# Pumpkin Patch



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

We just finished getting our raised cedar garden beds built, here, at the new house, but it's too soon for Pumpkins, yet.  I only have carrots started in there, right now, and other veggies and fruit will be going in, soon...they are currently in my little greenhouse in the basement under lights. Pumpkins won't be started until around late May, after I'm sure it will be warm enough. I'll still be growing smaller pumpkins like my Triple Treats, JBLs and maybe WBLs this year. Since I do small pumpkins with a shorter growing time, if I start too early, they will need to be harvested too early...so I have to wait. Plus, it's a bit too cool, yet, here.

I do have a packet of larger pumpkin seeds that I was given at a Home and Garden show...but not sure if I have anywhere to plant them. I'll have to think about it. I'm doing Sunflowers, too, this year. Those are started in my greenhouse, too, atm.


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

Got some coming up already


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Way too early to plant here. Did till up some garden though.

Going to be going full bore with the cheyenne bush pumpkins this year.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I'll probably start a few pumpkins and gourds in pots in a week or so. It has been very rainy here, and the ground is still far to wet to work, but some of my gourds have up to a 3 week germination time, so I'll get them going soon.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Yay~planting season! WK, look at you go girl! I _should_ attempt pumpkins & corn again this year, as we are finally out of our 6yr drought.
Even though my pumpkins were on the measely side, it was an exciting first attempt, drought or not. Corn was meh, but rookie planting mistakes were made, haha.
Not sure if I want to make the commitment though...nobody to water for us when we're away, and with it in the 100's
during peak growing, well, you get it. Day two with no water and your crop is kaput.

Either way, I will be following along on this thread, rooting for everyone. There's just _something_ about pumpkin plants~they are beautiful


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

punkineater said:


> Not sure if I want to make the commitment though...nobody to water for us when we're away, and with it in the 100's
> during peak growing, well, you get it. Day two with no water and your crop is kaput.


Just offering this concept for your consideration-- Not recommending any specific brand or store:

edit-- the link that said, "Watering- Irrigation- Sprinklers - Timers" came up garden tractors.  But the point was-- there are some garden hose timers that you can pick up for $25 or so.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

ooojen said:


> Just offering this concept for your consideration-- Not recommending any specific brand or store:
> 
> edit-- the link that said, "Watering- Irrigation- Sprinklers - Timers" came up garden tractors.  But the point was-- there are some garden hose timers that you can pick up for $25 or so.


Thank you, ooojen ~thought about tapping in to our current system, but that is more work added to an already long list of to-do's. Maybe I will plant a few pumpkins in the sunny, already irrigated spots formerly occupied by rose bushes. I also have a few large pots currently without tenants...could try mini pumpkins too. Hmmmmm.....


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

OK..... progress..... we broke ground today!!! I bought a 10HP 3 foot wide pull behind your tractor Tiller and tilled up a garden
for the wife then my patch which is 25 feet wide by 20 feet deep. I might enlarge it maybe. I was planning on 3-4 rows of plants.
We are going to dump weed killer then till again before planting. I plan on planting seeds at the end of this week. I don't mind if
my pumpkins are early this year. We decorate in early September anyway.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Also found the Casper pumpkin seeds. I have about a dozen packs and will be planting this week. Im so pumped
im planting this year after planning but not executing the last 2 years.


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## tomanderson (Dec 6, 2007)

Haven't had a pumpkin patch in awhile, but I try to visit pumpkin patches during fall season, that's one of the most enjoyable activities.


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

Casper pumpkins that sound neat?


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

moonwitchkitty said:


> Casper pumpkins that sound neat?


They are the white ones. Im tilling for the second time tomorrow then planting. Still 30 days ahead which is great.

Here is a pic I found on the internet of what they looks like with regular Orange ones.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I love this thread, and following everyone's progress each year. I won't be planting for about 4 to 6 weeks, but will be tilling in the next couple days. I love this time of year and the preparation that goes into my patch each year. Best of luck to everyone!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Update Tilled and planted!!! 20 by 15 foot patch, nothing too big but im just looking to see if I can grow any pumpkins!
Orange and Casper planted.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I think we will be "fostering" some pumpkins this year. My aunt planted some seeds with her grandkids & the little beds they just put in won't hold all the plants they've got coming up.

We haven't even tilled yet but hopefully will get to it next weekend.

Our rule of thumb here is "don't plant until after Mother's Day" but that may be changing since we just hit 90° yesterday& today. I spent the day cleaning up our fence row, raking the leaves off it, seeing what's budding & what's history. Tomorrow I will probably be doing the same thing.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Our rule of thumb is to plant the last weekend in May but after planning and not doing it last year I made sure
to get a jump on it this year to make sure I have enough time to grow pumpkins.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Our forecast high today is 23 degrees below average. It's cold, and wet, and hard to get too enthusiastic at the moment. I did pot up a couple gourd seeds, but it's not even warm enough in the house to get them going (I'm not going to invest the money in a heat mat.) It's fun to see what you warmer-climate people have going, but it's going to be a while for me.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

I would love to plant some but we have rabbits and squirrels that eat all my plants? We used to plant some when i was a kid. We would save the seeds from our jack'olantern and plant those. They did very well!?


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm not planting until June this year. One of the advantages of the Cheyenne Bush pumpkin is the short grow time (90 days), so I'm not going to push pumpkins at all. Let the ground warm for a change, and plant in mid June, see how well it works.


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## nbad311 (Mar 21, 2014)

I started some seeds a few weeks ago, and they are already out of control (especially compared to the green veggie seeds started at the same time....... BORING). I know it's probably too early, but I couldn't help myself. I forgot how fast they grow! Husband says they are banned from the raised bed we built (seen here) so I will have to survey the backyard to see what I can do in the ground. We have tons of wildlife - deer/raccoons/possums/squirrels/occasional neighborhood cat - anyone know if any of those would bother uncovered/unprotected vines?


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Usually the only things that bother the vines are bugs. It's the fruits you might have raccoon and squirrels eating.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

And this is why we wait until after Mother's Day to plant:

Big chill to invade eastern U.S. this weekend, and it may get stuck.



> Washington: Highs in the 50s and 60s, lows in the 40s (30s in outlying areas).


My town would be part of the "outlying areas." 

I bought a few herb plants this weekend but won't put them in the ground. Although if I do I can easily cover them up with a sheet, but if they stay in their pots I can put them in the bathtub to keep them from being eaten the Furry Ruiner Bros. As it is I may cover up the perennials that have already sprouted like the sage, thyme, oregano, catnip, chives, etc.

Now granted 60° isn't really cold, but when you go from 90° down to 60° it feels cold.

If my aunt planted those pumpkins I'll have to remind her to cover them with a plain old sheet or light blanket.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving seeing everyone's starting photos for pumpkin patches!!! It's so exciting!! 

Still too early for Pumpkins, here. As I said before, I have to wait until late May. I did, however, start veggie, flower and herb seeds inside in my mini greenhouse and have recently planted those in the new garden. Well, we had a sudden temp drop, constant drowning rain, flooding, no sun and high winds for days and days, which is still happening...most everything I worked so hard to germinate and plant is now dead, dying or stunted. On top of that, I am having health issues and have been in and out of docs and the hospital...so I just can't keep up with caring for my seedlings that I have left. I started some new ones, today, back down in the greenhouse, to replace those that died, but I can't say if I'll be up to caring for those or not in the near future when they sprout. I have no idea if I will be better by the end of the month for Pumpkin planting time or not...I'm hoping I will be. It's heartbreaking, all this work building the new garden and having health and weather destroy it all. Ug. Here's to hoping for better health and better weather, soon, so I can get back on growing schedule...I need to grow my pumpkins!!!


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I hope you feel better soon, WitchyKitty! At least there are bedding plants available if your own starts don't make it. It's always more enjoyable (and nearly always cheaper) to start your own, but bedding plants are sitll better than nothing. Tiny pumpkins should still have plenty of time to plant out in the ground.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Oh, yeah, I still have plenty of time for all my mini pumpkins, so that's good...it's just the rest of my veggies and herbs I'm concerned about. We will see how it goes.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Well we might have to cover some stuff up, or bring it inside in the case of my herbs. Looks like Mon. & Tues. nite we could get down in the low 40s/high 30s overnight.

Bah to that nonsense I say BAH!!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

We are in week one of rain and then 2 more weeks of rain after that. So most of May I don't have to water anything.
Im going to get chicken wire fence and put it around the 2 gardens/ Pumpkins patch I planted. We have big brown
hares in our area...


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## Lady Arsenic (Sep 5, 2011)

Steady rain & wind here, makes me think of fall, not late spring. Too early to plant, but I got the ground ready over the weekend. I have a compost barrel that I've been using for a couple of years now. I opened the barrel to put fresh compost on all the trees, flowers & shrubs, what do you know......30 or 40 little pumpkin plants growing just fine in complete darkness. I didn't do a very good job of separating seeds from pulp last year when I carved my pumpkins, did I? I spread the compost everywhere & if I get pumpkins growing everywhere, oh well. They will be used!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Planted some Casper and Lady Godivas today. My regular orange pumpkins have sprouted which is
great!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Hm, those lady godiva ones look interesting. Let us know how they do. 

Frost warning this week. Probably start some seeds indoors this weekend, but still holding off on the pumpkins.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Ok I now have 19 Sprouts  2 are Casper which im so excited!!! Hurray!

Casper pumpkins








Orange pumpkins


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, I just started my pumpkin seed germination. I have them all tucked in their damp towel and plastic ziplock bag germination pockets in a warm, dark place. 
Once I see which seeds will sprout in a couple days, those will get planted in the garden. I'm doing Triple Treats and Jack Be Littles inside the beds and a Wee Be Little in a large planter, since it's a semi bush type. I wasn't happy with my first try with WBLs the year before, but thought I'd give them one more shot this year. 

Since it's a brand new garden at this new house and I'm not sure how spacing will go for the pumpkins, I will only do one, the strongest seedling, of each plant. If it looks like there would be room for more, next year, I will do more. Besides, I'm still having quite a bad time with health issues, so a small little patch of pumpkins will be much easier for me to handle...at times, they may have to try and thrive on their own, as I probably won't be able to give the constant, babying care that I usually give them, lol.

The rest of my veggie and herb garden is finally perking up and starting to flower after all that crummy off and on weather we have been having this season. Hopefully, the weather will be getting better, now, so the pumpkins will be able to take well. 

My sunflowers are finally getting stronger stems...they were pretty weak and spindly for awhile there. I hope they do well, as they are supposed to be really big ones! They will be great for the looks of my late Summer/early Fall garden!!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

We started early this year so I have now 60 pumpkin sprouts growing, that enough. My wifes garden is a good month
ahead of where it should be. Were picking peppers already. I have Orange and Casper pumpkins growing, not sure which are
the Lady Godivas..... I will see when they start growing. Were getting 3-5 days of rain a week so mother nature is doing the
work after I planted. I just check the patch every day like an expecting parent LOL. It is so much fun.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I transplanted my first ones out to the garden last week. The last couple years I've gotten more pumpkins than I had time to decorate with, so I'm allotting them a little less space this year. I'm still putting in a few different varieties, though.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Slow going with my seed germination...odd. I can see my Triple Treats having issues, because they are remaining seeds from the previous years...maybe some have gone bad. However, the Wee Be Littles and Jack Be Littles are new, unopened packets...so that wouldn't be the same case. They must not be as happy in there warm, dark place in this new house, lol. I have a couple just starting to sprout, so hope is not all lost. I popped a few more seeds of each in the baggies and we will see what I end up getting. I don't need many, so I'll be happy if I can just get a couple more to sprout, soon. I hope the Wee Be Littles give me a few more spouts, though, because I need to bring a couple to my Mother In Law, as well and a couple for me.

I'm so impatient, lol!


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Here are our pumpkin plants (with a bird house gourd and some tomato plants in there somewhere). I was excited to see a bloom on one of the plants this morning but when I went out to look at it there was a slug right in the middle of it. :-/


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Just put seeds into baggies. This is by far the latest I've ever started, making me a bit nervous, even though judging by last year, we should be fine with this variety.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, I finally got many of my seeds in baggies to germinate. Thank goodness! Unfortunately, it looks like my Triple Treat seeds have gone bad...zero germination, even with the added seeds I put in. I was going to give them a bit longer and just plant the minis, for now, but just said heck with it and planted more minis, instead. They will probably fit into my garden space better, anyway.

All of the Jack Be Littles and Wee Be Littles sprouted roots, though, so I have just gotten them all tucked into their garden bed spots and containers. Looks like another mini pumpkin year. That's okay, I love my minis and I always get such a great yield from them. Now, we just wait for those first pops of green and I'll start posting pics!!

Love seeing everyone's pumpkin seedling and young vine photos, so far! Can't wait to see more!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

How old are the triple treat seeds? 

I'm worried because the Cheyenne Bush seeds I saved last year got lost in all the construction, so I'm using 2 year old seeds I had left over from my purchase. With construction they haven't been kept in ideal situations either.

Last time I tried gourds, I got the zero germination, though. Freshly bought package...nothin.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx, I bought and grew the Triple Treat seeds two years ago and saved the rest of the seeds. Moved last year, so didn't get to plant the remaining of them then, and now tried them this year and nothing. I had them kept with all the rest of my seeds and thought they'd be okay, but I guess not.


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## RedSonja (Sep 18, 2004)

I love reading about everyone's pumpkin patches and can't wait to see them! I don't have the space to do an entire patch and I also don't have many spots in my yard that get 6+ hours of sun. Was thinking about mini pumpkins, though....can they be planted in large pots? Anyone try this?

Sorry, I don't know much about gardening!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yes, RedSonja, I plant mini pumpkins in large containers every year. Jack Be Littles and Wee Be Littles are what I do...there are others, too, any of the same mini sized ones like white, multi colored, ect. Here are some pics from previous years I have done in planters and pots. (The bigger the pot and more, good quality dirt the better the yield of pumpkins you will get. You have to really keep up on watering, too, as pots will dry out faster. A little fertilizer every so often once the plants get going will help keep the nutrients from being depleted out of the soil, too, since that can easily happen in potted plants.) You can do medium and larger pumpkins in containers, too, but you'd need major sized containers. I have seen people use baby pools, rubbermaid containers, ect, lol.

I usually use a deep pot that is, at the very least, 16 inches wide. I, also, like to use half barrel planters. 

The first three pics are Jack Be Littles. One in a small half barrel and the others are in the 16 inch pot. I usually get 3 to 9 pumpkins off of a potted vine of this size. ( I get about 25 to 40 on an in ground plant, for comparison.) A bigger pot than these shown here might get you more pumpkins. 

The last pic is a Wee Be Little. They are a semi bush and don't vine much. It did get bigger and I made a t-pee out of bamboo stakes to help hold it up in the pot...only got one pumpkin, though...trying again with them in the same pot this year.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Out of curiosity, I peeked in the baggie that had all the bad Triple Treat seeds still in it and one of them had germinated, just sitting in the top of the garage trash can. I already planted JBLs in the spot that I was going to put the TTs, so I wasn't sure what to do with it. I stuck it in a little pot of dirt, for now, and if it grows, well, maybe I can find a place to stick it...no idea where, though. I didn't have the heart to just toss it, as it fought valiantly to germinate, lol. 

So, UnOrthodOx, there is hope for your older seeds, yet, if you are still trying them! 

I noticed something dug up a couple of my JBL seeds last night...grrrr...so I stuck them carefully back in and stuck a couple new seeds in there for good measure...so I guess if those are all ruined, I can always plant that lonely TT there as a back up. We will see who survives! They better not get dug up, again! I've never had that happen, before...


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## RedSonja (Sep 18, 2004)

WK, thanks so much for the tips and the pics! Looks like you had some good results. Do you typically plant them around the same time of year as you would a ground plant? I think here in Texas, they say start beginning of June. I love the idea of putting them in a half barrel, I think that would look the best. Even if I only get a few pumpkins out of it, I think it'll be worth it!

Thanks again and good luck to ya!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

RedSonja said:


> WK, thanks so much for the tips and the pics! Looks like you had some good results. Do you typically plant them around the same time of year as you would a ground plant? I think here in Texas, they say start beginning of June. I love the idea of putting them in a half barrel, I think that would look the best. Even if I only get a few pumpkins out of it, I think it'll be worth it!
> 
> Thanks again and good luck to ya!


You're welcome! I love using my half barrels, best, too. It looks nice and gives them more room to grow. 

I'm in Illinois, so my growing time might be a little different from yours. Mini varieties have a shorter growing period, around 90 days from germination to pumpkins, give or take, if that helps...similar to other, regular gourds. I have just gotten my seeds germinated and planted them in the ground and pots yesterday. I will have my pumpkins by around September, which I do on purpose to have them for Fall decor and then through Halloween and Thanksgiving.

(I have, also, trellised my minis, too...plant in ground in a small spot and plant them upwards on a tall trellis with added rope above if more height is needed. I get tons of pumpkins this way. I let mine grow forward, too, here in this spot, but you can train them all upwards for space saving and also nip the very tip ends of the vines to stop growing if they get too long for you. Here is a pic of my trellised ground pumpkins, which could be another option for you!)


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Hi everyone. I thought I'd join in your pumpkin patch fun and try my luck this year. Question for the experts...so I bought some pumpkin seeds today - pack of Jack Be Littles, some pie pumpkins, and a pack that was just called "Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins." The JBL's will be going into a large pot in the yard, the other packs in the ground. My question is do you think it's necessary to prestart the germination process in a baggie with damp papertowels like I've read about on this thread, or do you think they would germinate okay just planted straight from the pack? I'm supposed to get rain both Saturday and Sunday, and was thinking that if I planted them Friday afternoon and just watered them in well, that maybe with the 2 days of rain they might sprout on their own. Thoughts?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

You can plant straight into the ground just fine. That's what many people do, normally, and is instructed to do on your seed packets. 

