Pumpkins

58 Comments

1. Wade - August 2, 2005 at 7:17 am

   Pumpkin flowers
   IF I PICK OFF THE FLOWERS THAT DON’T HAVE PUMPKINS STARTING, WILL THAT HELP THE OTHER ONES GROW FASTER AND BIGGER?

   The first flowers are males. It won’t make a difference if they are removed. Once the female flowers (the ones with the swelling at the base of the flower)to bloom, leave the male flower as they are needed for pollination. If you want bigger pumpkins, keep one or two and remove any subsequent flowers. By doing so, you will channel most of the nutrients and energy to the one pumpkin helping it grow faster and bigger.

   Reply
2. valerie rembacki - August 22, 2005 at 2:49 pm

   Too early
   i have pumpkins growing and the leaves looked great until a week ago now they are slowly dying out. i have about 7 pumpkins and they look great they’re turning orange already are they suppose to do this and will they make it till Halloween this is only 3rd week in Aug . is there something i can do to save them?

   Leave the pumpkins on the vine for as long as you can. Protect the bottom of your pumpkin from rot & insects by placing a liner such as a board, newspaper or landscape fabric. If you are forced to pick them, store them in a cool,(50-55) dark place. My pumpkins are doing the same thing and I have a squash bug and squash vine borer-a double whammie. To see if you have squash vine borer split open one of the dying vines and check at the node (where leaf comes out) you’ll see a fat,cream colored larva.

   Reply
3. Eddie Moffatt - August 30, 2005 at 5:11 am

   Powdery mildew
   Hi, I grew pumpkins for my son last year but only 1 came, then the leaves went powdery white, the stem eventually black and the pumpkin died. Moved patch and have had more success this year with three pumpkins and one a good size (but still black). However, leaves are powdery white and stiff again and stems going black. Help! Don’t want to disappoint son for a second year. It’ll put him off gardening for good. Great site but please help Eddie

   Sounds like you have powdery mildew Depending on the severity, try spraying it with a baking soda formula that is more effective as a preventative when applied on a regular basis. Add 1 Tbsp each of baking soda and horticultural oil (dormant oil spray) to 1 gallon of water. Spray weekly making a new mix each time. I also heard of 1 tbsp of pine sol to 1 gal of water as a spray. You can also try Benomyl (systemic fungicide), sulfur/fungicidal soap. Once the disease takes hold it is difficult to control. Some cultural things that can be done are to remove the infected leaves, do not crowd the plants, provide good air circulation and keep plants well watered and stress free

   Reply
4. Chris - March 12, 2006 at 4:37 pm

   Male or female flowers?
   How do you tell a male flower from a female flower in melons in order to aid fertilization?

   The initial flowers that appear are usually male flowers which have slender stems and are smaller than the female flowers. Female flowers have a tiny melon below the flower. Bees pollinate the flowers, if for some reason that does not happen, you can hand pollinate by clipping the male flower (with pollen on their anthers) and dusting it on the pistils of the female flower.

   Reply
5. Tim - June 7, 2006 at 1:19 pm

   Avoid bottom rot
   Should I use hay or some other kind of straw to keep pumpkins off the ground when growing to avoid rot?

   Yes, straw or hay not only helps avoid rot but keeps insects from drilling into the pumpkin. Another method is to place a board, under developing pumpkins to raise it off the ground. Be sure to turn them periodically to get a nice round shape.

   Reply
6. Nan - June 11, 2006 at 11:00 am

   Storing pumpkins
   It’s early June, my pumpkins sprouted and grew just from leaving last years (store bought) pumpkins in the garden. I now have 3 beautiful orange pumpkins. When do I pick them? How do I keep them until fall? I live in Louisiana where it’s quite warm. Will they keep in my house?

   Pick the pumpkins when the vines are dry, and fruit is an even orange color. Cut a 3-6 inch stem. The pumpkin needs to cure @ 80 degrees and 80% humidity for 10 days. After curing, store in a dry, cool place with temperatures around 50-55 degrees and relative humidity of 50-70%. Don’t store with apples, hard surfaces like concrete or stack them on top of each other. Pumpkins should be free of cuts, scratches or bruises, otherwise it will invite disease. After all that they can last 2-3 months. If you want pumpkins for Halloween its still not to late to start new ones.

   Reply
7. Kris - September 11, 2006 at 3:10 am

   Grow in container
   Can I plant pumpkins in a container? If so, when should I transplant it?

