants have full sun, lots of nutrients, and good irrigation. Dig in compost or composted manure around them if you didn't do this before planting. Pumpkins are VERY heavy feeders and are known to grow great right in the compost pile.
If you're a fanatic who wants the biggest pumpkins you can get, I have never tried, but have heard rumors about milk feeding. "Pick off all the pumpkins on the vine except the biggest pumpkin. Then take a bowl with milk and sugar in it and place it by the pumpkin. Very carefully take a knife and make a small slit in the stem near where the pumpkin is starting to grow. Put a piece of cotton wick into the slit and put the other end of the wick into the milk and sugar. Make sure the wick is soaked with the milk and sugar first. The pumpkin will suck up the milk and sugar mixture and grow bigger. Keep the bowl full of the milk mix all the time and watch the pumpkin grow." Amazing that someone would do this! (This was written by Donna Daniels Home Improvement site: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/289722/tips_for_growing_giant_pumpkins.html?cat=32)
Your squash looks amazing! Two of our squash started getting blossom rot, so we had to discard them. Do you take the blooms off your squash or leave them on?
ReplyDeleteHello fellow gardener,
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful plants! I've had to replant due to 4 legged vegetarians. caught one today in a have a heart trap,Mrs chuckie,heard the other trap slam shut while I was in the kitchen. It would be freat to take care of Mr and Mrs together,getting with animal control and or game wardens later. They loved the finely fresh chopped salad I made with apples compliments of a suggestion from a woman at a farm coop. They ate all the leaves off the sweet potato plants and I feared they were lost but left them and they grew back beautifully but don't look as terific as yours. I hope your growing season is a very rewarding and peaceful one. Have fun!
Take care,signed DIRTY NAILS AND CALUSES