I only do the baggie germination thing to weed out any bad seeds so I am sure I am planting good seeds. Planting straight in the ground you just won't know which will sprout or not. New seeds shouldn't have too many, if any, dud seeds, though. (Plus, I do it because I'm impatient and it makes them germinate a tiny bit faster, lol!)

Just follow the directions on the seed packets and plant several seeds, a few inches apart, per hill/spot. Once they start to sprout, thin to the strongest seedlings per spot/hill. (Don't pull seedling out of the ground when thinning...pinch or cut it off at the ground so you don't disturb the roots of the seedlings you are keeping.)


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> You can plant straight into the ground just fine. That's what many people do, normally, and is instructed to do on your seed packets.
> 
> I only do the baggie germination thing to weed out any bad seeds so I am sure I am planting good seeds. Planting straight in the ground you just won't know which will sprout or not. New seeds shouldn't have too many, if any, dud seeds, though. (Plus, I do it because I'm impatient and it makes them germinate a tiny bit faster, lol!)
> 
> Just follow the directions on the seed packets and plant several seeds, a few inches apart, per hill/spot. Once they start to sprout, thin to the strongest seedlings per spot/hill. (Don't pull seedling out of the ground when thinning...pinch or cut it off at the ground so you don't disturb the roots of the seedlings you are keeping.)


Thanks so much WitchKitty! You are truly one of my main inspirations on this thread. I hope to start a potted mini pumpkin plant like you've shown is possible for us "urban" gardeners.  I hope to have a least one successful JBL in a pot by the end of harvest season. I don't hold out as much hope for the ground plantings because I'm battling deviant, "demon-squirrels" in my neighborhood, and not as much sunlight as I'd like due to a lot of mature trees, but I'll hope for the best. Here's hoping for good pumpkin crops for everyone.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Aww, thanks, Spookywolf! I do pretty well with mini pumpkin growing, but the others here are much more experienced in the larger pumpkin varieties. I always try to help out anyone with questions as best I can, though! I love to research growing things and share any info and tips I find! I love getting tips from the others on the PP threads, too!

Haha...we just moved to this new house less than a year ago (pics I posted here are from old house in previous years) and we have demon squirrels, too!! One squirrel, in particular, actually, and any evil spawn she has each year. She lives in my yard and is the most pain in the butt, loud, devious, angry squirrel you could ever meet! I love squirrels, but she is a little monster! She hates people, guards this house with her life and will just sit there and yell at us non stop. I have seen her chase people, lol. Anyway, back to the moral of the story, she and her furry, hyper children ate every single pumpkin I grew of bought last year. I tried everything to deter them, sprays, hot sauce, soap, clear coat, ect...she ate them all, anyway. Stole all my minis that I grew in my one single potted vine that I was able to bring with me from the old house, too. So, actually growing them, this year, at this house may not go so well...I worry she will just eat them right off the vines! The chipmunks are already digging up my seeds I just planted, as I said in a previous post. I just went out and put up a wind chime right over the top of my seed mounds in the hopes it will deter the little bugger, lol. 

Here's to hoping my lovely squirrel housemate will be more chill this year! I never had these issues at our old house, and we had tons of squirrels and assorted wildlife, there!

Good luck to you with your squirrels! 

(One of her evil spawn, resting and waiting for her time to attack my pumpkin...)


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## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

I've got some sprouting,








these are ol' zebs, which did well last year. I know the advice is to pick the strongest of the group and thin out the rest.. but how do you pick the strongest? The productivity of vines seems to vary and I can't tell at this point, or for quite a while yet, which will be productive. would it be so bad to just let them battle it out?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

hhh said:


> I've got some sprouting,
> these are ol' zebs, which did well last year. I know the advice is to pick the strongest of the group and thin out the rest.. but how do you pick the strongest? The productivity of vines seems to vary and I can't tell at this point, or for quite a while yet, which will be productive. would it be so bad to just let them battle it out?


I just wait until they start to get their first couple sets of true leaves or so...then, I look to see which seem to have the strongest stems, best looking leaves and fastest growth. It's just a best educated guess. 

There are people who just let them do as they please and grow together, and many have good results...but, just know that, being that close together, they will have to fight more for soil nutrients, water and growing space. Also, when you have too many vines all together, you can cause low air flow and this can up your chances of issues with disease, powdery mildew, insects, ect.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

It is so funny. Last year we had a terrible time keeping our pumpkin plants alive. This year they have grown so much they have taken over our garden area and I can't tell which one is which. Two days ago we had 2 female and one male flower. Yesterday 2 males and 1 female. I pollinated both times. Today 3 males and no female flowers. We need to weed but I am afraid I will step on the plants trying to get to the weeds.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

WitchyKitty said:


> Out of curiosity, I peeked in the baggie that had all the bad Triple Treat seeds still in it and one of them had germinated, just sitting in the top of the garage trash can. I already planted JBLs in the spot that I was going to put the TTs, so I wasn't sure what to do with it. I stuck it in a little pot of dirt, for now, and if it grows, well, maybe I can find a place to stick it...no idea where, though. I didn't have the heart to just toss it, as it fought valiantly to germinate, lol.
> 
> So, UnOrthodOx, there is hope for your older seeds, yet, if you are still trying them!
> 
> I noticed something dug up a couple of my JBL seeds last night...grrrr...so I stuck them carefully back in and stuck a couple new seeds in there for good measure...so I guess if those are all ruined, I can always plant that lonely TT there as a back up. We will see who survives! They better not get dug up, again! I've never had that happen, before...


Yep, I got a bout 60% germination from the old seeds...I almost gave up on them, but they come up this morning. Cutting a few of the non-germinated ones open says they arent even trying. We found a bag of seeds I had saved, but not marked. Pretty sure they were that mixed up mini variety I had been saving for years. They only had about 20% germination. 

Hundreds of volunteers as usual. They'll be tilled under.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

hhh said:


> I've got some sprouting,
> View attachment 413785
> 
> 
> these are ol' zebs, which did well last year. I know the advice is to pick the strongest of the group and thin out the rest.. but how do you pick the strongest? The productivity of vines seems to vary and I can't tell at this point, or for quite a while yet, which will be productive. would it be so bad to just let them battle it out?


I'd be tempted to suggest killing the middle and keeping the other two. But you'd need water and fertilizer to support that plan. If that's a drip line I see, probably best to keep one. 

Always liked the ol' zebs. Very fun and easy pumpkins.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Lots of flowers this morning. 8 male and 2 female.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Well, my seeds are in the ground and fingers are crossed. The rain I was supposed to get Saturday and Sunday disappeared, so I've had to break out the hose to keep them watered. I think the rain is supposed to happen tonight and tomorrow though, so hopefully that will help things along. I decided to take pics now for my "before" stage, and then keep adding to them as - hopefully - I get plants. Guessing I should see something by mid to end of the week? Looking forward to having something green to post.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I finally have my first pumpkins of this season sprouting! They just popped up and are tiny, but I'll post y'all some pics, anyway, lol.

Here are my potted Wee Be Littles...I can already tell that the big center guy there will probably be the one I keep, but we will let them go for a bit just to make sure, because you never know!















Here are my first two in ground Jack Be Littles...I have more in another spot, but nothing has sprouted there, yet, due to animal digging.









Then we have the potted seedlings...the two in one pot are Wee Be Littles for my MiL, and the single is that Triple Treat that last minute germinated on me. He may go in that spot where my JBLs got dug up if nothing starts there, soon.















I'll post more pics once these guys actually start going and I thin them.  So exciting for pumpkin season to be starting!!!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Plants are growing.... im happy so far.


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## Tye Rannosaurus (Aug 26, 2014)

I'm so excited! I'm planting this weekend and I just got my pumpkin mold in the mail. I can't wait to see if it actually works the way they say it does.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I finally have some JBL seeds sprouting in that spot where the chipmunks dug them up...was excited until I looked over at the other JBL hill and it had been dug up! ARG! 

I tucked them back in the ground and hope they will make it, but it's doubtful. One was still okay and not dug up in that hill, so here's to hoping for that one to make it. I made myself an essential oil repellent mixture and sprayed the heck out of the whole area around the pumpkins, and other areas around my veggie garden and all the fence lines for good measure, lol. Dang chipmunk!


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## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

Hey all, good to see everyone's patches coming along! Glad to be back on the forum for the summer.

WK, sorry to hear about the chipmunks. This year I have 1)JBL growing well; 2)Some seeds I harvested last year from extra large pumpkins we bought at a local farm (variety unknown, but they were amazing); 3)First Prize variety. 

Grow, baby!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I may have saved the ones the chipmunks dug up...so far, so good! 

Everyone's pumpkin plants are looking great!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

JaCk said:


> Hey all, good to see everyone's patches coming along! Glad to be back on the forum for the summer.
> 
> WK, sorry to hear about the chipmunks. This year I have 1)JBL growing well; 2)Some seeds I harvested last year from extra large pumpkins we bought at a local farm (variety unknown, but they were amazing); 3)First Prize variety.
> 
> Grow, baby!!




I might be a newbie but what is a JBL?


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## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

JBL = "Jack Be Little" variety.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Hello all. I'm finally seeing some green! Now to wait and see which ones look the best and weed out the rest. Here are my teeny tiny sprouts. I feel like a proud parent. 

Jack Be Little babies








This batch not doing as well. Only looks to be one or two sprouting. I have my doubts I'll be seeng much luck with the pie pumpkins this year.








And this bed is for what I hope to be at least one pumpkin large enough to carve this year. Look close or you'll miss them.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Awesome!! JBL I havent seen any seeds for them locally. I will be happy to see what grows this year. 
Mine are starting to vine. I have to take pics tomorrow.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yep...a JBL is a Jack Be Little. I grow mostly Jack Be Littles because I have limited space and can trellis them. (If you scroll back a page or two, you can see some of my previous years JBL vines, both in ground and in planters, if you are curious about size of vines for them...there are two posts.) I love those mini pumpkins, lol. I do WBL's too...which are Wee Be Littles, another mini, but round in shape. I want to get some Baby Boo's too, some year, a mini white just like the JBL, but I can't always find them. I forgot to look, this year. 

Rigormortar, Burpee seed brand usually has the Jack Be Littles if you are looking for them. I have seen them regular and heirloom variety.

I transplanted a couple more pumpkin seedlings, today, and snapped some new pics.

First, the Jack Be Little's...looks like they are hanging in there, even though they were all mostly dug up. I have three good one's on one side and one good one on the other...you can tell which poor little guy was nearly destroyed by the chipmunk...however, he is still alive, barely, lol. I just need one in each spot to make it!















I decided to tuck that Triple Treat seedling behind the trellises of the JBL's...I just couldn't bring myself to not plant it, it was too healthy, had it's first true leaf, so I figure maybe I can get it to run along between the garden wall and the back of the JBL trellises. It may get a little tight...it may crawl over the wall and into my walkway...but I figure I can nip the vines if they get too crazy after I get a pumpkin or two forming. If it doesn't like it there, I can just pull it. 









Finally, I have my Wee Be Littles that are in planters. They are, also, getting their true leaves. I had three going in my planter, one was away from the other two, so I carefully dug it up and planted it in another square, green planter I forgot I had. This planter may be too small, but I figure, why not? I could, at least, get a nice plant out of it and use it's flowers to pollinate the one in the bigger planter if it doesn't give me females. (More flowers, more bees, more chances to hand pollinate, better pumpkin results!) I still have to thin to one in the big pot, but I'll wait a bit longer.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Got a lot more spouts in the Jack-o'-lantern patch today. I know I'm not going to have enough room for vining in this bed for a pumpkin plant of this size, but I was debating on allowing it to vine up the wood fence behind the bed with some supports of some kind. Anyone had any luck in suspending larger pumpkin varieties on trellises or fences?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I trellised my Triple Treats a couple years ago, which are a larger pie/medium pumpkin, about 8 inches wide, give or take. I just helped trellis the vines as I usually would for my minis by training the tendrils and, also, with soft cloth strips or strips of weed block material (material that gives a little so the vines can grow bigger without getting cut off), then as the pumpkins started to grow and get heavier, I would make them a little sling out of more soft cloth, if they needed one to support the weight. Mine ended up not needing the slings, but a larger pumpkin might. Here's a couple pics of them to show you:























Here's a pic of them harvested so you can see the size ( also shown, WBLs): 










On a depressing side note, I went out and ALL of my JBLs were dug up. All but two were not just pulled up, but completely ripped apart and destroyed.  
I am giving this one last try...though, I'm thoroughly disgusted. I replanted the two that weren't obliterated in one spot and planted fresh seeds, and then moved my Triple Treat into the other spot and planted more seeds of those, too. (It's a bit late for the seeds, now, but I don't know what else to do.) Then, I built a mini barricade around each planting spot with wire fence, string, heavy duty packing tape, duct tape and plastic wrap, lol. The top is latticed with string, too, so nothing can easily hop in the top in case it's birds doing it and not the chipmunks. I don't know what else to do. I just need them to get a chance to take and get a little bigger...I am so frustrated!! I never had these issues at the old house!! GRRRRRR!!! If they get through my mini protection forts and destroy the remaining seedlings...well, I give up...wish me luck!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

...now something has started digging in my WBL planters. There's no way the chipmunk could have gotten into the one on the plant stand, so I am now guessing my demon squirrel may be my culprit. Hahaha...ahhhh...these squirrels just won't let me have pumpkins...they ate every pumpkin we grew or bought last year and now my plants this year. We figured this would happen. Waving the white flag, I give up. 

If a miracle happens and I get any to grow, I'll let you guys know. For now, I'll be watching the progress of your patches, though!


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> ...now something has started digging in my WBL planters. There's no way the chipmunk could have gotten into the one on the plant stand, so I am now guessing my demon squirrel may be my culprit. Hahaha...ahhhh...these squirrels just won't let me have pumpkins...they ate every pumpkin we grew or bought last year and now my plants this year. We figured this would happen. Waving the white flag, I give up.
> 
> If a miracle happens and I get any to grow, I'll let you guys know. For now, I'll be watching the progress of your patches, though!


Oh no WitchyKitty! Don't give up. You need to get some chicken wire or something they can't chew through and build a temporary cage around them until the seedlings get deeper roots and are well established so they're not as easy to dig up. That's the only way my young tomato plants survived with my monster squirrels last year, because they were digging those up like crazy. Once the plants get bigger you can remove the chicken wire. Now as to how to keep them off the fruit itself, that's a mystery I haven't solved yet. My squirrels got every tomato off my plants last year even the early green ones. Sometimes they'd take one bite and then just throw them on the ground - erh! Maybe after they've checked out all the pots and planting patches and see there's nothing of interest there yet, they'll leave them alone and let them grow. I'd keep patting them back down into the soil and try to block them off for a while. So far, my furry tree rats haven't bothered my seedlings yet. But I have a feeling I'll be finding chew marks on my pumpkins down the road if they don't steal them altogether. Good luck and keep fighting.


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## Stinkerbell n Frog Prince (Sep 4, 2009)

so far no issues with squirrels in the squash, however something mowed down a couple of peppers this year... I have my suspects and it's not the slugs and snails, it might have been a squirrel.

My problem was my biggest pumpkin 2 years ago was attacked by our geese had to fence them out of that part of the yard to save the rest. Later that same year they ate every last pepper I had growing outside of the fenced garden area. GRRR Last year my Great Dane thought it a great idea to take a chunk out of the biggest one that year. Had to place a temp fence around the vines to save the rest. This year the Danes have decided that laying in my day lily patch is loads of fun, so far the vines are ok... not so sure once they fruit... This is why I can't have nice things, I love my dogs too much.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookywolf said:


> Oh no WitchyKitty! Don't give up. You need to get some chicken wire or something they can't chew through and build a temporary cage around them until the seedlings get deeper roots and are well established so they're not as easy to dig up. That's the only way my young tomato plants survived with my monster squirrels last year, because they were digging those up like crazy. Once the plants get bigger you can remove the chicken wire. Now as to how to keep them off the fruit itself, that's a mystery I haven't solved yet. My squirrels got every tomato off my plants last year even the early green ones. Sometimes they'd take one bite and then just throw them on the ground - erh! Maybe after they've checked out all the pots and planting patches and see there's nothing of interest there yet, they'll leave them alone and let them grow. I'd keep patting them back down into the soil and try to block them off for a while. So far, my furry tree rats haven't bothered my seedlings yet. But I have a feeling I'll be finding chew marks on my pumpkins down the road if they don't steal them altogether. Good luck and keep fighting.


My whole veggie garden is fenced to keep out rabbits and such, but it can't keep out squirrels, chipmunks and birds. I did make mini cages, yesterday, around the few I have left...but not sure they will make it, as they were dug up so many times. Only time will tell. There were holes all around my little cages, this morning, but none inside the cages, so here's to hoping. I didn't make cages, yet, for the potted ones, but gave the pots and dirt and good spray of my essential oil deterrent mixture and nothing was dug into in those, this morning. I don't have much energy to do a lot due to my current health, so much of my garden is just going to have to be on it's own. I have a hard time even watering. This year is just a bad year, for me. Maybe next year I'll be better enough to fight my fuzzy, adorable pain in the butt critters and can get a better patch going. 

Edit: I made two, quick fence rings with string across the tops for my potted WBL's. It won't keep out a chipmunk, holes are too big, but will deter a squirrel, so hopefully they will help. I tried, lol.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Stinkerbell n Frog Prince said:


> so far no issues with squirrels in the squash, however something mowed down a couple of peppers this year... I have my suspects and it's not the slugs and snails, it might have been a squirrel.
> 
> My problem was my biggest pumpkin 2 years ago was attacked by our geese had to fence them out of that part of the yard to save the rest. Later that same year they ate every last pepper I had growing outside of the fenced garden area. GRRR Last year my Great Dane thought it a great idea to take a chunk out of the biggest one that year. Had to place a temp fence around the vines to save the rest. This year the Danes have decided that laying in my day lily patch is loads of fun, so far the vines are ok... not so sure once they fruit... This is why I can't have nice things, I love my dogs too much.