   Yes, you can start them in a container. In the cooler climate they should be started indoors around May and then planted outdoors when the weather permits (early June). Pumpkins are a warm weather crop and do not tolerate cold temps. This time of year, you can plant seeds directly into the ground. It may be too late for the cooler regions because they need 100+days to develop and produce pumpkins before the frost. In warmer climates you may still have a chance as the growing season is longer.

   can i grow my pumpkins in a large pot?

   Yes, you can but just make sure you keep it well watered during the hot weather and fertilize regularly with a 10-10-10 especially after they set fruit.. You can also add a time-release fertilizer to the soil. Because pumpkins make long vines and need lots of space, grow the smaller varieties or bush types to accommodate your container

   Reply
8. Kris - September 17, 2006 at 3:04 am

   I have planted crooked neck squash. The plants look healthy but when the fruit starts to develop the squash turns a dark orange as if it is old and the fruit is hollow. I figure it is a worm of some type, but what and how do I get rid of it. I use seven dust on plants.

   You may be the victim of squash vine borer. An olive brown moth will lay is eggs on the stems near the base of the plant. When the eggs hatch they bore their way inside the vines. It is a difficult pest to control. You can vigilantly spray the base of the plant with rotenone or pyrethrins to kill the larvae before they enter the vines. Cover the plants with floating row cover early in the season (you would need to hand pollinate the flowers). Another method is to wrap the base of the plant is panting hose to keep the larvae out. The problem is as the season progresses and the vines get longer the larvae enter at other sections of the vine. You can try to save infested vines by digging out the borer with a knife and heaping soil over the vines to induce rooting. Rotate your plantings each year.

   Reply
9. luloma - June 17, 2007 at 11:18 am

   Squash vine borer
   My friend and i are growing atlantic giants,, his vines are 3/4′ in diameter and yellowish,, mine are 1-1/4′ in diameter and green is there problem,, we started at the same time and the plants are 2 acres apart from one another.. ty..

   It sounds as if your vine is much healthier than the yellowing vine. Barring disease and insects the yellowish vine may need more nutrients. Pumpkins are heavy feeders and your soil may have more nutrients. On the other hand, it may be an insect problem such as squash vine borer which will cause the plant to suddenly wilt and upon further inspection you would find a hole or chewed stem at the soil line.

   Reply
10. BETHANY - July 3, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    Transplanting seedlings
    IM GROWING PUMKINS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND JUST PLANTED MY SEEDLINGS INTO THE GROUND-THEY ARE ABOUT 6IN LONG- AND THE NEXT DAY THEY ALL WILTED- IVE GIVEN THEM PLENTY OF WATER AFTER I PLANTED THEM AND IM WONDERING IF ITS TO HOT- DO THEY USUALLY NEED SHADE- OR DO I JUST NEED TO WATER THEM ALOT MORE-I JUST DONT WANT TO OVER WATER- IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THEY NEED SHADE TO ME–WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!

    They do need shade until the roots get acclimated to the new site. It’s best to transplant on cloudy, cool days. Right now there aren’t enough roots to carry enough water to the leaves, thereby causing them to wilt. Eventually, they should adjust a keep putting out new growth.

    Reply
11. Carey - August 13, 2007 at 10:05 am

    Pumpkin rotting
    As soon as my pumkins get about 2″ in diameter they turn soft and yellow then die. I have one pumpkin doing well (about 7″ dia.) but all the rest have died. Any ideas – the vines are super healthy with big green leaves and hundreds of big orange male blooms???

    If the young pumpkins start to rot from the blossom end on healthy vines, they may not have been pollinated well. This is caused either by hot or cool weather or low bee activity. Wait for temperatures to cool down or if it is a bee problem – hand pollinate the flowers.

    Reply
12. J.P. - August 28, 2007 at 9:06 pm

    Grow pumpkins
    hi this is the first time i have ever tried to grow any pumpkins i planted my pumpkins the last week or 2 of june i live in new England i was wondering if i will get fruit from my plants and also i was wondering how long it takes for the baby pumpkins to start growing big once the female flower closed…i have 7 females that have babies and 2 of the 7 the females have done opened and closed so now what?????

    Pumpkins should be planted 100+ days before the first frost to allow enough time for them to ripen. Once the female flower has been pollinated (withered and dries up) the small pumpkin should start to grow quickly. If pollination did not occur the “small pumpkin” will shrivel and die. If you want bigger pumpkins, keep one or two and remove the others. By doing so, you will channel most of the nutrients and energy to the one pumpkin helping it grow faster and bigger. If there is a chance of an upcoming frost and your plants are still healthy cover them to extend the growing season.