Geese ate your pumpkin?? I wasn't even aware they could or would want to!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I finally got everything planted in peat pots this past week for my garden I do at home. The garden I plant behind my office will hopefully be planted sometime this week. I saw I have some of my plants coming up through the soil in the peat pots so it won't be long until they go in the ground. Of course I picked the hottest day of the year to weed and till the garden, but it's finally done, and all my mounds have been formed..


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## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

Sorry to hear that, WitchyKitty!! Don't give up!
Stinkerbell -- geese? Wow!! That stinks.
Mayor, looks like you're going to have a nice big patch this year. What variety?


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

JaCk said:


> Sorry to hear that, WitchyKitty!! Don't give up!
> Stinkerbell -- geese? Wow!! That stinks.
> Mayor, looks like you're going to have a nice big patch this year. What variety?


In the patch I'm planting at work I'm going with carvable pumpkins, using seeds from giant orange, giant white, and giant yellow pumpkins I carved last year, as well as leftover seeds I had from last year which included Wolf, Cargo and Champion. All of those seeds are getting directly sowed into the ground. I will have 3 rows, with each row containing about 35 seeds. This is by far the largest patch I've ever done.

At home I'm going with decorative pumpkins, which will include Cushaw, Red Wartything, Toad, Gooseneck Gourds, Lady Godiva, Heirloom and regular small gourds. These are what were shown in the picture.

I've also planted around 3 dozen Indian Corn seeds for decorating.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Growing and vining.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

seedlings will be going into the ground this weekend. 

We're trying Sorghum for decoration this year as well.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

seedlings will be going into the ground this weekend. 

We're trying Sorghum for decoration this year as well.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Installed soaker hoses this morning. Getting tedious using a 2 gallon water can. Each hill getting 2 gallons.
Easier this way. Still have to water my wife vegetable garden. I think I might get soakers hoses for hers as well.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

I would love to plant some!! Is it too late to plant now??


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> I would love to plant some!! Is it too late to plant now??


You are fairly close to me...you should be able to plant, now, if you do it right away. I generally start my seeds germinating the last week of May or first week of June. Smaller to medium varieties you will definitely be okay to start, as they have a shorter growing season...should be fine with jack size, too...if you are looking for giants, though, you may not have time, though I don't grow those, so I can't say, for sure. Just look at the seed packets for the growing period (germination to fruit set) and see which will work for you. It depends on when you want your pumpkins...I like to have mine for September and Fall decorating...others don't mind to just have them ready for October for Halloween and carving.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Thanks for the help!!! Im gonna try my hand at this!!!


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> I would love to plant some!! Is it too late to plant now??


I'm in you area and I just planted my seeds last weekend. You should be fine. Welcome to the patch!


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## Stinkerbell n Frog Prince (Sep 4, 2009)

WitchyKitty said:


> Geese ate your pumpkin?? I wasn't even aware they could or would want to!


Goodness yes had all this little "nibbles" out of the one I caught Pig eating on ( Pig is our BIG male goose). Was slow on the up take that the geese would eat just about anything hence also losing my green peppers the same year to them. What surprised me was finding the dog just taking bites and eating one last year. I should have realized that since one of her favorite treats is a dog biscuit made of pumpkin, never thought she's eat one raw. For the record I was given some Cinderella pumpkins to carve 2 years ago that grow out of a compost pile... they were the few saved that the horses in the pasture next to the pile hadn't eaten or stepped on. So just proves everything is out to get our pumpkins.

Like last year I just tossed out the seeds from my gutted Jack-o-lanterns last fall into one of the old goose wading pools that leaked and was now filled with dirt. Covered them over with a layer of chicken poop from the coop for the winter and hoped for the best. Have a number of little plants that thanks to the unseasonable warm weather we had last week are doing quite will. I use to get store bought starts and had almost no luck getting any pumpkins. We have a short season that tends to the shady chilly side. (western washington) I'd get lots of vine some flowers no pumpkins. 2 years ago I took that old wading pool with holes filled it with dirt and compost tossed some seeds and imagine that they grew and I had some pumpkins. Took a suggestion from here to move the pollen around from flower to flower to help ensure fertilization and I had a few more. I know now to keep both the dogs and geese out of the vines so fingers crossed I'll have a bumper crop.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, I always hand pollinate to assure I get pumpkins. I just pick a newly opened male flower in the early morning (make sure pollen is mature, first, by touching it with your finger to see if the orange dust readily comes off), pull back it's petals and use it's pollen covered center to "paint" all parts of the center of the newly opened females (make sure to cover each part of the female center, or the pumpkin may abort or be misshapen). (For those who are new to this, male flowers have one, single stamen inside and grow on a long stem off the vine...females have a multi part stigma center and grow on a short stem with a tiny, baby round bump right below it that will be your pumpkin if it correctly pollinates.) You can do a couple females per male flower, usually. To up my chances for pollination even more, I actually remove the center of the male and place it inside the center of the female and leave it there...that way, the bees can continue to do there work right there in one flower! 

I always post these two links each year in PP Thread for those new to this who would like some tips other than what we all give here...the pollination part in the first link goes into more detail of what I said above:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/growing.htm

http://www.allaboutpumpkins.com/growing.html


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Zombie4* said:


> I would love to plant some!! Is it too late to plant now??


I live in Pennsylvania and just got mine planted last week. Most of the pumpkins I plant say it takes about 110 days until maturity so that would put you at around October 1st that they would be ready if you planted today. From my past experience I don't think that I've ever had any make it a full 110 days. I would say after about 90-100 days they are completely done. I like to wait until the middle of June in hopes of escaping the wrath of some bugs that do a hurting on the plants. 

Buy some seeds, or an already started plant, plant them in pots or directly in the ground and see what you get. Trust me, once you see them come up you'll be totally into it and want to plant more next year. I started off about 6 years ago by just buying a plant at Lowes later in the growing season. Once I got that first pumpkin going I was hooked, even though that pumpkin got a squash vine borer and didn't get nearly as big as it could have. This year I'm planting around 20 plants in a garden I created just for pumpkins behind the shed at my house as well as another 100 or so in the garden we have behind my office. 

If you have any questions about growing them just come on here and if you can't find an answer to your question just ask. There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable growers that can help you out.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Yeah, I always hand pollinate to assure I get pumpkins. I just pick a newly opened male flower in the early morning (make sure pollen is mature, first, by touching it with your finger to see if the orange dust readily comes off), pull back it's petals and use it's pollen covered center to "paint" all parts of the center of the newly opened females (make sure to cover each part of the female center, or the pumpkin may abort or be misshapen). (For those who are new to this, male flowers have one, single stamen inside and grow on a long stem off the vine...females have a multi part stigma center and grow on a short stem with a tiny, baby round bump right below it that will be your pumpkin if it correctly pollinates.) You can do a couple females per male flower, usually. To up my chances for pollination even more, I actually remove the center of the male and place it inside the center of the female and leave it there...that way, the bees can continue to do there work right there in one flower!
> 
> I always post these two links each year in PP Thread for those new to this who would like some tips other than what we all give here...the pollination part in the first link goes into more detail of what I said above:
> 
> ...


I completely agree with both of those sites. When I first started planting my own pumpkins I used both of these sites for reference. In fact I even went back to the pumpkinnook site just last week when I was getting ready to plant this years crop for a refresher course on what to do and not to do. Tons of useful information to be had there.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I completely agree with both of those sites. When I first started planting my own pumpkins I used both of these sites for reference. In fact I even went back to the pumpkinnook site just last week when I was getting ready to plant this years crop for a refresher course on what to do and not to do. Tons of useful information to be had there.


Yes, I keep both sites bookmarked on my laptop...I especially like to go back and reference Pumpkinnook, myself, as well as showing it to others.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

My sproutlings are getting their first true leaves now. Guess the time is fast approaching to make some hard decisions. I'm a gardener and I know they need to be thinned to give room and food for the strong ones I leave, but in a way it just kills me to pluck out perfectly healthy plants. I wish I could keep them all.  

Quick question for Witchykitty (or any of the experts with smaller gardening space, feel free to advise)...how much room did you have for your triple treats in your garden and how much space did you leave between the plants? The one bed for the jack o' lantern pumpkins is roughly 8'x2' (tight space, I know) but I'm tempted to leave a plant on each end of the bed. I'm going to use the fence behind the bed as a lattice for the vines to grow, but I'm uncertain if the space can support two plants. For the Jack Be Littles, I'm pretty sure one per container is all the soil can support. So tempting to get another large pot to put a second one in. Gah - I'm going to be overrun with pumpkins! They're so cute and little right now, but it won't be long before they mutate into giant, ground gobbling, giant-leaved monsters that take over my yard. 

JBLs w/first true leaves








A few Pie Pumpkins are coming along








Jack o' lanterns with their first true leaves


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Our pumpkins so far. For some reason it did not record the 3rd pumpkin. :-/


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

MrsMcbernes said:


> Our pumpkins so far.


Oh wow, you already have so many pumpkins! How awesome.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookywolf said:


> My sproutlings are getting their first true leaves now. Guess the time is fast approaching to make some hard decisions. I'm a gardener and I know they need to be thinned to give room and food for the strong ones I leave, but in a way it just kills me to pluck out perfectly healthy plants. I wish I could keep them all.
> 
> Quick question for Witchykitty (or any of the experts with smaller gardening space, feel free to advise)...how much room did you have for your triple treats in your garden and how much space did you leave between the plants? The one bed for the jack o' lantern pumpkins is roughly 8'x2' (tight space, I know) but I'm tempted to leave a plant on each end of the bed. I'm going to use the fence behind the bed as a lattice for the vines to grow, but I'm uncertain if the space can support two plants. For the Jack Be Littles, I'm pretty sure one per container is all the soil can support. So tempting to get another large pot to put a second one in. Gah - I'm going to be overrun with pumpkins! They're so cute and little right now, but it won't be long before they mutate into giant, ground gobbling, giant-leaved monsters that take over my yard.


I had two Triple Treat vines in those pics I posted a few pages back. It was an 8 foot length of garden bed, three feet deep, if I remember correctly, and I had the plants four feet apart (so one plant in the center of each 4 foot part of the bed.) I had them grow straight up to the top of the fence, which was four feet high, then follow along the top, around the corner a bit and back down the other sides. Smaller, secondary vines filled in the insides of the bed and out down the other sides of the fence. the main vine on each, if I measured correctly, got to be about 12 feet, give or take, before I pinched off the tiny end tips of the vines to stop growth. So, basically, I just made sure the vines grew away from each other in opposite directions. Here are two pics of my TTs when they were young, before they got crazy long, so you can see my spacing...I quickly drew on one of the pics to show you which way I trained the vines, lol.















Larger pumpkins can get vines much longer, though, so take that into consideration. You can always prune/pinch off the vine tips to stop growth if they get too big for your space, like I do, but remember to make sure you have pumpkins growing, first, lol. You don't want to prune your vines before the are long enough to start giving you pumpkins! (The link I posted for Pumpkinnook on the previous page has a section on vine maintenance if you are curious.)

For minis like JBLs, I usually do one per planter/large pot...but if you happen to have a really big planter, such as a full size half barrel, you could do two or possibly three. 
You don't want to overcrowd in a smaller planter/pot because water and nutrients would be depleted way too fast. The bigger the planter I use, the better I fertilize and keep up on water, the more minis I get on the vine. 

I know it's hard to thin them out, lol...it kills me, too. However, I see you said you would pluck them out...don't pull. You should pinch or cut the seedlings you don't want at the dirt line. The roots could be tangled when they are that close to each other and if you pull any out you could damage the roots of the ones you are keeping. On that note, if you have a seedling that is far enough away from the one you are keeping, you can attempt to take the seedling, with some dirt so as not to hurt it's roots, very carefully and transplant it elsewhere if you have a spot or container. I have done this many times with good results.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My area for my Triple Treat vine probably won't be big enough in my new garden at this new house, lol...we will see what happens if it grows! I might be crawling through it to get to other parts of my veggie garden, lol!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Ok, so Im planning on planting this weekend. Im building an area just for the pumpkins. Im going to have to buy the soil. What type of soil is best? I was thinking Miracle Grow for Gardens?? Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance!!!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Zombie4* said:


> Ok, so Im planning on planting this weekend. Im building an area just for the pumpkins. Im going to have to buy the soil. What type of soil is best? I was thinking Miracle Grow for Gardens?? Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance!!!


That's what we use in my daughter's garden and have had good results.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Witchykitty, thank you SO much for all that helpful info! This weekend will be thinning out time, I think. I might get another large pot to try a second JBL in. Do you remember how long your JBL vines got or did you also trim the ends on those to stop growth? I also need to think about what kind of lattice structure I'm going to use for my containers. I'll be needing that soon.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookywolf said:


> Witchykitty, thank you SO much for all that helpful info! This weekend will be thinning out time, I think. I might get another large pot to try a second JBL in. Do you remember how long your JBL vines got or did you also trim the ends on those to stop growth? I also need to think about what kind of lattice structure I'm going to use for my containers. I'll be needing that soon.


Scroll back some pages...I posted pics of my JBL's in pots, planters and in the ground from previous seasons at the old house. (Post numbers 43 and 46 in this thread) You can get an idea of how big they get both ways planted. I never had to pinch or prune my potted ones, because they don't usually get as big...but I have had to pinch my in ground ones.

Really, there's no definite way to say how long/full your vines will get compared to anyone elses...as there are so many variables...weather, soil, climate, nutrients, water, seed quality...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> Ok, so Im planning on planting this weekend. Im building an area just for the pumpkins. Im going to have to buy the soil. What type of soil is best? I was thinking Miracle Grow for Gardens?? Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance!!!


I have used the Miracle Grow garden and potting soils before for my pumpkins...usually the ones in my planters/large containers or ones in ground outside of the veggie garden. I use organic soil for the pumpkins in my actual garden, though, because I have veggies I eat in there...usually Garden Safe organic garden soil.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Patch is growing and vining


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

We got all the pumpkins planted today!!! Hopefully they grow!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Finished...finally!!!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Vining and growing.... I see a female already! Im shocked and surprised!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Zombie4* said:


> Finished...finally!!!


Wow, looks great Zombie4*. Best of luck!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Vining and growing.... I see a female already! Im shocked and surprised!
> 
> View attachment 416329
> 
> ...


Wow, that's great! I love when they get to that point.


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## Betelgeuse (Jun 16, 2017)

Starting to get worried with my patch. Been I think a week and a half, almost two weeks and still no female flowers..


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Great set up, Zombie4. Good luck with your new crop. Rigomortor, your vines are going gang-busters! And you already have a female! You'll be seeing pumpkin babies in no time. Can't wait to get to that point. I did most of the thinning out this weekend. Transplanted one of the JBLs to another pot, though I'm not sure it's big enough to support it, but we'll see. No pics yet cause I'm waiting to see if it survives. Also got some support structures in place for the two potted minis to climb on when they're ready. Vining should probably start to happen soon. Season is on its way; good luck fellow growers!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Thanks for all the great advise and compliments from everyone! Im so excited to see if any of the seeds actually grow.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Betelgeuse said:


> Starting to get worried with my patch. Been I think a week and a half, almost two weeks and still no female flowers..


Hi Betelgeuse. Are you getting any male flowers? Pumpkin vines always start with only males first to attract the bees to the plants. After that then the female flowers start to come on. You should start seeing females soon. Share some pics with us too, we love to see the plants in progress.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Betelgeuse said:


> Starting to get worried with my patch. Been I think a week and a half, almost two weeks and still no female flowers..


Sometimes it does take a couple weeks. If the plants are growing, and they're putting out male flowers, you're on the right track. They should kick into productive gear before long.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Betelgeuse said:


> Starting to get worried with my patch. Been I think a week and a half, almost two weeks and still no female flowers..


In the past I usually get males for 2 - 3 weeks then you will see females. Don't worry you will get females before you know it.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yep, I agree with the others. Male flowers come first to get the bees attracted to the patch, then after a few weeks, give or take, you should start seeing females. So, no worries, yet, Betelgeuse!

Loving seeing everyone's pics, so far! 

My Triple Treat and Wee Be Little seedlings are starting to fill in and get more true leaves. My JBLs are still small from being dug up so many times...but they ARE still alive and getting their first true leaves, so there is hope. if I can keep them going, they will just be a little behind the others. I'll take pics when I'm sure they are all going to make it and start getting a little bigger.

My sunflowers are up to my shoulders, already. They are giants, so I'm pretty sure they are going to get bigger, yet, before I start seeing their blooms.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

This website is great. They list all different kinds of pumpkins you can plant. So for next year I have many
pumpkins to choose to grow.

http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/varieties.html


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## CJSimon (Sep 6, 2007)

Picked up a couple of Wee Be Littles at Lowes this past weekend. I live in the city, but have a fair sized backyard that gets lots of sun. We'll see how this goes. I don't have the greenest thumb.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Male flowers blooming hurray.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Got 7 sprouts today!!!!!! Jack o lantern and prize winners!!!!


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Weekly plant updates...

Jacks are thinned down considerably now (pardon the tiny weeds cropping up all over.) Still have a few sprouts to thin out. Decided to go with 2 plants for this bed, but they're coming along nicely and should start vining any time now. 








This is a 2nd JBL I transplanted into another pot. He's a little behind his brothers, but out of his transplant shock now and starting to take off.








This is the original pot of JBLs minus quite a few sprouts. There are two left in here and I will cut back to one shortly (was waiting to see which one was stronger.)








And alas, the poor pie pumpkins...they're still thinking about it. (Notice the firefly that decided to photobomb. )


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> Got 7 sprouts today!!!!!! Jack o lantern and prize winners!!!!


And they're off! You'll have monster plants in no time.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

CJSimon said:


> Picked up a couple of Wee Be Littles at Lowes this past weekend. I live in the city, but have a fair sized backyard that gets lots of sun. We'll see how this goes. I don't have the greenest thumb.
> 
> View attachment 416785
> 
> View attachment 416793



I'm stalking this thread, admiring everyone's patches, knowing that I have too many <expletive> squirrels & moles & ALL the critters around my house....but I might be able to do pots like yours on my patio! *thoughts for next year.


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## CJSimon (Sep 6, 2007)

lisa48317 said:


> I'm stalking this thread, admiring everyone's patches, knowing that I have too many <expletive> squirrels & moles & ALL the critters around my house....but I might be able to do pots like yours on my patio! *thoughts for next year.


I'll definitely post updates. I have a squirrel that likes to dig up my fairy gardens in the front yard. Haven't had any critter problems when growing things in the back yard, so fingers crossed that it stays that way.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Ok so the sprouting is in full force!!! Up to a total of 19 sprouts!!! It seems that all this rain has really kick started the growth???


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Zombie4* said:


> Ok so the sprouting is in full force!!! Up to a total of 19 sprouts!!! It seems that all this rain has really kick started the growth???


Yes water them every day, you want the soil to be moist daily. Also sunlight is very important. As long as they are in the sun from
sunup to sundown they will grow like crazy. Last year I had some plants grow and they were in the shade almost all day. They never
got big or produced anything.


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Hi all,
I'm enjoying this thread and following everyone's pumpkin patch. We are trying pumpkins this year. We tried one year, but they never took. We have a really good spot in our back yard that gets sun all day. We planted some Jack O' Lanterns about 2 weeks ago and they are sprouting. We also found some
more seeds that we planted last week and are waiting for them to sprout.
Here is a picture of our sprouts.








I also have another question. Do you place anything under the pumpkins once they start growing such as straw?
Thanks.
Debbie


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

*one of three*

Turning orange already


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Highly irritated right now. Someone came into my yard today and broke off one of the green pumpkins off the vine. It was out there this morning because I looked at it when I went to check on the ones that are turning orange and the one bird house gourd that we have so far.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MrsMcbernes said:


> Highly irritated right now. Someone came into my yard today and broke off one of the green pumpkins off the vine. It was out there this morning because I looked at it when I went to check on the ones that are turning orange and the one bird house gourd that we have so far.
> View attachment 418361


Ug...that's not even cool. I'm so sorry that happened to you!  I just don't understand people, sometimes...

I had that happen, once, at my old house...neighbor kids were plucking off my mini pumpkins. It's a worry I always have, now.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Last year the kids around me were told to stay out of our yard/ garden. obviously someone forgot. To make things even better one of the neighbors dogs chased my poor cat off right in front of me. Per our landlord all dogs are supposed to be leashed and they've been told before but no one really listens. I did get to tell the kid with the dog though to pass on the word that they are all to stay out of my yard again and if not ill be taking a trip around to speak to the parents.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Poor kitty!  
Hopefully, putting the fear of a talk with the parents will keep them from anymore pumpkin stealing! (...and keep the dogs out of your yard, too!)


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

I just hate that I keep having to repeat myself. I know I end up coming off as a real *B*


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I decided to go out and take some pics to show you guys.

First, here are my Wee Be Littles that are in planters. The one in the big green pot is doing very well. The other one in the square green pot on the plant stand was one that got dug up by animals. It's smaller than the other, but still alive and has been hanging in there, so we will see if it will start to pic up in size, now. I had it sitting back farther and it wasn't getting as much sun as the lower one, so I moved it forward a bit the other day. We will see if that will help. 


























Here are my in ground pumpkin plants. The first is my Triple Treat...also doing very well. The second pic is of all my new Jack Be Little babies that I had to replant after the originals were all dug up by animals over and over. The one on the far left is the only original left which was, also, dug up, but I caught it quick enough to replant. It's alive, but not doing much. I'm sure all the newbies will surpass it, soon. I will thin to one if these guys make it. The last pic is another Wee Be Little. It was transplanted in front of the same trellis as the JBLs as a back up in case none of them made it. We will see if it will be kept or not.


























I'll toss this in here, too, since some of you plant Sunflowers...mine are already taller than me and one is starting to bloom, already! The bloom is still small and has a ways to fill out, yet, as these are Giant Gray Stripe Sunflowers, so I'll take pics, again, later, when they are full bloomed. I even have a little bee visiting in there...which is good, because my garden is in desperate need of bees!! I have little to none! I have been having to hand pollinate everything. Hopefully, these sunflowers will attract even more bees and pollinators. Our old house always had so many bees in the garden...

Anyway, here are a few Sunflower pics, and one of my whole garden area we built this Spring. You can see the sunflowers in the back two corners of the garden. Pumpkin seedlings are on the right side where there are, currently, bare trellises. (Other things in there are Green Beans, Carrots, Sage, Cucumbers, Korean Cucumbers, Habaneros, Jalapenos, Banana Peppers, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Strawberries in half barrel, Cilantro and Basil in half barrel, Lavender in pots between barrels and Marigolds scattered throughout...just a little of everything.)


























I'm thinking I will, at least, get some good results from my larger, potted WBL and my Triple Treat...hopefully!


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Your garden looks beautiful, WitchyKitty!

I can see teeeny tiny buds just beginning to form on my Cucurbits. They're behind their usual schedule, but I put in small pumpkins with a relatively short growing season this year, so it should work out-- if our weather can just moderate a little.


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

I planted a little over a week ago. Finally. We have 6 plants started now. Nothing exciting to post pictures of. Here's hoping for a decent crop this year.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Witchykitty, you have a lovely garden area. So pretty. And it looks like your plants are taking off and doing very well. You'll be up to your armpits in vines in no time at all. 

MrsMcbernes, that's really awful that someone stole one of your pumpkins. It's bad enough to have 4 legged critters to fend off, but 2 legged thieves are just not cool. 

As for my crop, they're getting bigger, but still not really taking off and vining the way I thought they would at this stage. Maybe I'm rushing things. My only worry is not getting enough sun with all the large trees in my yard, but hopefully they'll get enough to produce at least a few. Guess time will tell. So glad to see others planting and joining "the patch." I love to see pics of everyone's babies as they sprout and progress. This thread will be so fun to watch to conclusion come Sept & October. It seems far away now but will be here before we even know what happened.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Just about all of my seeds have sprouted in the patch that I planted at work. The area is about 50' by 30' and I had 104 sprouts this morning. I may need to thin out some of them, but I have a hard time doing that.


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## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

WK, looks like a lovely garden! I love the idea of growing the vines vertically on trellises.
Mayor, looking good --- looks like a good sized patch!

Here are the latest pics of my patch. Many male flowers so far, no females yet...still waiting on the first to show up.

*Jack B-Littles*








*First Prize*








*Rock Creek Variety*








So far, the Rock Creek variety have the thickest vines, so I'm hoping the largest pumpkins will come from those plants. 

As a discussion starter: what do people usually do for fertilizer treatments throughout the Summer? Just curious.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Got many sprouts. Just not sure if they are growing as quick as they should? They were planted almost 2 weeks ago.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Just about all of my seeds have sprouted in the patch that I planted at work. The area is about 50' by 30' and I had 104 sprouts this morning. I may need to thin out some of them, but I have a hard time doing that.


What a great garden area. 104  that's a lot of babies!!! Good luck with the thinning, I couldn't do it, and it really was a wild tangle of vines everywhere. But, I have to say, as my first attempt at pumpkin growing, it was kind of exciting.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

WitchyKitty said:


> I decided to go out and take some pics to show you guys.
> 
> First, here are my Wee Be Littles that are in planters. The one in the big green pot is doing very well. The other one in the square green pot on the plant stand was one that got dug up by animals. It's smaller than the other, but still alive and has been hanging in there, so we will see if it will start to pic up in size, now. I had it sitting back farther and it wasn't getting as much sun as the lower one, so I moved it forward a bit the other day. We will see if that will help.
> 
> ...


WOW~gorgeous!!!!!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

MrsMcbernes said:


> Highly irritated right now. Someone came into my yard today and broke off one of the green pumpkins off the vine. It was out there this morning because I looked at it when I went to check on the ones that are turning orange and the one bird house gourd that we have so far.
> View attachment 418361


Oh! No Halloween candy for those kids


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> Got many sprouts. Just not sure if they are growing as quick as they should? They were planted almost 2 weeks ago.


I think your seedlings are fine. It was 10 days ago that you said you planted them, going by your posts, and I can already see the first true leaves forming on some of yours. The pics of my JBL's that each have one small, first true leaf were 14/15 days after planting, so yours seem to be growing about the same speed as mine. 

They sometimes start slow, depending on weather and such...but once they get a few sets of true leaves, they will usually take off quite fast, don't worry, lol.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Oh great!!! Thanks for reassuring me!!! Im super excited and am hoping i actually get some pumpkins out of this.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Zombie4* said:
> 
> 
> > Got many sprouts. Just not sure if they are growing as quick as they should? They were planted almost 2 weeks ago.
> ...



Many thanks to everyone on this thread. Everyone is so helpful. This has been the most fun yet!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Your garden looks beautiful, WitchyKitty!





Spookywolf said:


> Witchykitty, you have a lovely garden area. So pretty. And it looks like your plants are taking off and doing very well. You'll be up to your armpits in vines in no time at all.





JaCk said:


> WK, looks like a lovely garden! I love the idea of growing the vines vertically on trellises.





punkineater said:


> WOW~gorgeous!!!!!



Thanks, everyone! We built this garden area just this year. We built the white fencing, too, as we couldn't find exactly what we needed for the area, premade. (Bunnies, bunnies everywhere, so a small fence was needed!) The ground under there has a lot of clay content, so a raised cedar bed with good soil was the only way to go. There is a narrow flower bed in front of the fence, too, that I just recently planted more flowers in, which are still babies. Hoping, next year, they will be blooming and attracting more pollinators to the garden.

It's a hot mess in there, right now, lol. I had perfect plans for where I wanted to plant everything, how much of everything, ect. and had all my seedlings going indoors in a small greenhouse...then I ended up with health issues that made planting difficult. I got things in the right areas for companion planting, but just planted stuff the best I could wherever I could easily reach...and not in the perfect, spaced order that my OCD-like ways tend to make me do, lol. I have stuff too close to each other, big, empty gaps where stuff should have been, stuff hidden from sun by other things because I put it in the wrong spot...just trying to get the seedlings in the ground! (Everything is doing decent and producing veggies, though, so they must not be too unhappy!) Next year, things will be planted in a more organized, well spaced way!

Yeah, I pretty much always give my pumpkins something to climb on every year, whether it's a trellis, ropes, fencing, or potted and hanging down out of a container. Growing smaller pumpkins makes this much easier! 

Anyway, here is a pic of the garden right after we put it in, before plants, so you can see it, better, and an upper view with some of the young plants, from a month ago. With the mulch all around the outside of garden bed, if my pumpkin vines crawl over and out of the beds, it won't be a big deal.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Ok Females are blooming now! Hurray! Also my Frenchie Tweety loves being outside and laying in the grass.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yay for females!! ...and Tweety is adorable!! 

I think I see the first, tiny flower bud forming on my potted WBL!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Ok Females are blooming now! Hurray! Also my Frenchie Tweety loves being outside and laying in the grass.
> 
> [iurl="http://www.halloweenforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=419969&d=1498661117"]
> 
> ...


Oh my word!!! Holy pumpkin patch!!!! They are growing so fast and taking over !!! Im so very excited to see what pumpkins come from this! Also Tweety is super adorable ?


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Rigormortor said:


> Ok Females are blooming now! Hurray! Also my Frenchie Tweety loves being outside and laying in the grass.
> 
> View attachment 419969
> 
> ...


I love frenchies! Tweety is so cute! And a big WOW on your pumpkin crop. Looks like you have pumpkins in your very near future!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Thanks, everyone! We built this garden area just this year. We built the white fencing, too, as we couldn't find exactly what we needed for the area, premade. (Bunnies, bunnies everywhere, so a small fence was needed!) The ground under there has a lot of clay content, so a raised cedar bed with good soil was the only way to go. There is a narrow flower bed in front of the fence, too, that I just recently planted more flowers in, which are still babies. Hoping, next year, they will be blooming and attracting more pollinators to the garden.
> 
> It's a hot mess in there, right now, lol. I had perfect plans for where I wanted to plant everything, how much of everything, ect. and had all my seedlings going indoors in a small greenhouse...then I ended up with health issues that made planting difficult. I got things in the right areas for companion planting, but just planted stuff the best I could wherever I could easily reach...and not in the perfect, spaced order that my OCD-like ways tend to make me do, lol. I have stuff too close to each other, big, empty gaps where stuff should have been, stuff hidden from sun by other things because I put it in the wrong spot...just trying to get the seedlings in the ground! (Everything is doing decent and producing veggies, though, so they must not be too unhappy!) Next year, things will be planted in a more organized, well spaced way!
> 
> ...


WitchyKitty, this truly is a fantastic looking garden, even if you didn't get everything planted where you wanted to! I love how you've made use of all the space. Great job!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Rigormortor that is great that you have your first female, and the patch looks awesome! I can't wait to get to that point!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Rigormortor that is great that you have your first female, and the patch looks awesome! I can't wait to get to that point!


5 more opened today and a bunch look like they are going to open tomorrow as well. This is fun watching the patch grow.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Latest Update. Many pumpkins growing. First one is an Orange, They appear yellow when they start out.
The others are Lady Godivas and maybe a Casper in there too. Hard to remember but as they get bigger
it will be easy to tell.

My Guard dog Tweety loves the outdoors.









































The Patch as of this morning.


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

I am still loving this thread. Here is a picture of my patch. I planted another row of seeds, but I don't think they were any good. Nothing has sprouted and it's been over a week.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

It takes 2-3 weeks for them seeds to sprout. Give them time they will


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Growth update! Hoping to get some flowers soon.


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Okay. Thanks for the info. This is the first time we're trying to grow pumpkins. Hopefully they'll turn out okay.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My Triple Treat is finally starting to vine!! I see baby flower buds, too! 

My bigger Wee Be Little, though it doesn't really vine much because it's a semi bush plant, is getting bigger and, also, has more tiny, baby flower buds!

My other WBL's and my Jack Be Littles are still small and slow growing, though. Now that we are getting our normal Summer weather back...it has been a bit too cool for veggies and pumpkins, lately (though I wasn't complaining, lol!)...maybe they will finally start to pick up the pace, too.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Lady Godiva growing, pretty cool looking....


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

My plants are starting to vine. Hopefully flowers in the next two weeks or so?


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## El Wray (Jul 5, 2017)

Have two female flowers coming in my patch, hoping more soon follow.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes seeing the females is great! I had females and males bloom at the same time which is great as well.
Mother nature is doing her thin as I have counted at least a dozen pumpkins growing now. Many flowers
blooming, male and females.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Yes seeing the females is great! I had females and males bloom at the same time which is great as well.
> Mother nature is doing her thin as I have counted at least a dozen pumpkins growing now. Many flowers
> blooming, male and females.



How long until I should see flowers? They are growing super fast but no flowers yet.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Zombie4* said:


> How long until I should see flowers? They are growing super fast but no flowers yet.


I looked at your pic, I would say within 3 more weeks you should have both male and female flowers.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Bush pumpkins in the fore, sorghum to the rear.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Zombie4* said:
> 
> 
> > How long until I should see flowers? They are growing super fast but no flowers yet.
> ...


Great!!! Thanks for the response!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Zombie4* said:


> Great!!! Thanks for the response!


They grown fast fro sprouts to have ing 3 leaves then they are vining a week laster then flowers. It is
so much fun. I need to work on a couple props now with 100 days to go, that only 3 1/3 months.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Ok pretty sure this is a Casper growing  Hurray!









Heres a Big Orange growing









This Orange is strange. It doesn't seem to be growing but now a stem is growing out of it where it didnt have this a couple days ago.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Updates...

JBLs are developing tendrils and will be climbing on their ladder soon. I decided to leave 2 in this pot, so we'll see if that ends up being a mistake.








Jack 'O Lantern pumpkins are starting to vine








More Jack O' Lanterns (yeah I left too many in this bed too...)








This was the 2nd pot of JBLs I transplanted. This guy is starting to catch up to the originals.








Pie Pumpkins are still not doing much. This was a bad location so I wasn't really expecting much here.








And this final little guy was a last minute transplant that I just stuck in the ground next to a hydrangea transplant. I figured if the tiny thing survived, it could grow on the fence. Looks like he's still hanging in there!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

The patch is lovin all the rain and hot weather!! They are growing super fast


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Zombie4* said:


> The patch is lovin all the rain and hot weather!! They are growing super fast


Looking good. Make sure your patch is in the sun all day long. The one back corner of my patch doesnt get sun until noon
and it stays to 8 pm. They are not growing as big as the rest. My patch will be in a different location next year. I have a 3 acre
field and I have already picked a spot that in the sun from sunup to sundown.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Looking good. Make sure your patch is in the sun all day long. The one back corner of my patch doesnt get sun until noon
and it stays to 8 pm. They are not growing as big as the rest. My patch will be in a different location next year. I have a 3 acre
field and I have already picked a spot that in the sun from sunup to sundown.[/QUOTE]

I was worried about that :-( I have very limited space in my yard. The patch gets full sun until about 5pm. Then the sun comes back around 7pm. Im hoping they are getting enough to grow properly. Fingers crossed!!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving everyone's pics of their pumpkin vines and pumpkins!!! 

My garden isn't getting full sun, unfortunately. There isn't really anywhere in my whole yard that gets full sun that would be practical for a garden space...too many trees and such. Full sun for growing is, at least, 6-8 hours of sun...usually closer to 8. My garden probably gets around 5-6 hours (a little more in the very center part of the garden because the fence shades the left side at one point of the day and the garage shades the right part at one point of the day...the middle gets the most because it's furthest away from both.)...less sunlight in early Spring and late Fall when the sun moves. I worry about how my pumpkins will do compared to the full sun they got at the old house...but the rest of the veggies in the garden are doing okay, so hopefully, the pumpkins will, too. 

I have heard of people growing pumpkins in part shade and they did just fine as long as other growing conditions were good. I think my Aunt grows hers behind a shed that seems shady at times and she always gets pumpkins. Here's to hoping mine will do okay, too!