    Reply
13. Barbara Christie - December 19, 2007 at 4:29 pm

    Roast seeds
    Can seeds from winter squash like butternut and acorn be roasted and
    eaten like roasted pumpking seeds? Thanks for any tips.

    Yes they can be eaten and are very tasty. They are a bit smaller and will require less roasting time.
    Enjoy!

    Reply
14. Carolyn F - July 30, 2008 at 2:49 pm

    Pollination problem
    I have 3 female blossoms open on my pumpkin vine, but NO male blossoms have opened yet. Is there a product available to pollinate pumpkin blossoms. I use a spray to set my tomatoes and thought there might be something similar for pumpkins.

    I pruned my vines about 7-10 days ago and perhaps cut off the male blossoms that would have opened this week. Should I not prune excess vines before the fruit sets? This is my first try growing pumpkins, as you may have guessed.
    Thanks for your help.

    Hi Carolyn
    The first flowers are male and they are there to attract bees. Once the female flowers bloom, you should get more male flowers. Your female blossoms are pollinated when the swelling at the base of the flower start to get larger. When pumpkins don’t pollinate because of too hot temperatures (above 85
    F), too cold (below 55F), heavy rain, overhead watering on the blossoms, no bees or insects. You can hand pollinate in the morning by clipping the male flower (with pollen on their anthers) and dusting it on the pistils of the female flower.
    I would wait until fruit set before pruning the vines. Unless you want to grow one giant pumpkin, pruning reduces the number of flowers and leaves, thereby resulting in less pumpkin production. more info http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/qa.html

    Reply
15. karrie-ann dale - August 7, 2008 at 7:37 am

    I have 3 big pumpkin plants. On 2 of the plants the female flowers have opened but the males haven’t……what do i do??

    Hi Karrie
    The male flowers open for a few hours in the morning. If you have other vines with opened males flowers try hand-pollinating in the morining.

    Reply
16. Heather - August 10, 2008 at 10:49 am

    My pumpkin vines are dying (some I have pruned because of powdery mildew) will the pumpkins I have growing on those vines live? Most are fairly large and turning orange not orange. Should I cure them and store them like you said above? Thank you so much!

    Hi Heather
    Once the pumpkins start to turn color they should be fine. Better to leave them on the vine until they mature (turn orange) and then cure and store them.

    Reply
17. Rhonda - August 30, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    How do you keep worms from eating your pumpkins?

    Hi Rhonda
    Any kind of barrier from the soil surface such as a boards or newspapers will keep the worms off your pumpkins. Check periodically underneath the pumpkins to make sure.

    Reply
18. Phil - September 5, 2008 at 11:08 am

    Pollination problem
    Well, our first attempt at growing pumpkins failed miserably. We had beautiful male flowers opening up almost every day of the summer, and periodically female buds would appear.

    We would monitor them closely each and every day so that when they opened up, we could hand pollinate them to assure pollination. But EVERY time a female bud would appear, it would never open. It went from looking like it would open at any moment to suddenly shriveling and dropping off, almost over night.
    Any help would be appreciated because we do want to try again next year.

    Hi Phil
    There are several factors which can affect the female flower from pollination-too hot temperatures ( 90degrees), not enough sun, too much nitrogen during pollination time, lack of insect pollinators . Avoid spraying the plants with insecticide during this time as it will also deter the ” good” insects. The flower opens in early morning so that’s when pollination should occur .

    Reply
19. Chris - September 6, 2008 at 4:04 pm

    Rotting baby pumpkins
    It looks like something has eaten some of my baby pumpkins from the inside out. They are no larger than a cherry tomato at this point and I noticed some of them have been reduce to a skin only state with small “lacey” holes in the skin. I have noticed tiny black – possibly winged- insects crawling in and around the blossoms. Not sure if they are the cause. Any idea what this is and how to get rid of it?

    Hi Chris
    I have also had that same problem. One day, I noticed some sawdust like debrise at base of the stem on my sugar baby pumpkin. It looked like something drilled into it. A few days later, I decided to pick the pumpkin and found that it had a soft spot and rotting. So I cut it open to see what was going on. I found a fat cream colored borer inside. Needless to say, I threw out the rotting pumpkin. You should remove the infected pumpkins and discard them.
    Are your plants healthy or wilting during the day?
    I wouldn’t worry about the winged insects around the blossoms as they may aid in polinating the flowers.