My Triple Treat vine is really starting to take off, now! I've had to start training it to the trellis, tying it loosely with soft strips of cloth. I'll get pics at some point, soon, here.


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Last year I threw some seeds along our driveway fenceline and this is in the shade 24/7. The plants grew and vined
but the vines were as thin as spaghetti and no female flowers bloomed. The plants leafs were tiny also.
So this told me you need sun... and alot


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

I don't get full day sun in my yard either. I have mature trees that cast a good amount of shade, but I put them where I get part day sun, so we'll see how they do. Even if I get a few minis or one large pumpkin I'll be happy, and if not, I'm only out the cost of a pack of seeds and it was fun to watch them grow, so no big loss. All part of the adventure of growing a patch.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookywolf said:


> I don't get full day sun in my yard either. I have mature trees that cast a good amount of shade, but I put them where I get part day sun, so we'll see how they do. Even if I get a few minis or one large pumpkin I'll be happy, and if not, I'm only out the cost of a pack of seeds and it was fun to watch them grow, so no big loss. All part of the adventure of growing a patch.


Same, here. I'll be happy to just get a few if I can't get a bunch due to the part shade issue. (I'll have to bring them in the house, anyway, because the squirrels will probably just eat them, if I leave them out, like last year, grrrr...if they don't just eat them off the vine, that is! This is kind of a trial year to see how it goes with pumpkins, and I'll try harder, next year, if all goes well.)

Most, if not all, of the veggies in my garden are, also, full sun, and I am already harvesting from them...so they must be getting decent enough sun. I've already harvested some green beans, cucumbers, jalapenos, zucchini, strawberries, carrots and herbs. Tomatoes are all over the place, too, but not quite ripe, yet. Sunflowers are 7 feet tall and getting ready to bloom...one already has. 

We will see what happens!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

WitchyKitty said:


> Same, here. I'll be happy to just get a few if I can't get a bunch due to the part shade issue. (I'll have to bring them in the house, anyway, because the squirrels will probably just eat them, if I leave them out, like last year, grrrr...if they don't just eat them off the vine, that is! This is kind of a trial year to see how it goes with pumpkins, and I'll try harder, next year, if all goes well.)
> 
> Most, if not all, of the veggies in my garden are, also, full sun, and I am already harvesting from them...so they must be getting decent enough sun. I've already harvested some green beans, cucumbers, jalapenos, zucchini, strawberries, carrots and herbs. Tomatoes are all over the place, too, but not quite ripe, yet. Sunflowers are 7 feet tall and getting ready to bloom...one already has.
> 
> We will see what happens!


The Vegetable garden sounds great. I tilled up a big garden for my wife and we have harvested Cauliflower, cherrie tomatoes, banana and green peppers and
Cucumbers so far. Regular tomatoes are not ready we have Cantelope and Watermelon which are getting there....


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Decided to pull these today. I have a new pumpkin growing (I guess to make up for the one that was plucked off before it started turning.) One of these looks like someone stuck their fingernail in it. I gave them all a bleach/water bath but I wonder if I should bring them inside instead of leaving them out on the steps. Hoping that some more flowers will grow and get pollinated since I took these. Also have 3 large birdhouse gourds out and at least one smaller one that I am not sure if it is going to grow or not. We have a nice amount of honey bees around us so I haven't even pollinated since the first couple of female flowers. There are bees out there fighting over the flowers every morning.


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## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

Plants are a bit further along now.. some of the sets it was easy to identify the bigger one and remove the smaller one, but i still have many that are neck-and-neck.























I've got limited space and probably shouldn't keep both, but it's also kinda sad to cut one of them off.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, I ran out and got some pictures before the rain starts back up, again, this afternoon. 

First, we have my Triple Treat. This is, by far, my strongest pumpkin plant of all of them. It's vining quickly, now, and I have to go out and train it, daily. It has lots of tiny, male flower buds, too. It will totally outgrow the space I gave it...I even had to dig up and pot two Marigold plants at the end of the garden bed, that got waaaay too big, to give it more room. I will probably have to move the Marigolds you see in this pic, too, as they are starting to get too big and in the way, too, lol. (Mind you, the Triple Treat plant was a last minute surprise, if any of you remember, I thought it wasn't going to germinate and didn't plan a spot for it. I ended up just planting it in a spot that was meant for some JBLs that didn't survive, as a last resort.) Next year, if I do TTs again, they will be given more room, lol.









Next, we have my poor JBL plant. Out of four that survived the constant animal destruction, this was the one I decided to keep. As you can see, it is still small and far behind the others due to replanting a few times. I normally have JBLs forming by end of July, so we will see if I can get this guy to catch up and give me some mini pumpkins by October, at least. (I usually like to have them for September, too...)









Then, we have my potted semi-bush Wee Be Littles. My main one planted in the big pot is doing great...nice size, lots of baby male flower buds, healthy and strong. The second one in the square planter isn't doing as well, though. It's growing much, much slower than the other one. Truthfully, though, this little plant was one that I tried to remove carefully from the other pot as one I was going to thin out and then try saving and planting...so it's always a gamble if those live or not. I am not really expecting much, if anything, from this one. I'd be happy if it, at least, lived to just give me male flowers for using to pollinate the stronger one and attract more pollinators, lol. If it actually lives and gets strong enough to give me pumpkins, I'll be pleasantly surprised.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

MrsMcbernes said:


> Decided to pull these today. I have a new pumpkin growing (I guess to make up for the one that was plucked off before it started turning.) One of these looks like someone stuck their fingernail in it. I gave them all a bleach/water bath but I wonder if I should bring them inside instead of leaving them out on the steps. Hoping that some more flowers will grow and get pollinated since I took these. Also have 3 large birdhouse gourds out and at least one smaller one that I am not sure if it is going to grow or not. We have a nice amount of honey bees around us so I haven't even pollinated since the first couple of female flowers. There are bees out there fighting over the flowers every morning.
> 
> View attachment 423089


WOW! The pumpkin in the front looks rather large! I can't wait to get to the point where mine are that size.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

Yea it is the only one from that vine that grew though. I mean I am happy with pie pumpkins but it would have been nice to have some carving ones too.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

So I have pulled in all 11 pie pumpkins and then the one big one. Which I can't remember what type it was. I have two more pumpkins growing on the vine. I really hope that they are the bigger one and not the pie pumpkins but I guess only time will tell.


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Here's some pictures of my patch. I noticed that a couple leaves have white spots on them. Anyone know what would cause this? Also, do you water in morning or evening.
















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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

All the pumpkins


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookiness, your white spots are Powdery Mildew. Many plants of this type are susceptible to this fungus/disease. PM forms when temps are warm and humid. The wind spreads it from plant to plant. Here are some links to help you fight or prevent it:

http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/disease.htm

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rid-powdery-mildew-pumpkin-leaves-31892.html

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pumpkin/powdery-mildew-on-pumpkins.htm

Just look up Powdery Mildew on Pumpkins and you will find many different ways to combat or prevent it. If your case is mild, you can probably fight it off fairly easily. 

When I get Powdery Mildew...which I usually do in my area, I usually remove the infected leaves, like the above links say to do, and I make up a spray that I spray once a week consisting of mostly water, with a little Baking Soda, Veggie Oil, and Milk. (Some people say to use dish soap instead of oil, but I find that burns the leaves easier...you basically just need something in the mix to help it coat and stick to the leaves. There may be better spray concoctions, but this one has always seemed to work decently for me, and it's organic/safe. Some say, like in one of the links above, that neem oil works, too...though I've never tried this.) Just read up on Powdery Mildew and see what works best for you. Good luck!


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Okay I will try this. My Mom read about the mil mixture and have used it in some of our tomato plants.

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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Just make sure, if you remove any badly infected leaves, that you dispose of them, in a sealed bag, and don't throw them in the compost or yard somewhere. Those spores could still spread, if you do.

Also, don't remove too many leaves, just if you have any really bad ones. The plant needs the leaves to absorb sunlight.

(If you can, water the plants at the soil/roots level...not the leaves. This will help prevent PM, as well...making sure thee is good air flow and not having too many plants too close together will, also, help prevent many issues.)


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

One of my WBL plants has two male flowers open, today! I didn't even see they were ready to open, yesterday, and, today, there they were, lol. The countdown begins for females!!!


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

I didn't have too many infected leaves so I removed them and threw them in the trash. I have been trying to water at the roots. 

I'm really enjoying this thread. I'm getting some really good information.

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## Tye Rannosaurus (Aug 26, 2014)

Absolute disaster! After weeks of carefully nurturing my pumpkin, we had an attack late last night from a masked bandit who ripped it out of the ground and ate the roots! I'm guessing by the poo this interloper left all over my garden that we have a hungry raccoon. All my flowers are gone and the chewed vine baked in the sun all day until I came home this evening to find it. I've transplanted it into a pot that will sit closer to the house and will hopefully be safer, but I'm afraid my pumpkin season just came to a crashing (or is it chewing) end...

Sigh.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Tye Rannosaurus Lombardi said:


> Absolute disaster! After weeks of carefully nurturing my pumpkin, we had an attack late last night from a masked bandit who ripped it out of the ground and ate the roots! I'm guessing by the poo this interloper left all over my garden that we have a hungry raccoon. All my flowers are gone and the chewed vine baked in the sun all day until I came home this evening to find it. I've transplanted it into a pot that will sit closer to the house and will hopefully be safer, but I'm afraid my pumpkin season just came to a crashing (or is it chewing) end...
> 
> Sigh.


Aww! I'm sorry that happened! I deal with this, too. I lost many of mine and had to keep replanting. My JBLs are really far behind, now, because of planting, for the third time, so late. Hopefully, you caught it in time and it will perk back up. If not, if you have a garden center near you, you should hurry and go see if they have any, already started, Pumpkin seedlings/plants that you can buy and start over with. I know when I went to my Menards garden center last they had some pumpkin plants, still. Check garden centers where the veggies and herbs are. Good luck with your current pumpkin!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The bush pumpkins. 

No flowers yet. No vines.


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## Momof2! (Oct 29, 2015)

I planted my little patch about 2 weeks ago. I have about a dozen "hills", so it's small but doing well so far.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

We are going to put a plant in a couple weeks to see what we get. We have had major vine borer issues and they should be cleared out by then. We probably will do the same thing next year, they have been a terror on our pumpkins and squash plants and we're trying to think out the population as much as possible.. They are amazing pests, we have tried everything to try and combat them.


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## pumpkinpatchbook (Jun 18, 2014)

Anyone else here ever been out to Vala's Pumpkin Patch? It was so absolutely amazing!!!! The Hayride is the greatest you can ever ask for. It takes you out like probably 3 miles away from the farm and attractions. You look around and all you see are pumpkins growing as far as the eye can see. You then of course get to pick a pumpkin before the hayride brings you back.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

The patch survived some very bad storms today Growing a mile a minute!!!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Zombie4* said:


> The patch survived some very bad storms today Growing a mile a minute!!!


Are those all separate pumpkin plants?!?!?!? Better take down that chicken wire soon, those babies are going to want to go. They look great...wonderful color


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Zombie4* said:
> 
> 
> > The patch survived some very bad storms today Growing a mile a minute!!!
> ...


The ones on the right are all separate plants (prize winner pumpkins) The ones on the left have 2 and 3 plants in each spot (jack o lantern pumpkins). I really want to take down the chicken wire but im terrified they will be eaten by a huge momma rabbit and squirrels...ugh!!! I have worked so hard on them.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4, your pumpkin plants look great, but just be aware that with so many plants in that spot, they are going to go everywhere...up and over that fencing in no time and into your yard and all over each other. If they aren't bush types, pumpkin vines can grow from 10 to 30 feet long, several vines and off shoots per plant. Be prepared for vine mania and a jungle if you choose not to thin those, lol.

Glad Your plants survived the storms, though!!  We have had stormy weather, too. So far, no pumpkin plant damage here, either.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Zombie4, your pumpkin plants look great, but just be aware that with so many plants in that spot, they are going to go everywhere...up and over that fencing in no time and into your yard and all over each other. If they aren't bush types, pumpkin vines can grow from 10 to 30 feet long, several vines and off shoots per plant. Be prepared for vine mania and a jungle if you choose not to thin those, lol.
> 
> Glad Your plants survived the storms, though!!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice  im truly shocked that they had no damage from the storms. We had some wicked strong wind yesterday. I did not plan for all of the seeds to grow so healthy and strong I just dont have it in my heart to thin them out. I have been treating them with a pesticide and fungicide weekly..so far so good This was a project my daughter did together (she planted all the seeds). She would be so disappointed if I thinned them out :-( Maybe if i fertilize them i will get some pumpkins???


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Lol, thinning is a sad thing...I always feel guilty, too, and I hate doing it for my pumpkins and all my other veggies but, alas, it must be done.

Remember to be careful with pesticides, too...this is advice for everyone: If the pesticides you use kill your bees and other pollinators, you will have nothing to pollinate your pumpkin flowers (or other fruits and veggies that need outside help with pollination) with and you'll get no pumpkins...unless you hand pollinate each one, yourself. If you absolutely must use pesticides, spray during a time of day when bees are not around, and don't spray the flowers!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My Triple Treat has now reached the end of the trellis...I swear, it's growing a foot a day, lol! I have no idea where to run it to, now. This will be interesting. I really have no idea what possessed me to plant it in an area that I knew wouldn't have enough room! I really didn't think it would live, I guess! Things are gonna get crazy up in my garden, soon, here! 

Feed me, Seymour!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

I honestly would hand pollinate and then tie off the flower, I have always got way better results. If you have vine borers in your area its not a bad idea to wrap the base of the plant's stem in tinfoil so they can't bore inside of them.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> I honestly would hand pollinate and then tie off the flower, I have always got way better results. If you have vine borers in your area its not a bad idea to wrap the base of the plant's stem in tinfoil so they can't bore inside of them.


I only have room to plant a few pumpkin plants, so I always hand pollinate, bees or not, to make absolutely sure I get some pumpkins!  I do the same for my zucchini and cucumbers.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Welp, I have good and bad news to share, both in the same part of my patch. My jack vines are getting flowers now, but they've also developed powdery mildew. After I snapped this pic I removed some of the worst leaves and plan on spraying this weekend. It's been such a wet and rainy summer in my area this year; I'm not surprised this happened. Guess we'll see if they survive.








And one of the Jack vines has grown a strange variegated leaf. I've never seen this before. Any opinions, is this some kind of disease? 








Better news with the potted JBLs. They're getting their flowers and are, so far, completely healthy (fingers crossed.)








Pie Pumpkins are a little bigger, but not doing much. I don't think I'll see much more from these guys this year. The spot they're in was not ideal. 








Last little transplant JBL. Getting bigger. Not sure he will have time to catch up and produce this year, but I'm going to let him do his thing.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Spookywolf said:


> Welp, I have good and bad news to share, both in the same part of my patch. My jack vines are getting flowers now, but they've also developed powdery mildew. After I snapped this pic I removed some of the worst leaves and plan on spraying this weekend. It's been such a wet and rainy summer in my area this year; I'm not surprised this happened. Guess we'll see if they survive.
> [iurl="http://www.halloweenforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=426345&d=1500086792"]
> 
> 
> ...


Awwwwww im sorry!!! That's the worst!!! I had that on 1 plant also. Hopefully they survive


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

I'm no expert by any means but the one looks like powdery mildew and I would hit your plants with Serenade asap or something else that can fight the spread of it to your other plants. The really bad leaves I would clip off and throw in the garbage, not compost. 

The picture with all the holes make me think stink bugs maybe??? I had an infestation of them before and their spread is incredible....look for series of eggs on the underside of your leaves to see if you have more on the way. Duct tape works great to get them off before they hatch.

Yellowing leaves is tougher to diagnose...it could be a lack of nutrients in that area or just too much water to that plant. It also could be a pest problem. I would like to hear what you think it could be. I would check the base of your plant to see if you have any vine borer holes with orange frass coming out.

Looks like this:


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Well, here's the latest photo of my patch. We are spraying them with the milk and water mixture for the mildew. I've also cut off the worse ones.
















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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Maybe something blew or transferred disease over from your tomato plant that is in that cage? I would definitely get those out of there just to be safe. I hope you have great pumpkins!!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Vineapoolza has begun!!!! I took the chicken wire off and these beautiful babies are growing a mile a minute!!!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Beautiful!!!!! They get tough to manage...I like to take that colored stretchy tape and tie it around vines so you can tell which plant is which once they start to intersect with one another haha

If you start to get a nice big one going foam could be your best friend to keep the vine and stem elevated


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My JBL's are slowly growing, but are still pretty small. I don't see me getting anything from them this season, but we will see...same for the smaller WBL. My larger WBL and Triple Treat plants are doing great, though. They are getting bigger by the day and have had a steady amount of males blooming. There's still no sign of females, though. Hopefully, they will show up, soon! I need to make a bamboo tee pee or something for my WBL, as it's starting to get wobbly in it's size in the pot. My TT is already off the trellis and will hit the end of the garden bed, soon. I am starting to train it to curve back around and angle it towards the ground...carefully...to have it go along the ground in front of itself...that way it can climb out of the bed if it wants, too. Another vine branching off of it is going to over the back and behind the trellis. I had to remove the Marigold that was near it into a pot, like the others, lol.


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## SpookyLilGirl1980 (Nov 19, 2015)

I baked 5 of the pie pumpkins yesterday. I had to throw one out when I was cutting them to bake because it had a Vine Borer inside of it. But got almost 6 cans worth of pumpkin out of the 5 that I did bake. Still have more pie pumpkins to do but not looking forward to baking them since its sort of a all day thing.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mmmm...just thinking of all the pumpkin flavored yummy things you can make with all of that!! Is it fall, yet???


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

I can't believe how fast the pumpkin patch is growing. This is our first year growing pumpkins. Here are some current pictures I took today.























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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Spookiness said:


> I can't believe how fast the pumpkin patch is growing. This is our first year growing pumpkins. Here are some current pictures I took today.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



They are growing super fast!!! Mine are to! I swear they are growing inches a day I check them a few times a day lol!!! We have bunnies on our yard and im terrified they will eat my pumpkins :-0


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

I finally had to install the soaker hose! Vining in full effect!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I got my Wee Be Little all propped up in a bamboo tee pee. It's flowering and growing, but still no females to be seen. Same for my Triple Treat...it's getting huge and has been flowering and attracting bees, but still no females. Males just started a little over a week ago, though, so i still have time for females to be showing up. Hopefully, soon! 

Seriously, this year has been so weird with temps and weather where I live that my pumpkin plants are way behind where they should be. Heck, my Jack Be Little plant and my other WBL are still quite small. By this time in previous years, I already had pumpkins growing!! Oh well, what can ya' do? Between weather that you can't control, a new garden/neighborhood and the health issues that severely restricted my gardening work, this year was bound to suffer for my pumpkins. We will see, I still have time for late September/early October pumpkins.

I have, also, noticed an appearance of the dreaded squash bug!!


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## J.Wigington (Jul 19, 2017)

Howdy Rigormortor -

It sounds like you had a successful pumpkin patch in the past, may I ask what kind of pumpkins you planted?

I would like to do the same myself this year.

Happy Haunting

Jamie


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Woohoo. We got our first flower. It was just a bud yesterday. It looks like we'll have a bunch more blossoming soon.
















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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Spookiness said:


> Woohoo. We got our first flower. It was just a bud yesterday. It looks like we'll have a bunch more blossoming soon.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice!!! Its so exciting watching them grow!!  Im hoping to get flowers soon!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Haven't been able to get onto this forum in 2 weeks. Well update..... some of my plants have died from stem rot which
is lousy. My big Orange is almost ready to be picked as the stem is drying out now. I have about a dozen Lady Godivas
and the only 2 Caspers died. I have learned so much this year with the patch and what to do to improve on it for next year.
Which is just about everything..... still fun as pumpkins are growing


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Haven't been able to get onto this forum in 2 weeks. Well update..... some of my plants have died from stem rot which
> is lousy. My big Orange is almost ready to be picked as the stem is drying out now. I have about a dozen Lady Godivas
> and the only 2 Caspers died. I have learned so much this year with the patch and what to do to improve on it for next year.
> Which is just about everything..... still fun as pumpkins are growing
> ...


oh no!!! Thats terrible!! what causes stem rot? what does it look like? any way to prevent it? sorry so many questions, I thought your patch looked very healthy. I have pretty good luck so far (fingers crossed)! it has been super fun to watch them grow. The plants have grown so thick they have fallen over and started vining everywhere


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## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

Wow! Everyone's patches seem to be coming along great! Rigormortor, sorry to hear about the stem rot. MrsMcbernes, that's awesome you've already harvested some pie pumpkins.

An update on my patch, I have a few gourds set now, several JBL's and some Giants. It's amazing how much girth they put on each day once they're set! So exciting to follow the progress.


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## El Wray (Jul 5, 2017)

Completely jealous of you guys, lol. Was talking to one of my regulars, an elderly couple at work this week and we both agreed, it's been a lousy year for growing anything in Georgia. For the past month it's been too much rain and hardly enough sun for plants to soak it in, now it's the opposite.. Kinda sucks as both of my only female flowers died off..


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

We're getting more blossoming.
Here's a couple of pics.
















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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

El Wray said:


> Completely jealous of you guys, lol. Was talking to one of my regulars, an elderly couple at work this week and we both agreed, it's been a lousy year for growing anything in Georgia. For the past month it's been too much rain and hardly enough sun for plants to soak it in, now it's the opposite.. Kinda sucks as both of my only female flowers died off..


When you say your females died off...was it before they bloomed, or after?

We have been having weird weather for the season, too, here. Heavy rain, high wind and storms, unusually cool weather, super hot, humid weather, back to cool weather, more heavy rain and wind, back to super hot and humid, and so on and so on...everything is struggling, especially my pumpkins. All the moisture isn't helping with the insect issues, either. I'm already getting hit with squash bugs...


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> I got my Wee Be Little all propped up in a bamboo tee pee. It's flowering and growing, but still no females to be seen. Same for my Triple Treat...it's getting huge and has been flowering and attracting bees, but still no females. Males just started a little over a week ago, though, so i still have time for females to be showing up. Hopefully, soon!
> 
> Seriously, this year has been so weird with temps and weather where I live that my pumpkin plants are way behind where they should be. Heck, my Jack Be Little plant and my other WBL are still quite small. By this time in previous years, I already had pumpkins growing!! Oh well, what can ya' do? Between weather that you can't control, a new garden/neighborhood and the health issues that severely restricted my gardening work, this year was bound to suffer for my pumpkins. We will see, I still have time for late September/early October pumpkins.
> 
> I have, also, noticed an appearance of the dreaded squash bug!!


Witchykitty, you and I share the same weather conditions this year. My plants started out great but have had some issues lately. The powdery mildew is gone now, though, thanks to the milk solution I sprayed. And thanks for the tip on that. I googled the ratios to use and that worked almost overnight in getting rid of it. If I'm brave enough to attempt growing again next year, I think I'll start spraying that as a preventative 1/'week as soon as the plants develop. But weather has definitely played a factor in my plants struggling this year. The JBLs are hanging in there, but not vining/climbing as quickly as I thought they would. One of them is starting to get yellow leaves at the bottom too. No sign of vine borers, but I've upped the watering a bit, because of the high heat that's set in over this past week. The larger JOL vines are trying to recover but we'll see if they can make it. I think leaving too many plants in that bed at the beginning played a role in starting up the mildew and other issues. Once I cleared them out and gave them air and space they're doing better. At this rate I'll feel lucky if I even see a single pumpkin this year. But there's always the country pumpkin patches to visit if all else fails.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookywolf said:


> Witchykitty, you and I share the same weather conditions this year. My plants started out great but have had some issues lately. The powdery mildew is gone now, though, thanks to the milk solution I sprayed. And thanks for the tip on that. I googled the ratios to use and that worked almost overnight in getting rid of it. If I'm brave enough to attempt growing again next year, I think I'll start spraying that as a preventative 1/'week as soon as the plants develop. But weather has definitely played a factor in my plants struggling this year. The JBLs are hanging in there, but not vining/climbing as quickly as I thought they would. One of them is starting to get yellow leaves at the bottom too. No sign of vine borers, but I've upped the watering a bit, because of the high heat that's set in over this past week. The larger JOL vines are trying to recover but we'll see if they can make it. I think leaving too many plants in that bed at the beginning played a role in starting up the mildew and other issues. Once I cleared them out and gave them air and space they're doing better. At this rate I'll feel lucky if I even see a single pumpkin this year. But there's always the country pumpkin patches to visit if all else fails.


Glad you have your PM under control. Yeah, overcrowding can cause insect and disease issues. Plants need air circulation around them. If you overcrowd, you lose that and it makes a perfect climate under your vines for bad things to hide and/or grow. 

My two Wee Be Little plants I think are done...I have been trying to fight them, but the squash bugs got to them and their little babies are killing the leaves and flowers. The plants just weren't big and strong enough, yet, to survive a squash bug onslaught. I'm leaving them there just in case they somehow survive...if anything, they could, at least, be used for male flowers to pollinate the other plants' females if needed...if any flowers get to bloom, anyway. (Honestly, I have never had much luck with the WBLs, anyway. The only seeds I can find for them around here are some off brand ones at a Farm and Fleet store near us. I probably won't try these, again. I keep giving them a chance, but they always have issues and don't produce well. I'll stick with my JBLs, TTs and other small varieties that I can get better seeds for.)

I hope your plants hold up and give you some pumpkins, this year!! Fingers crossed for both of us that our weather will be kind! 

We have lots of pumpkin patches near us, as we live in central Illinois, which is the biggest pumpkin producing state. We have sooooo many farms and so many awesome pumpkin patches, lol. I love it. We can always buy pumpkins if we don't get a good yield, too. I don't have room to grow large pumpkins, so we always go to the farms to buy those...and lots of pumpkin and apple baked goods at their stores, too!! Mmmmm! ...and do the corn mazes...and drink fresh cider...ug...is it Fall, yet?!?!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I was out working in my garden and I found three tiny, itsy bitsy baby females on my Triple Treat vine!!!!!! yay! It begins!!!!

Okay, so now that my females are finally beginning to form, I just need to make sure they get to bloom, that they are pollinated, and that my squash bug issue won't get bad enough on that plant to hurt them before they can set and grow!! 

One of them is in a bad spot...it's on the end of a vine that climbed over the trellis and is hanging over the back. I'm going to have to find a way to support it, should that female bloom and the pumpkin start growing, or it will snap the vine...

Oh, and my JBL plant is finally starting to vine a little...there is hope for it, yet!!! It's small, but it's trying!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Zombie4* said:


> oh no!!! Thats terrible!! what causes stem rot? what does it look like? any way to prevent it? sorry so many questions, I thought your patch looked very healthy. I have pretty good luck so far (fingers crossed)! it has been super fun to watch them grow. The plants have grown so thick they have fallen over and started vining everywhere


From what I have read Stem Rot is caused by too much moisture in the soil. I cant help all the rain we had. It hasnt rained in a week so when we go
without rain I will water them every other day..... it is hard to judge when they need water. When the soil/dirt is dry as powder then you need to water
the plants. I will still have a dozen pumpkins so it is fun. Next years patch will be in my back field which is in the sun from sunup to sundown.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

I've learned a lot this year from the expert growers on this thread. And a lot of what not to do.  If I do a patch next year I'll start out leaps and bounds ahead of where I started this year. But depending on how my big JOL vines end up, I might just stick with the minis. Pumpkin vines are prone to a lot of diseases and insects so it really makes you appreciate the professional farmers out there that grow whole fields of these things so we Halloween fanatics can have our carvable jack o' lanterns on the porch come Halloween Eve. Big hugs and thanks to all our farmers out there.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

You never know how pumpkin growing from year to year will be (or any veggie/fruit growing, for that matter). There are so many yearly variants...weather, insect activity, the quality of the seeds you are using...no matter how much you read up on pumpkin growing, get practice over the years, ect., you just never know what will happen. You can have good years and not so good years, lol. I just study and read up on as much info as I can online, get tips from people, here, on the forum and pay attention to my plants and garden to see what works best. This year, it's rough, no matter what I do, because of the odd weather. 

Mini varieties, like JBLs and such, can get pretty long vines, too! I have had vines up to 14 feet or more on mine, before...and they probably would have gotten longer if I let them. I usually nip the ends, now, when they get to the max length I would prefer them to get, as long as I have enough mini pumpkins already growing, to keep the vines from getting crazy and overtaking everything and so the plant will put more energy into growing the remaining pumpkins on the vine, rather than growing longer vines.

The one good thing farmers have over us small time pumpkin growers is that they have sooooo many pumpkin plants, that if they lose one or two, it's not too big a deal...but if those of us who only grow small home garden patches, if we lose one or two...well, it's a much bigger loss and highly depressing, lol. Thank goodness for those pumpkin farmers who grow so many so we can get pumpkins if our little patches fail us!


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## El Wray (Jul 5, 2017)

WitchyKitty said:


> When you say your females died off...was it before they bloomed, or after?
> 
> We have been having weird weather for the season, too, here. Heavy rain, high wind and storms, unusually cool weather, super hot, humid weather, back to cool weather, more heavy rain and wind, back to super hot and humid, and so on and so on...everything is struggling, especially my pumpkins. All the moisture isn't helping with the insect issues, either. I'm already getting hit with squash bugs...


They never got a chance to bloom before dying off and I haven't seen any other females on the other vines though I'll do a thorough search before I water this morning. You just described the GA weather here without the high winds.. I haven't noticed many squash bugs. I'll check on my mini pumpkins today too, they had a few male flowers coming in.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

El Wray said:


> They never got a chance to bloom before dying off and I haven't seen any other females on the other vines though I'll do a thorough search before I water this morning. You just described the GA weather here without the high winds.. I haven't noticed many squash bugs. I'll check on my mini pumpkins today too, they had a few male flowers coming in.


The baby squash bugs...itsy bitsy things that are hard to see...are the things killing my flower buds before they bloom on my WBL plants...hopefully, you don't have those, but it'd be a good idea to check!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The bush pumpkins have reached max plant size. Hard to believe there's 8 plants in there. 











Akin to zucchini, the flowers stick near the main stalk. First females look ready to open soon. We'll see if they will set in this 100 degree weather, I've traditionally had difficulty with more standard pumpkin types in this heat.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are some updated pics of my pumpkin plants. (I didn't bother taking pics of my WBLs because they are doing poorly due to squash bugs.)

My Triple Treat plant is vining all over the place! There are vines climbing behind the trellis, too, that you can't see in this pic, lol. Pretty soon, it will crawl out of the garden bed and just be all over the walkways, lol. I have four baby females that I can see, so far. I took pics of three of them to show you...the fourth is too tiny, yet. (The white nylon cords near each baby pumpkin are markers so I can keep an eye on the females more easily.) My JBL is finally starting to vine! It stayed small for a long time but it should start taking off, now, in no time. I hope it gets big enough, fast enough, to give me some mini pumpkins, this year. I am used to getting dozens of them from previous years, so if I don't get any, this year, I'll be depressed. (I just have to keep the squash bugs away!!)










































Just for fun, I took some pics of my sunflowers, too...they are now climbing as high as the garage and the neighbors flags on his flagpole! I have two bloomed and going to seed, now and the rest have yet to bloom and are still growing. I'm going to have to yell "Timber!!!" when I finally cut these things down, lol.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Several flowers popping up!!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Here are some updated pics of my pumpkin plants. (I didn't bother taking pics of my WBLs because they are doing poorly due to squash bugs.)
> 
> My Triple Treat plant is vining all over the place! There are vines climbing behind the trellis, too, that you can't see in this pic, lol. Pretty soon, it will crawl out of the garden bed and just be all over the walkways, lol. I have four baby females that I can see, so far. I took pics of three of them to show you...the fourth is too tiny, yet. (The white nylon cords near each baby pumpkin are markers so I can keep an eye on the females more easily.) My JBL is finally starting to vine! It stayed small for a long time but it should start taking off, now, in no time. I hope it gets big enough, fast enough, to give me some mini pumpkins, this year. I am used to getting dozens of them from previous years, so if I don't get any, this year, I'll be depressed. (I just have to keep the squash bugs away!!)
> 
> ...


holy cow!!! those sun flowers are huge!!! i absolutely love them!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> holy cow!!! those sun flowers are huge!!! i absolutely love them!!


Thanks! They are Mammoth Gray Stripe Sunflowers. I got a cheap seed packet of them for free at a Home, Lawn and Garden show early, this year, and figured I'd just toss some in the back corners of the garden. I knew they'd get big...but the sheer size of them is staggering when I stand by them, lol. The stems are more like tree trunks! I might have to saw them down when they are ready, as I think they are too thick for any of my trimmers or loppers, lol!


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## HollyJollyJackolantern (Jul 18, 2016)

I have one pumpkin growing, and he's been this same size for over a month. When should I pick him?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

HollyJollyJackolantern said:


> I have one pumpkin growing, and he's been this same size for over a month. When should I pick him?


What type of pumpkin is it? It looks like a mini variety, but I can't be sure from the pic...

Usually, you harvest pumpkins when they are a uniform color (whatever color they are supposed to be) and when the rind is hard. You can check the rind by pressing your thumbnail into the rind a bit...if it starts to give, it's not ready. If it resists puncture, it's probably mature. (Don't press so hard that you actually poke a thumbnail hole into your pumpkin, though!) 

With the minis and small sized pumpkins I have grown, you can, also, tell when the stem starts to turn brown. Not sure about larger pumpkins, as I haven't grown those, yet, and I'm sure someone else, here, can give you harvesting info on those.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Update from my home patch:

All of the plants are looking good, with nice vines and leaves. No signs of bugs or disease so far. Here are the two Big Max plants. They've escaped the gate and are also climbing the tree.









The rest of the plants are an assortment of gourds and other decorative pumpkins. I've only seen a few females open so far. Again, they love to climb the tree and I've gotten great results when they do. It's a natural trellis?

View attachment 431826


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## El Wray (Jul 5, 2017)

Was watering this morning and saw these orange glob like things in my pumpkin patch. I scooped them out thinking they were a fungus. Has anyone ever seen something like that in their gardens?


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

El Wray said:


> Was watering this morning and saw these orange glob like things in my pumpkin patch. I scooped them out thinking they were a fungus. Has anyone ever seen something like that in their gardens?


No picture, but-- they aren't spent flowers, are they? Those kind of glob up and drop to the ground.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> No picture, but-- they aren't spent flowers, are they? Those kind of glob up and drop to the ground.


Yeah, they do do that. Good thinking, ooojen! I wouldn't have even thought to suggest that. When they drop, especially if they get any moisture on them, they do get rather gloppy and icky.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Female flowers are starting to grow!!!  Also am noticing alot of bees buzzing around!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Great looking patches, so far, everyone!!! 

I have counted nine baby females, so far, just on my single Triple Treat vine. Can't say if they will all bloom and set fruit, but nine is an exciting number, since two years ago, when I grew these, I only got two per plant!

My JBL looks like it has a baby female popping up, too. There is hope for my tiny pumpkin patch, yet, this year!!

The WBL seedling I gave to my MiL has given her a pumpkin, so far. It's almost already full grown and ripe. I hope she gets more!


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Here is a current picture of my patch. We can't wait to see pumpkins to start forming.









Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

The patch Prize winners taking over!!! Female flowers slowly making an apperance.


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Okay, I have a question. Are these the start of our pumpkins? Like I said before, this is our first time to grow pumpkins.
















Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookiness said:


> Okay, I have a question. Are these the start of our pumpkins? Like I said before, this is our first time to grow pumpkins.