    Reply
20. Anne Briese - September 10, 2008 at 7:12 am

    Cold damage
    It is early september. I woke this morning to see that the majority of my pumpkin leaves turned black and shriveled up. The temperature got into the low 40’s last night, and I am assuming that it had something to do with it. What caused this to happen? Will my pumpkins be okay? What can i do to help?

    Hi Anne
    It may be the cold temperatures that blackened the leaves. There is a bacterial wilt that can also wilt and darken the leaves but the plant usually recovers by night. If your pumpkins are orange – pick them. If they are still green, leave them on the vine and let them color and harden. Put some cardboard or a board under the pumpkin to keep insects from drilling into the pumpkin. Wash your picked pumpkins with a light chlorine solution. They need to cure @ 80 degrees and 80% humidity for 10 days. After curing, store in a dry, cool place with temperatures around 50-55 degrees and relative humidity of 50-70%. Don’t store with apples, hard surfaces like concrete or stack them on top of each other.

    Reply
21. Allison - September 27, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Harvest pumpkins
    hi, what if you cut all of your pumpkins at the same time(cause some are going bad) through they are some that are still green…will they eventually turn orange?

    Hi Allison
    When you harvest pumpkins from the patch, place them in a sunny warm spot on a patio, deck, window or a greenhouse. Pumpkins need sunlight to color, expose the green side to the sun and rotate periodically to expose all other green parts. If it gets too cold(freezing) overnight bring them inside. The pumpkins may not color evenly especially when exposed to chilling temperatures below 50F.

    Reply
22. julie - November 27, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    winterover
    Can pumpkin plants make it through the winter. If they can what is the best way to protect the plant.

    Hi Julie
    Pumpkins are a warm weather crop and are easily killed by cold temperatures. They are also grown as an annual, once they produce fruit they are finished, if the insects don’t get them first. I’m afraid you will have to start new plants in spring.

    Reply
23. dorothy - February 16, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    Fruit turning yellow
    My pumpkin fruit are also forming turning yellow and then rotting and falling off. They are – well watered – well feed – well pollinated (I saw the bees at work right now!)
    Do I keep the plant in or give up and pull it out.
    Otherwise a little powdery mildew *but this started before that did* but other wise big healthy spreading plant.
    Help!

    HI Dorothy
    I am assuming your plants are healthy and disease free. If so, your pumpkins may not have been pollinated well because of hot or cool weather and/or slow bee activity. When the weather moderates you should get more pumpkins, if not help by hand-pollinating the flowers. Flowers open in the morning and close by noon and sooner if its hot. Bee activity also slows in cooler temperatures. For adequate bee activity observe your plants. Bees should visit a flower every 15 minutes.
    Hand-pollinate in the morning, take a small brush and transfer pollen from the male flower (stamen) to the female flower part (pistil). The female has a small swelling below the flower and if it is not pollinated then it will fall off. Another easier method is to take the male flower’s stamen and rub it in the pistil of the female flower.
    If the plants are healthy keep the plant and wait for more flowers to polllinate.

    Also be on the look out for squash vine borer. Are the leaves wilting on a sunny day? Check the vine close to the base and see if there is some sawdust like material-squash vine borer. Its difficult for the plant to maintain fruit when it is under attack.

    Reply
24. Bridget - June 20, 2009 at 11:28 am

    Flowers not opening
    My son and I planted three pumpkin seeds, in April I believe, and they have taken off quite nicely. The problem is that the female flowers won’t open up. I know that heat has a lot to do with it and being the fact that I live in Florida and the temperature is unusually high for this time of year, we’re talking high 90’s with feels like temps in the 100’s. And we are watering it everyday due to the fact that it starts to wilt by early afternoon. It gets a full days worth of sunlight everyday. It’s in a huge pot as well. Should we move the pot to a spot where it gets more shade then sunlight to help reduce some of the heat? And as soon as I can get the female flowers to open I plan on hand pollenating them since the bee activity is low.

    Hi Bridget
    Moving it to a shadier spot may help until it cools down a bit. Plants will stop blooming when temperatures get too hot.

    Reply
25. Melissa - July 4, 2009 at 6:43 am

    Bruised pumpkin
    While brushing a few small pieces of mulch from a newly pollinated pumpkin in my garden I accidentally caused a small scrape in the skin of the fruit. Will this result in the fruit dying before it can grow ? Is there anything I should do to guard against insects, disease, etc ? The scrape is not deep, it was just a small part of the very top layer near the flower, but I want to check, just in case. Thank you !

    Hi Melissa
    There’s not much you can do. Like people with cuts, the scrape should heal over and form a scab.