Yes, those are female flowers with baby pumpkins below them. When they bloom, they need to be pollinated, that morning, with a newly opened male flower's pollen. They only bloom for that day, and the male flower's pollen is only viable the day it blooms, as well. The longer the day goes on, the less viable the pollen becomes. If the bees, or you if you choose to hand pollinate, don't get the female pollinated, the baby pumpkin won't grow, it will shrivel and fall off. If it is pollinated, it will start to grow!

Congrats on your first time pumpkin growing and your first females!!  Good luck to you!


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Thanks. I have noticed we've had a lot of [emoji219] buzzing around. We have a zucchini plant that is getting zucchini like crazy. We also have a pineapple guava tree that also attracts [emoji219]. Hopefully we'll get the female flowers pollinated. 

Is it difficult to hand pollinate?

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookiness said:


> Thanks. I have noticed we've had a lot of [emoji219] buzzing around. We have a zucchini plant that is getting zucchini like crazy. We also have a pineapple guava tree that also attracts [emoji219]. Hopefully we'll get the female flowers pollinated.
> 
> Is it difficult to hand pollinate?
> 
> Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


Nope, not at all! It's super easy to hand pollinate. There are two ways you can do it. In the early morning, start with a freshly bloomed female and a freshly bloomed male, as I said above. Test the male's pollen by touching the center stamen and seeing if the pollen is mature and ready...it will look like yellow/orange Cheeto dust on your finger if it's ready, lol. I usually pick the male flower, remove the petals and use the center stamen to "paint" the pollen onto each part of the female's center stigma. You have to get pollen on each part or it could only partially pollinate. The other way you can do it it to take a small, soft paint brush or q-tip, get the pollen from the male flower onto it and then transfer to the female's center. I find just picking the male and using it to "paint" is much easier. Each male can usually pollinate two or three females. Here is a link to a guide to hand pollinating:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm

Here are some pics to help:


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

Great. Thanks for the info. I check them every morning, so I can keep an eye on them.

I love this thread. I am learning more every day.

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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

More pics of my pumpkin vines...

Here is my Triple Treat plant. It's getting huge and still has much more growing to do! I'm just letting it go where it wants, lol.


















Here is my Jack Be Little (JBL):


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Relieved, the bush pumpkins are the first variety I've had that are getting pumpkins set in our 100 degree weather. 










They look a lot like zucchini when they first set...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I can't wait to see how your Cheyenne Bush pumpkins do...I still have an interest in maybe trying them, someday, if you have good luck with them.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well we did the ONE in a pot last year, and got one in return. I just learned that you had to really trust the 90 day maturity on it rather than the more typical 120 day pumpkins. I planted mid may last year, and the plant was dead by the end of August. Fortunately the pumpkin kept, but I wanted to plant much later this year to avoid that, but wasn't so sure it would let me get pumpkins set, because all varieties we've done in the past quit setting past June when temps get up into the 100s. 


Took a lot of patience to wait till late mid June to plant. Theoretically, I could plant these up till mid July.


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

Rabbits ate mine.  at the moment I'm trying again with chicken wire.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

moonwitchkitty said:


> Rabbits ate mine.  at the moment I'm trying again with chicken wire.


Awww, and they were doing so good! Yeah, we have to have ours fenced is always because of bunnies. We have lots and lots and lots of bunnies! Good luck on your second attempt!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, my first female bloomed yesterday morning...I missed it, as it was hiding. I can only hope the bees didn't miss it and it got pollinated! Fingers crossed! The female next to it should be opening, tomorrow morning...so I'll be up with the chickens, again. I had to wake up early and go pollinate one this morning, too. That one should be good. Here's to hoping I have some baby pumpkins growing, soon!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Well, my first female bloomed yesterday morning...I missed it, as it was hiding. I can only hope the bees didn't miss it and it got pollinated! Fingers crossed! The female next to it should be opening, tomorrow morning...so I'll be up with the chickens, again. I had to wake up early and go pollinate one this morning, too. That one should be good. Here's to hoping I have some baby pumpkins growing, soon!!!
> 
> [iurl="http://www.halloweenforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=437993&d=1501779550"]
> 
> ...


Thats so exciting!!!!!  Im getting a bunch if female flowers also. Im hoping to get at least a couple of pumpkins


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I hope everyone gets pumpkins, this year!! 

I had 9 to start with on that one plant, that I could see. Two aborted before blooming and I have these 3 that will, hopefully, be setting pumpkins. That means I have, at least, 4 more baby females that still need to bloom and get pollinated...besides any that I may not have found, yet. (Not including the ones starting to form on my JBL vine.) 

I just hope no more abort before they get a chance to bloom!! We have really bad storms coming, today...possible tornadoes, so I am worried for my babies...and this storm will bring a crazy cool front that I'm sure my pumpkins will not like, either. It's going to be rough. We will see how many make it through!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

It looks like that first female on my Triple Treat vine that I missed was, in fact, pollinated, because it's beginning to grow! So, now I have three pollinated and another opening tomorrow morning.

A second baby female popped up on my JBL vine...I'm so happy it's finally starting to take off! I usually have JBL pumpkins already setting and some ripening, by now! Hurry little pumpkin plant!!


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

I have only grown peppers and tomatoes. When do you start planting pumpkins? I just moved to a house all by myself in upstate NY so I am wayyyy out in the country and need to keep occupied when I'm not working. Is it too late for this year?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

JudeS1996 said:


> I have only grown peppers and tomatoes. When do you start planting pumpkins? I just moved to a house all by myself in upstate NY so I am wayyyy out in the country and need to keep occupied when I'm not working. Is it too late for this year?


I'm not sure about growing time in NY, but I would think, if you plant right now, you might get some pumpkins by Halloween. Small and mini varieties usually take about 90 days from germination to maturity...and we are about 90 days to Halloween, now. Just read the seed packets and see how long each one takes to maturity and find yourself the shorter time period ones. Larger varieties take longer, so you probably wouldn't get any pumpkins by Halloween...but maybe for Thanksgiving, if you don't get a frost too early, anyway. If you want to try this year, I'd get them in the ground this weekend!

Another option is to head to your local garden centers and see if anyone has any pumpkin plants already started...that would give you a head start for the growing period...most garden centers are already starting to clear out, and pumpkins are probably already gone, but you may get lucky and find some pumpkin plants. I saw some at my local Menards garden center not too long ago.

Here in Illinois, I usually start my pumpkin seeds around the last week of May, first week of June.

Some 90 day to maturity ones are Jack Be Little (and other minis in different colors), Spookie and Early Sugar...


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm not sure about growing time in NY, but I would think, if you plant right now, you might get some pumpkins by Halloween. Small and mini varieties usually take about 90 days from germination to maturity...and we are about 90 days to Halloween, now. Just read the seed packets and see how long each one takes to maturity and find yourself the shorter time period ones. Larger varieties take longer, so you probably wouldn't get any pumpkins by Halloween...but maybe for Thanksgiving, if you don't get a frost too early, anyway. If you want to try this year, I'd get them in the ground this weekend!
> 
> Another option is to head to your local garden centers and see if anyone has any pumpkin plants already started...that would give you a head start for the growing period...most garden centers are already starting to clear out, and pumpkins are probably already gone, but you may get lucky and find some pumpkin plants. I saw some at my local Menards garden center not too long ago.
> 
> ...


Thank you. Good to know. I need to learn more about gardening lol. I didn't know there were so many pumpkin types. Next year I'll attempt some early on in like May but maybe I'll go for the smaller ones this year.

...Thanks for the help!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

JudeS1996 said:


> Thank you. Good to know. I need to learn more about gardening lol. I didn't know there were so many pumpkin types. Next year I'll attempt some early on in like May but maybe I'll go for the smaller ones this year.
> 
> ...Thanks for the help!


There are soooooooo many types of pumpkins and gourds...lol. So many!!

Read back though this thread if you want more growing tips. We all share what we know throughout the thread. As I have posted a few times throughout this thread, here are two links that are great for reading about pumpkin growing!

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/growing.htm

http://www.allaboutpumpkins.com/growing.html

When you start some, next year, just make sure your temps are warm enough and all danger of frost is over for your area. That's why I usually start end of May/beginning of June for mine, as that's when it starts to warm up here. You need enough warmth in the soil for germination. I start at this time with smaller pumpkins so I can have them for September decorating. If you want them just for October or Halloween, you could start a little later. Again, just go by the days to maturity on the seed packet for the seeds you choose to grow! Good luck, this year if you try, and next year!!


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## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

I got a late start (early July) with my pumpkin patch this year. Since this was my first attempt at growing my own pumpkins I decided to plant a variety of different species (ornamental, Jack-O-Lantern, Big Mac, etc...) to see which ones would grow the best. So far they all seem to be growing nicely. I started by germinating them in growing trays for about 2 weeks (1st photo). Then I transplanted them to the backyard; filter fabric over the existing ground and then covered with 3-4” of soil and then another 1-2” of cedar mulch to help with moisture and pest control (photos 2-3). They have been growing for about a month now (photos 4-5) and seem to be growing about 1-2 inches a day. No flowers yet but they should be appearing shortly. I haven’t had too many problems with pest or rabbits; however I do have 2 wild rabbits that like to eat the wild grass that grows in my backyard. Every once in a while they will hang out on the moist pumpkin patch soil but they haven’t eaten anything so far. I do put carrots out for them so it may be that they are spoiled and just prefer the carrots.


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

WitchyKitty said:


> There are soooooooo many types of pumpkins and gourds...lol. So many!!
> 
> Read back though this thread if you want more growing tips. We all share what we know throughout the thread. As I have posted a few times throughout this thread, here are two links that are great for reading about pumpkin growing!
> 
> ...


Awesome! Yeah I'm going to have to really browse but it sounds like something I'd like to do. Maybe I'll wait it out until next summer to do. I'm still getting myself settled and unpacked (just moved about a month ago). Im going to read up on this thread.

...one other question and I did just post it in my "introduce yourself" post but how do you "like" someone's post?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

JudeS1996 said:


> Awesome! Yeah I'm going to have to really browse but it sounds like something I'd like to do. Maybe I'll wait it out until next summer to do. I'm still getting myself settled and unpacked (just moved about a month ago). Im going to read up on this thread.
> 
> ...one other question and I did just post it in my "introduce yourself" post but how do you "like" someone's post?


At the bottom in the bar under the post, it says "Blog this post", "Thank for this post" and "This is a killer post". If you want to thank someone for something they said. click on the "thank for this post" one. If you want to "like" a post, click "this is a killer post".


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

Thank you!


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Awww, and they were doing so good! Yeah, we have to have ours fenced is always because of bunnies. We have lots and lots and lots of bunnies! Good luck on your second attempt!


 next year I'll have to make something to protect them. They were getting so big. I need to hire Elemer Fudd


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

moonwitchkitty said:


> next year I'll have to make something to protect them. They were getting so big. I need to hire Elemer Fudd


"Shhhh...be vewy, vewy quiet..."


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## Ring (Sep 23, 2014)

As much as I love Pumpkins, I always get excited when I also see the Pumpkin blossoms as well!


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

I'm going to have to tell my crazy hippie mother about all this... I'm surprised she hasn't grown pumpkins of her own... this thread has been a good read... I'm definitely planting next year...


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## Tinaspaintedlady (Aug 7, 2008)

I'm in Northern New York and its way too late to start now...I put mine in the first part of May.


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## Tinaspaintedlady (Aug 7, 2008)

On thing I need to keep in mind for next year is space, these pumpkins have taken over half of my little garden  I do love them though and am enjoying watching the honeybees nearly frantic trying to hit each bloom before the morning ends. Fun stuff !!


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

Tinaspaintedlady said:


> I'm in Northern New York and its way too late to start now...I put mine in the first part of May.


I'm in Windham, NY... just moved up here... I'm getting tips for next year too...


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## Tinaspaintedlady (Aug 7, 2008)

Waving hello fellow upstater....you are located south east of me. This season has been very wet, we broke some records of rainfall for April, May and June, 23 inches of rain.
Corn is suffering the most due to the rain, many crops are shot. 
Tips well space is big.....not sure about your soil but I am lucky with great soil that doesn't need a thing, put the seeds in the ground and wait. 
Good luck to you next year, enjoy it !!


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## JudeS1996 (Aug 4, 2017)

Tinaspaintedlady said:


> Waving hello fellow upstater....you are located south east of me. This season has been very wet, we broke some records of rainfall for April, May and June, 23 inches of rain.
> Corn is suffering the most due to the rain, many crops are shot.
> Tips well space is big.....not sure about your soil but I am lucky with great soil that doesn't need a thing, put the seeds in the ground and wait.
> Good luck to you next year, enjoy it !!


Now that I'm settled here and have a nice little chunk of land I want to have a nice garden I can build on starting next year... I only know a little from helping my parents and my grandparents on occasion so I have some research to do... I'd actually love to have a few corn stalks too... I've only done peppers and tomatoes in the past...


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Need more pics of this year's pumpkin crops. It helps to fill the void. I am taking the year off after three straight years of pumpkin growing, but I still bask in the glory of last year.  Anybody who followed my posts last year knows that fighting vine borers is a second job in Georgia. Keep posting progress pics, please.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The bush pumpkins already watermelon sized. 










Sorghum getting tall as well. There's a viney volunteer pumpkin mixed in the sorghum that's vining through the bush pumpkins as well now.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Pumpkin Patch update...

Triple Treat vine has five pollinated pumpkins, so far. More to bloom, soon!






































My Jack Be Little vine is really getting bigger, now, and has it's first female getting ready to open.


















All of my sunflowers are finally open...some are starting to droop and it's almost seed time on one!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Pumpkin Patch update...
> 
> Triple Treat vine has five pollinated pumpkins, so far. More to bloom, soon!
> 
> ...


Your garden is beautiful!  Looks like the pumpkins are coming along nicely as well Yay!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Growing lightning fast!!! Vining in full force


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## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

So far I've had 4 females open on about a dozen plants. A bit behind last years timing, but overall the plants seem healthier this year. Hopefully they'll keep it up. There doesn't seem to be any significant difference between the plants I thinned down to only one versus the ones that stayed paired.

I have noticed that some of the plants seem to have male flowers with no pollen in them. Enough of the plants do have flowers with pollen, but its kinda weird. anyone else noticed this?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

hhh said:


> So far I've had 4 females open on about a dozen plants. A bit behind last years timing, but overall the plants seem healthier this year. Hopefully they'll keep it up. There doesn't seem to be any significant difference between the plants I thinned down to only one versus the ones that stayed paired.
> 
> I have noticed that some of the plants seem to have male flowers with no pollen in them. Enough of the plants do have flowers with pollen, but its kinda weird. anyone else noticed this?


No pollen? Well, it could be a few things that I, personally, know of: You could be checking the flower for pollen too early in the morning, before the pollen is mature or you could be checking too late in the day when the pollen is past it's time...the pollen could have been washed off or made too sticky to come off by moisture of rain, watering or high humidity/dew/ect...or those flowers may have had a lot of bee activity and the pollen is already all removed. 

Other than those three issues, I have never seen a male that simply just didn't have any pollen. I'd have to look into that...


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Growth update So far I have 6 prize winner pumpkins growing....I hand pollinated all 6 Jack o lantern plants not doing much....but Im still hopeful!!


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## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Ok update..... picking pumpkins already. Have about 6 more growing. Bad luck has killed off about 75% of my patch.
I have learned this time that your patch needs to be in direct sunlight from dusk to dawn. Most of mine isn't and being
in the shade and too wet all of the time my patch fell victim to stem rot and fungus. I have a new spot picked out next year
that will be on my 3 acre back lot. It was an experiment this year and still fun. Here are some I have picked.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Rigormortor said:


> Ok update..... picking pumpkins already. Have about 6 more growing. Bad luck has killed off about 75% of my patch.
> I have learned this time that your patch needs to be in direct sunlight from dusk to dawn. Most of mine isn't and being
> in the shade and too wet all of the time my patch fell victim to stem rot and fungus. I have a new spot picked out next year
> that will be on my 3 acre back lot. It was an experiment this year and still fun. Here are some I have picked.
> ...


Oh no that is terrible!!! You did get a few nice ones tho! My patch gets about half day sun. I have been proactive with treating with an insecticide and fungicide. I think the soil is also very important. As long as they have good drainage you will be fine. I also have been feeding them alot as well. Hope you have better luck next year!!!


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

With pumpkins growing.. should I put anything under them to keep them from rotting? Any help is greatly appreciated


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> With pumpkins growing.. should I put anything under them to keep them from rotting? Any help is greatly appreciated


I'm a bit curious about this, too...I have always grown my pumpkins upward, so never had to worry about them. I had some JBLs growing along the ground in previous years, but they are so small, I was able to just prop up the vine with a stick or such and keep them raised up a bit. 

My Triple Treats, this year, are growing on the ground instead of a fence and are too big to prop up like JBLs, and I hate to just let them grow on the bare ground/dirt...I wouldn't mind some tips for this, either!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Zombie4* said:


> With pumpkins growing.. should I put anything under them to keep them from rotting? Any help is greatly appreciated


I usually put a small board under my pumpkins if I can reach them without damaging the plant, but I really don't think it is necessary. You know the farmers aren't doing this to their field pumpkins with as many as they grow. Once they turn orange and harden up I cut them off the vine and clean them up in order to get rid of any bacteria that may be growing on them using either a bleach solution, or I dunk them in our pool. 

My biggest problem with home grown pumpkins has been the stem shriveling up after awhile. I've never been able to figure out how to prevent this from happening.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I usually put a small board under my pumpkins if I can reach them without damaging the plant, but I really don't think it is necessary. You know the farmers aren't doing this to their field pumpkins with as many as they grow. Once they turn orange and harden up I cut them off the vine and clean them up in order to get rid of any bacteria that may be growing on them using either a bleach solution, or I dunk them in our pool.
> 
> My biggest problem with home grown pumpkins has been the stem shriveling up after awhile. I've never been able to figure out how to prevent this from happening.