    Reply
26. cindy - July 13, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    I’m new to growing pumpkins. Live in San Jose, CA and planted 1 plant in the back. Weather here has been perfect. I planted my plant the first week of May which I bought from Home Depot. Can’t recall the name of plant, but it’s only supposed to reach 7-10 lbs. Everything is going smoothly, letting nature do its thing. Two weeks ago my first female opened, and wouldn’t you know it, none of the males opened up that day, what a sadness. Where are the males when you need them? Since then another female opened. My vine is pretty long 15-20 feet with 4 side vines taking off. I have 10-12 female buds growing and I’d love to harvest as many of those as possible, one for all my kids and their cousins, too for Halloween. If pollination is successful can the fruit on this plant reach it’s potential if I don’t cut any off? As for the first female that didn’t get pollinated, how long till it begins to die? It was softball size when its flower opened. I have bees coming around and even more black bumble bees visiting everyday. Should I try hand pollinating one for experience? Also, my vine is reaching my crepe myrtle tree, when the weather gets hotter (aug & sept) do you think the filtered tree shade will be enough to protect fruit? Avg temps from here on out will be 80-85 next 4 weeks,90 plus thereafter, should I water everyday? Twice week? Thanks for your help.

    Hi Cindy
    Pumpkins are always fun to grow. I love searching thru the leaves to see how many the vine produced. You know the saying “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched”. Some of the fruit will survive while some will not. The plant will “prune” its fruit if it cannot support all the pumpkins. Or you’ll get many little pumpkins instead of a few large ones. The important thing is that the vine stays healthy and doesn’t get infested with insects. It might be fun to hand pollinate and see what happens. The filtered shade of your Crepe myrtle should help shade the fruit. Make sure your pumpkin gets plenty of water and fertilizer.

    Reply
27. Debbie - August 9, 2009 at 6:38 am

    Wilting plant
    I live in MO. An unexpected pumpkin vine began growing in out landscape area (lava rock area), and a nice sized pumpkin has developed at the end of the vine. I am excited to have even one develop, but it is only the beginning of August and the vine is beginning to rot and leaves are falling off. The leaves were wilting during the day and I would water the plant. Now I beleive I must have overwatered the plant. Is there any thing I can do to extend the life of the vine? I do not want to lose my only pumpkin. Thanks for any advice. Debbie

    HI Debbie
    Your pumpkin may have a wilt disease caused by squash vine borer which will cause the vine to wilt in the middle of the day.

    Reply
28. carol - August 21, 2009 at 2:03 am

    Powdery mildew on pumpkins
    Hi my name is carol from california and I am growing pumpkins from seeds for the first time . I am a little confuess about what to do when my leaves turn that powdery midew. I notice my vines had this stuff, should I cut off the leaves that have this white stuff on them and spray stuff on them so the other vines can grow, or should I just restart all my plants all over again. some have this white stuff and some dont I have not had any frut yet and I planted my seeds at the end of June, what should I do. Thank-you for your time. carol

    Hi Carol
    Depending on the severity,You can treat the vines with a baking soda spray to control the spread of powdery mildew. Add 1 Tbsp each of baking soda and horticultural oil (dormant oil spray) to 1 gallon of water. Spray weekly making a new mix each time. I also heard of 1 tbsp of pine sol to 1 gal of water as a spray. You can also try Benomyl (systemic fungicide), sulfur/fungicidal soap. Once the disease takes hold it is difficult to control. Some cultural things that can be done are to remove the infected leaves, do not crowd the plants, provide good air circulation and keep plants well watered and stress free.
    Pumpkins take 100+ days to develop fruit so you may not have enough time to start from seed.

    Reply
29. Pat - August 26, 2009 at 2:49 am

    Squash vine borer
    My name is Patrick and I live in London, England. My pumpkin grew to the size of a bowling green ball and on August 24th I was very disappointed to see that it had turned soft. When I discovered the new fruit, I was very overjoyed and protective. I fed and watered it regularly and put it on an old plastic bin lid to keep it off the ground. Did my last action have anything to do with its sad demise?

    Hi Pat
    Most likely not-by raising it off the ground you actually helped keep other insects and small animals from chewing on it. The problem may have been a squash vine borer that drills its way into the vine and can work its way into the pumpkin. I had the same problem last year. My pumpkins started to rot from the inside and when I cut it open found a vine borer inside.

    Reply
30. Alyssa - September 29, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Turn green pumpkins orange
    we threw old rotton pumpkins under our pine trees and this year the pumpkins sprouted and taken over a whole corner of our yard they are growing well the problem is our neighbors or someone around our house is stealing our pumpkins and they arent even orange so we thought if we picked them and put them on our deck nobody would steal them. I was just wondering if you pick green pumpkins will they turn orange or get any bigger because most of the pumpkins we picked are green…so thank you.

    Hi Alyssa
    Your green pumpkins will not get larger but with time and care can turn orange. Here’s how to ripen pumpkins and accelerate maturing. Place them in a sunny warm spot on a patio, deck or window. Expose the green side to the sun and rotate periodically to expose all other green parts. If it gets too cold (freezing) overnight bring them inside. The pumpkins may not color evenly especially when exposed to chilling temperatures below 50F. Also see the article on storing pumpkins.

    Reply
31. Emily - May 22, 2010 at 6:20 am

    Male or female flowers
    I may be overreacting, but I just want to be sure! I planted my pumpkins – and everything else – pretty early, at the beginning of April. My plants started inside had grown quite big and living where I do in the South, we were well past frost, so I gave it a go.

    My pumpkin plants are doing well, strong green stems with plenty of leaves, starting to throw off vines now that they have started to “run” a little. About two weeks ago I had a couple of male flowers that opened in the morning and fell off – the blossom – by about mid-afternoon. Since then I haven’t seen any, but tiny buds have begun to develop along my stems. Are these female flowers, waiting to mature? And male flowers will come along when they do?

    It’s my first year growing pumpkins, so like a nervous parent I’m worried they won’t pollinate. I know I started them early and that may be why I’m expecting pollination too soon.

    Hi Emily,
    The first flowers that appear are usually male flowers which have slender stems and are smaller than the female flowers. Female flowers have a tiny melon below the flower. Bees pollinate the flowers, if for some reason that does not happen, you can hand pollinate by clipping the male flower (with pollen on their anthers) and dusting it on the pistils of the female flower.

    Reply
32. Jamie - July 18, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    Pollination problem
    Our pumpkin plants have no males but plenty of females. We cross pollinated with another plant and the pumpkins aren’t growing. Any suggestions? Help.

    Hi Jamie
    It may be that the pollination didn’t take. Temperatures above 85F can affect fruit set. The pollen breaks down quickly in hot weather and is not as viable.

    Reply
33. Dawnn - September 10, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    HELP!!! my pumpkins were doing great this year. they have begun to turn orange. a medium sized one (12in), just started to rot. i cant explain it. it was already turning orange, i have it sitting on straw to keep it dry. the vines are healthy. i don have some gnats (small black flies) on the flowers, but not squash bugs (no they are not baby squash bugs either). i live in new mexico, it’s a bit cooler, now that it is sept. and we have had some rain- but generally it has been sunny and warm. what should i do? should i pick the other ones early? leave them on the vine? i dont want them all to rot, but is dont want to pick them too early either. my son is very excited about pumpkins for halloween. Please help!!

    Hi Dawnn
    Sometimes the vine borer works its way to the pumpkin and eventhough the pumpkin looks healthy and turning orange, its soft and mushy when you pick it. They may have some type of fungal disease spread by insects. Check the bottom of the pumpkins for worms drilling inside. You can pick your pumpkins early, with a little color showing and store them. see http://hortchat.com/info/how-to-harvest-store-pumpkins. Hopefully, all the pumpkins are not rotten.

    Reply
34. Dawnn - September 11, 2010 at 5:31 pm

    White pumpkin
    a follow up, yesterday (the rotting pumpkin) 1/4th had changed to a white color, today the whole pumpkin is white!!! it took 3 days and it is all white, (the first day it had a couple dime sized white spots. crazy! i just dont know what is happening. i can send photos. should i pick the white one and keep the orange one on the vine? or should i pick the orange one and let it cure? it is early and the skin gives a little when i push it with my fingernail, but it also pushes back a bit now too. i’m worried if i pick it too soon it will die too, but if i dont pick it will it turn white too? please help. thanks, Dawnn

    Hi Dawnn
    Is it possible that you also planted a white variety of pumpkins? Pick the white one, it should be firm and solid, if not then its probably rotting inside. http://hortchat.com/info/how-to-harvest-store-pumpkins

    Reply
35. T.J. KELLY - May 8, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    Transplant pumpkins

    About 12-18 plants have begun growing where a pumpkin from last year was smashed in the yard. Can I transplant these plants now or should I just leave them? I have always wanted a pumpkin patch, so I will do what is best to get pumpkins.