I don't usually put anything under my pumpkins at home. 

What variety of pumpkins are you growing. Stem shriveling is 'normal' for a number of varieties as part of the ripening process.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Patch update. ok so I have multiple prize winner pumpkins growing. Since they are laying in the grass I went ahead and put a piece if porous foam under 3 of them. I guess we will see if this works It was a struggle getting them just rite.....I have a terrible case of strep throat. Perfect timing!!!! ugh:-(


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Looking good! Feel better, Zombie4*

I think my Triple Treat vine has maxed out at five pumpkins...it has been aborting any new females before bloom. Oh well, five is good for one plant. My JBL's however, are still giving me new babies. I think I am up to five pollinated, now, and many more healthy babies all over the vines. I'm still dealing with squash bugs, so I'm just hoping my vines live long enough to fully ripen my pumpkins.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Looking good! Feel better, Zombie4*
> 
> I think my Triple Treat vine has maxed out at five pumpkins...it has been aborting any new females before bloom. Oh well, five is good for one plant. My JBL's however, are still giving me new babies. I think I am up to five pollinated, now, and many more healthy babies all over the vines. I'm still dealing with squash bugs, so I'm just hoping my vines live long enough to fully ripen my pumpkins.



Thank you!! Hope u get many nice pumpkins!!


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## Spookiness (Oct 27, 2016)

I'm not having any luck with my patch. I will get some females, but then they will abort. We have been having really hot and humid weather. 

But I am having luck with my pineapple plants. I have 2 coming in.









Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Spookiness said:


> I'm not having any luck with my patch. I will get some females, but then they will abort. We have been having really hot and humid weather.
> 
> But I am having luck with my pineapple plants. I have 2 coming in.
> 
> ...


I hope you get some females to bloom and get pollinated, soon!

Your pineapples look great! I am growing a pineapple top, too. Mine is young, yet, though, and has awhile before it starts to produce a pineapple.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, my five Triple Treats are doing well...hopefully, they will start to turn orange, soon. I lost two of my JBLs, so I'm down to three. Thankfully, those three are healthy. The weather has been odd, again, so I am now losing my baby females on this plant, too, before they bloom. Sigh. It's looking like I might only end up with these eight pumpkins, this year. 

How is everyone else doing? It's been quiet, here, lately.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

The weather has done all of my pumpkins in. Even the larger pumpkins are shriveling up and rotting from the vines....ugh SO DISAPPOINTED:-( I wasnt able to stop the white mold from spreading through the entire patch. I actively treated but it didnt work:-(


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The bush plants are starting to wind down. I need to get some more pics.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> The weather has done all of my pumpkins in. Even the larger pumpkins are shriveling up and rotting from the vines....ugh SO DISAPPOINTED:-( I wasnt able to stop the white mold from spreading through the entire patch. I actively treated but it didnt work:-(


Say it is not so. You posted some great vine photos. The first year I tried to grow, I never got past the vine phase. It made me double down for year 2. I hope you will hang with it.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

My patch at home has been a terrible disappointment. I have one large pumpkin going, and a few smaller decoratives that set, but compared to years past I'd say it's been a down year.

With the patch I have at work it's hard to tell. I planted just over 100 plants, and I counted at least 13 pumpkins that are growing, but I really have no idea what is growing in the middle of the patch. I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks until the plants start dying off. I do have a couple sections that have either died from powdery mildew, or just didn't seem to have any females so that was disappointing. I'll get some pictures posted once I am able to.

I'm really not sure if the weather has been good this year or not. We've had more than enough rain, which is great, but our temperatures have been in the 70's and 80's and rarely did it get above 90. I may be wrong but I always thought they liked higher temps. Recently it's been getting very cold at night so I'm not sure how much longer of a growing period I have. Fingers crossed.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Zombie4* said:
> 
> 
> > The weather has done all of my pumpkins in. Even the larger pumpkins are shriveling up and rotting from the vines....ugh SO DISAPPOINTED:-( I wasnt able to stop the white mold from spreading through the entire patch. I actively treated but it didnt work:-(
> ...


Yeah its so disappointing:-( My plants were so big and healthy. I got really sick with strep throat and wasnt able to treat with any fungicide. White powdery mold has covered the patch. I do still have 4 pumpkins growing (about the size of a volleyball) Im hoping to maybe hold on just to get a few decent sized pumpkins.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

The weather all over seems to be bad for pumpkins, again, this year. My area is still getting really cool weather for August. The garden just hasn't been getting enough heat. I still just have the five Triple Treats and three JBLs. I have two JBL baby females that should be blooming in a couple days, but since the rest of the females have been aborting right before or right after the bloom because of weather, powdery mildew and squash bugs, I'm not holding my breath that those last two will make it to bloom and set. 

I'm not even bothering to fight the powdery mildew...I usually treat it diligently, but with the strange weather making things difficult and my not feeling well this season, I just gave up. The vines already think it's Fall, anyway, so they are pretty much done producing. I have been trying to fight off the squash bugs, though, to keep my small amount of pumpkins safe until they mature and, also, I want to keep the insect issue low so they don't double for next year.

Here are some pics of my pumpkins...TTs are starting to turn orange, just a little:


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Winding down on the bush plants...










Sorghum done got TALL.


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## Spookywolf (Aug 4, 2012)

Sounds like it was not a great growing year for many of us this year. I had my share of the odd weather and rampant powdery mildew. I did try variations of the milk spray for the powdery mildew but it never went away entirely. Two of my JBLs are still trying to hang in there, but don't look all that great. The pie pumpkins never did really take off for me, which was expected. The large Jack vines all died but one, and it's just vining, no flowers. Don't think I have enough sun in that spot to support blooms. So, out of everything I've planted, I have one tiny little JBL pumpkin baby that somehow escaped "the great pumpkin disaster" in my yard. It's getting so late in the season that it might get zapped with frost before it actually matures, but that's my only survivor so far. Guess I'll be hitting the big pumpkin farms for my carvables this year.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

The natural spray recipes that have milk, baking soda, oil, ect. for Powdery Mildew don't really stop/kill it, they just help to slow down the spread or as a preventative. I would imagine you'd have to buy a fungicide of some sort if you want to try to stop it. 

For those of you who lost most of your patches, I hope you get, at least, a couple pumpkins, or more, if possible!! Don't let it deter you for trying next year...some years are just better or worse for pumpkin growing, just like any other veggie or fruit you'd grow. Last year, and this year, seemed to be crummy pumpkin growing years for many areas...here's to hoping next year will be better!!


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## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

I've got a decent amount of pumpkins started, better than last year, but it's quickly starting to feel late in the season and I'm not sure how it'll all turn out.
So far 3 kakai's going at various stages. These have hulless seeds for eating, but I'm hoping to carve them too.







There are two orange smoothies, which I've previously used for pie,







Also two spookies, which I'm not sure if I'll use for pie or carving. Anyone else try this variety?







And one ol' zeb,







which was the only one I got anything out of last year. and last year it had set about a month earlier and was already turning orange by this point, I think this one may end up pretty small.

I see some more female flowers coming on the spookie and ol zeb, but not sure how long they'll have to grow. I also have a montana jack that just keeps growing vine and not making any female flowers.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Well I still have a few pumpkins growing..barely. The weather has gone from 80 degrees to 59 in one day! Im sure this will be the end of what is left of the patch :-( Hoping for better luck next year!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My JBL vines suddenly just decided to put out a bunch of babies! The whole plant is covered in Powdery Mildew, the temps are falling, we are losing sunlight and NOW it decides to produce females...sigh. I think I have two of these newest ones pollinated and growing, and there is another blooming tomorrow, then two more possible the next morning. I am hoping that the vine will hold up long enough for these new babies to get pollinated and grow to maturity! Thankfully, JBL's are small, so they have a good shot at making it to full size before the vine dies back...at least the two that are currently pollinated and growing...


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

My patch at home is all but done, and it was really disappointing. I have one Big Max, I believe, that is probably 35 pounds, and a few other small decorative pumpkins. The patch is about done, and compared to years past it's been a terrible disappointment.

The patch I have at work is ok. I planted 6 varieties and some of them have succumbed to powdery mildew, while others are still producing females. I know I have several nice looking yellow pumpkins, and several white. Since the patch is so large I have no idea how many I have going, but I can see at least 20, which is ok, but there are over 100 plants in that patch.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> My patch at home is all but done, and it was really disappointing. I have one Big Max, I believe, that is probably 35 pounds, and a few other small decorative pumpkins. The patch is about done, and compared to years past it's been a terrible disappointment.
> 
> The patch I have at work is ok. I planted 6 varieties and some of them have succumbed to powdery mildew, while others are still producing females. I know I have several nice looking yellow pumpkins, and several white. Since the patch is so large I have no idea how many I have going, but I can see at least 20, which is ok, but there are over 100 plants in that patch.


I hope you have some hiding in your patch at work that you didn't see!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I woke up early to go pollinate the female JBL that I knew would be open and I found a hidden second one open! Yay! That's two more, if they set, plus more in the next days! Lol...hurry little pumpkins...hurry!! Time is running out for your vines!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I went outside to water the garden, this morning, and I saw two of my bigger Triple Treat pumpkins had bites taken out of them. Sigh. It was almost time to harvest them, where I could bring them inside to protect from the critters until Halloween. Almost time...so close. So, now, I am down to three Triple Treats...one of which is tiny...and five Jack be Littles. Three of the JBLs were mature, so I brought them in, today, just to be safe, then I made some barricades to help deter critters from my remaining ones still on the vines. Here's to hoping...

I'm getting so disgusted at all my pumpkins getting eaten, whether I buy or grow them, in this new neighborhood, that I am wondering if I should even try to grow any next year. I'm sure I will, but right now, I feel like I shouldn't. It was a battle to get the seedlings going from the animals digging them up repeatedly, then they were okay for a bit, and now that things are dying back, the animals decided to get into the garden and start eating stuff that they left alone all season! (One of my last to bloom baby JBLs was recently eaten, too, right after pollination. It never even had a chance!) I could have handled if they nibbled one of my JBLs...but did it have to be my two good sized Triple Treats?? ARG! 

Oh well. Once the remaining pumpkins turn orange the rest of the way, hopefully SOON, I'll harvest and post pics to share, here...if I have any left, by then...

Anyone else have any pumpkins harvested? How'd everyone end up doing?


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I went outside to water the garden, this morning, and I saw two of my bigger Triple Treat pumpkins had bites taken out of them. Sigh. It was almost time to harvest them, where I could bring them inside to protect from the critters until Halloween. Almost time...so close. So, now, I am down to three Triple Treats...one of which is tiny...and five Jack be Littles. Three of the JBLs were mature, so I brought them in, today, just to be safe, then I made some barricades to help deter critters from my remaining ones still on the vines. Here's to hoping...
> 
> I'm getting so disgusted at all my pumpkins getting eaten, whether I buy or grow them, in this new neighborhood, that I am wondering if I should even try to grow any next year. I'm sure I will, but right now, I feel like I shouldn't. It was a battle to get the seedlings going from the animals digging them up repeatedly, then they were okay for a bit, and now that things are dying back, the animals decided to get into the garden and start eating stuff that they left alone all season! (One of my last to bloom baby JBLs was recently eaten, too, right after pollination. It never even had a chance!) I could have handled if they nibbled one of my JBLs...but did it have to be my two good sized Triple Treats?? ARG!
> 
> ...


awwww that is terrible!!! Most of mine have died off. I have 8 pumpkins still on the vines. Im not sure when I should bring them in? All of them are still attached to the vines.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I did not get decent pumpkins until my third year. So hang in there guys. I did find that trying to grow pumpkins, expanded my general skill set to include gardening and it was a great way to do something halloweeny in the Spring time.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Zombie4* said:


> awwww that is terrible!!! Most of mine have died off. I have 8 pumpkins still on the vines. Im not sure when I should bring them in? All of them are still attached to the vines.


You harvest them when they are the the full, solid color the variety is supposed to be and when the skin is firm...which you can test by slightly pressing your fingernail against it to see if it gives. With my smaller and mini pumpkins, I, also, watch for the stem to start to brown at least a little, before I harvest them...not sure about the stem color matters on bigger ones for harvesting, as I don't grow those.



Col. Fryght said:


> I did not get decent pumpkins until my third year. So hang in there guys. I did find that trying to grow pumpkins, expanded my general skill set to include gardening and it was a great way to do something halloweeny in the Spring time.


Mine varies from year to year, depending on weather and, now, location. I was doing great at the old house, but have been struggling a bit, here, from having less sunlight, different soil and unusually hungry animals, lol.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Here's what I've gotten so far. I still have 3 really nice looking gourds in my garden at home that just took off within the last couple weeks and I have some pumpkins still developing in my garden where I work. I'm hoping they'll be done within the next two weeks.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Here's what I've gotten so far. I still have 3 really nice looking gourds in my garden at home that just took off within the last couple weeks and I have some pumpkins still developing in my garden where I work. I'm hoping they'll be done within the next two weeks.


They all look lovely!!!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Here's what I've gotten so far. I still have 3 really nice looking gourds in my garden at home that just took off within the last couple weeks and I have some pumpkins still developing in my garden where I work. I'm hoping they'll be done within the next two weeks.


Nice job, Mayor. What is the tall green gourd? I am thinking about growing some type of long gourd next year instead of pumpkins.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Nice job, Mayor. What is the tall green gourd? I am thinking about growing some type of long gourd next year instead of pumpkins.


They are called "Goose Neck" gourds. I've got three more to cut off, and they all look cooler than this one. They were very late bloomers. All four I've grown grew in a lilac bush about 10 feet off the ground.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor, make sure that you stick around next year and give some good gourd advice. I like the idea of a bush type plant. We had a newborn in March, so my time was too limited for pumpkin growing. I am figuring that since I won the North Georgia Fair last year with an an Atlantic Giant that a unique gourd my give me chance to win again.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Mayor, make sure that you stick around next year and give some good gourd advice. I like the idea of a bush type plant. We had a newborn in March, so my time was too limited for pumpkin growing. I am figuring that since I won the North Georgia Fair last year with an an Atlantic Giant that a unique gourd my give me chance to win again.


I just planted the Goose Neck Gourds back where I planted my other pumpkins. The area is really quite poor due to being behind my shed with limited sun light. I have a trellis behind the shed that the gourds grew up. Once they got to the top of the shed they attached themselves to a tree and grew out of there. They were quite unexpected! 

Here are are the other three that I cut down today.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, here's my total harvest for the year: 

Five Triple Treats and five JBLs. The two TTs that are sitting outside in the pics have been nibbled on. A third one of them had one tiny bite taken out of it, too, but it seems to have healed over, so it may be alright. Regardless, they aren't the prettiest of pumpkins, anyway. 

As for the JBLs, the three I harvested earlier look good, but the last two may have been harvested a little too early. I had no choice, though, as the vine was completely dead and withered and there were too many bugs and critters looking for a snack. Figured I'd just bring them in and hope they make it. 

All in all, I'm pretty unhappy, this year, with my pumpkins. Next year I may just grow a vine of minis and give up on the TTs and the Wee Be Littles. We will see. Maybe I'll try gourds...


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I was able to get into my patch at work yesterday and harvest some of the pumpkins that were ripe. I still have a lot of really nice sized pumpkins that weren?t completely ready, but should be in about a week. None of the pumpkins I took out yesterday would set any records, but I should be able to carve four of them.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

WitchyKitty said:


> Well, here's my total harvest for the year:
> 
> Five Triple Treats and five JBLs. The two TTs that are sitting outside in the pics have been nibbled on. A third one of them had one tiny bite taken out of it, too, but it seems to have healed over, so it may be alright. Regardless, they aren't the prettiest of pumpkins, anyway.
> 
> ...


Love those triple treats...are they stringy inside?


We'll be harvesting this evening. I counted at least 13 out in the patch, but we usually find one or two hiding.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So, we had frost this week, and the plants were clearly done. 










Ended up with 12. #13 has a 1" hole in the bottom...though it's not rotten...yet, I doubt it'll make it to Halloween. 











So, roundup of the Cheyenne Bush Pumpkins:

9 plants planted (originally 10, but the kids accidentally pulled a bush pumpkin instead of a volunteer at some point)
10 pumpkins off of them. (the others are off the volunteer)

I HAVE DONE NOTHING ALL YEAR. VERY EASY pumpkins. 

Talia watered them when she remembered, that's about it. 

They set ONE pumpkin religiously. But the second is rare, so they'll never be a big producer. 
They set pumpkins in 100+ degree temps (first variety I've seen do that)
Tend to deliver an oblong shape. 
SHORT stems.
Pumpkins are orange by 90 days after planting/transplanting, though the plants still go for a little bit if left. Very fast growing/short season/late plantable. (could plant in July!) 
Devilishly difficult to find seeds. 
The tight foliage makes them slightly more susceptible to mildew...though they seem to just ignore it for the most part. Might be more of a problem in more humid areas. 
Strangely, I've grown them 2 seasons and have yet to see bugs attracted to them. Not definitive results, but interesting. 
The longest of the "Vines" grew to about 3 ft, but seem to mostly stop when a pumpkin sets.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Nice harvest UnOrthodOx! Thanks for filling us in on your results from the bush pumpkins. I'd say it was a successful season if you got 10 pumpkins from 9 plants.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx, thanks for the review of the bush pumpkins! It sounds like they are similar to the Wee Be Littles I've been trying to grow each year...they are a semi bush. I seem to only get about one pumpkin per plant on those, too.

I can't remember if the Triple Treats are stringy or not...but they get their name for being good for all three things: Carving, making pies and eating the seeds (they are hull-less seeds). So far, I seem to get two to five pumpkins per plant...though if the weather had been better, this year, I think I would have gotten more...some just didn't make it.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving the harvested pumpkin pics!!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I finally harvested everything from work. I got a pretty good mix this year. I was hoping for more but I?ll take it. I will be able to carve about 15-20 of the home grown ones.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Nice haul!! You have some really nice looking pumpkins in there!!


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