    Hi TJ
    Yes you can transplant them. Protect them if there is a light frost. Put them in fertile soil (or a composted cow manure if you have one). They need full sun, well drained-soil and lots of space to let them spread. Feed them during the summer with a 10-10-10 every two weeks. Make sure they get plenty of water during the growing season.

    Reply
36. letica - May 22, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Yellow leaves
    I have pumpkins growing in my garden for some reason or the other the leaves on the plant are going yellow can anyone HELP!!!!

    HI Letica
    Yellow leaves can be an indicator of several problems. 1. Squash vine borer- if the leaves are yellowing and wilting. 2. Nutrient deficiency

    Reply
37. Charley - July 15, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Late Planting
    I started some pumpkin seedlings in containers, and just transplanted into the ground today. Each plant has 3-4 leaves right now. Is there any chance I will have pumpkins in time for Halloween?

    I live in New Orleans, so high temps and humidity shouldn’t be hard to come by. Thanks for any advice.

    HI Charley
    Pumpkins need 100+ days to produce pumpkins.

    Reply
38. Steffi - July 20, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    Pumpkin wilted
    My pumpkin plant looked beautiful yesterday, with healthy leaves, male blooms and a big pumpkin growing. I thought I should put some miracle-gro on my garden so I did that yesterday and woke up to find my pumpkin plant totally wilted! This afternoon, in the heat, it looks like I’ve totally lost it. Everything else in my garden (zucchini, cantaloupe, strawberries, beans, etc) that I watered with miracle-gro look great. What did I do wrong? How can one day it look beautiful and the next morning, look wilted and dieing????

    Hi Steffi
    It may not have been the miracle grow but squash vine borer that finally got the best of the plant. Look for mushy, yellowish, grainy stuff at the base of the plant. Make sure the plant get plenty of water during a heat wave.

    Reply
39. Lori - July 30, 2011 at 7:51 am

    Transplant vines
    I have pumpkin vines growing where last year’s pumpkins were put in the yard. I have two vines that each have a pumpkin on them about 5-inches in diameter and 7-inches tall. They are growing on the side of my house and we got a letter from the home owners association stating that we had to pull them up as the deed restrictions state that vegetable gardens have to be in the backyard. GRR. Is there anyway I can transplant these vines and save the pumpkins? This is the first year I’ve done this and would love to see this process through.

    Hi Lori
    It sound like the pumpkin plants are in a advanced stage of growth-too big to move. Once you disturb the vines, they will not recover. Perhaps you can gently redirect the vines to be back of the house?

    Reply
40. Jen - August 11, 2011 at 5:53 am

    I have tiny black ants all over my pumpkin flowers. No pumpkins yet. I live in North Texas. What is the best way to get rid of them without hurting the vines?

    Hi Jen
    The ants are not hurting the flowers. They may be looking for nectar. I wouldn’t worry about them.

    Reply
41. Ella Fletcher - August 17, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    Harvest & store pumpkins
    My pumpkins are really big and have turned orange, however tiny white bugs are the the leaves and they are starting to die. Its mid august and I want them for Halloween. Should I pick them now?

    Hi Ella
    If your pumpkins are orange, you can harvest them and store them. see http://hortchat.com/info/how-to-harvest-store-pumpkins. It will be better than leaving them outdoors. If left in the field, any cuts and bruises made by feeding animals/insects would be an opportunity for disease to enter.

    Reply
42. Rick - September 3, 2011 at 9:48 am

    Our pumpkins are winding up for the season. Once all the pumpkins are harvested do we cut back the vines for next year? Or should we pull them out, cultivate the soil and plant new seeds in the spring? We’re in SoCal if that matters.

    Hi Rick
    Pumpkins are grown as an annual. By the time you harvest your pumpkins, the vines can be infested with insects and or disease (powdery mildew) and not worth saving. I don’t think they would winter over. It’s much easier to pull out the vine, work in compost to amend the soil and plant new seeds next spring.

    Reply
43. Katherina - January 16, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Yellow leaves
    I am in Chile. The older leaves of my pumpkin plant are turning yellow and the newly forming female buds are also turning yellow before flowering.The All the young leaves are green. I dug a hole approx. 2 1/2ft. Diameter x 2 1/2ft. Deep. We are having a humid hot spell. Not really having a problem with wilting. I have one larger pumpkin, and 3 smaller, the smaller ones are starting to turn yellow also. This is my first try at a pumpkin and could use some advise!

    Hi Katherina
    Older yellowing leaves on pumpkins can be a sign of nutrient deficiency-possibly nitrogen, magnesium. Make sure that you fertilize with a formula that includes micronutrients. Yellowing leaves can also indicate insect problem or disease- usually showing up as spotted or speckled yellowing leaves.

    Reply
44. Madi - March 15, 2012 at 11:55 pm

    Hi, I just started growing pumpkins this year, and the first one that sprouted out of the ground is doing great. But, then the second one sprouted up and it is not doing so good. It grew two small shriveled leaves, and then now it looks like the whole plant is shriveling up! The soil is dry around it, but I water it the same amount as the thriving pumpkin seedling, and I have no bugs. (I live in AZ, so could the sun have anything to do with it?)

    Hi Madi
    Not sure what is happening. Are they both in the same area? Sometimes new seedling look a bit shriveled. Sometimes one seed doesn’t quite germinate the way it should and those are the ones you want to eliminate. I would suggest you plant more seeds.

    Reply
45. chelsa - July 3, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    i have sugar pie pumpkin that will be good next month but i just find some squash vine borers in the vines can i pick the ones that are a little orange this is my first time with pumpkin.

    Hi Chelsa
    If the pumpkins have some orange on them, then you can pick them. It will take a while for the borer to work its way to the pumpkin.Also see http://hortchat.com/info/how-to-harvest-store-pumpkins for info on storing pumpkins

    Reply
46. Evelyn - August 14, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Low fruit set
    My daughter planted 8 hils of pumpkins Memorial weekend. They added 1 bag of boughten cow manure to each hill. Now the blossoms come out and fall off. Out of the 8 hills they planted, they have 1 small pumpkin. What went wrong?
    they live in Maine

    Hi Evelyn
    Some factors that affect poor pollination and fruit set are lack of insect pollinators. It’s possible that the weather has something to do with it.Temperatures above 85F can affect fruit set. The pollen breaks down quickly in hot weather and is not as viable. Not enough sun and too much nitrogen (fertilizer) during pollination time can also affect fruit set. Pollination occurs in early morning when the flowers open. Avoid spraying the plants with insecticide during this time as it will also deter the “good” insects.

    Reply
47. Sara Houk - August 18, 2012 at 8:33 pm

    I promised my grief-stricken 5 year old, that we would save the seeds from the pumpkin (shaped like a hubbard but iridescent orange) we bought from a farm last year and plant our own this year. She cried the entire hour + it baked in the oven. Which brings me to this year…

    Awesome vines, sprawling all over my container gardens and down my side yard. Lots of flowers. Lots of baby pumpkins. They start off yellow and many have softened and rotted when about the size of a baseball. One made it to the size of a flattened bowling ball before rotting. They are sitting on straw on grass. We are in a drought in the midwest with a record number of days over 100. I water the roots with a soaker hose, so all of the pumpkins are not getting lots of external moisture. We have 3 pumpkins showing great promise, but have a long way to go to be the pumpkins my little girl has been dreaming of. I really don’t want these pumpkins to rot. Sounds like the squash vine borer is to blame in most of these scenarios. If we do have them, what can be done about them?? I don’t spoil my children, but this pumpkin is a BIG deal!! Thanks!

    Reply
48. Bob Blauser - June 8, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    It is the second week of June in PA and I have female flowers on my transplanted pumpkins. Can I remove these flowers to encourage the growth of more timely fall pumpkins without hurting the plant’s ability to produce?

    Hi Bob
    Yes, you can remove the first two or three female flowers to encourage more plant growth. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/qa.cfm

    Reply
49. Lisa - July 25, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    My pumpkin vines have powdery mildew. I have been spraying them with an organic product and taking the worst ones off to try to control the spread. It’s not keeping up though and more leaves are getting it. If I take more off, there won’t be much protection for the crown of the pumpkin. Any suggestions on how to protect the crown if I take the leaves off? Or other better ideas of how to deal with the problem? Thanks!

    Hi Lisa
    Keep in mind that as the pumpkin vines, it can re root itself at the internode leaf sections which will help feed the pumpkin. Powdery mildew is weather/temperature related warm days/cool nights. Keep spraying the healthy leaves to keep it from spreading.

    Reply
50. Judi - August 11, 2014 at 11:52 am

    Was wondering why my pumpkin split open, it is bigger than a basketball and still white on the inside.

    Reply
51. Liz Callan - July 5, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Hi. I am growing my first pumpkin. I noticed my Pumpkin’s roots are exposed and it is leaning no longer erect.

    What should I do?

    Should I weed and try to add more soil around the exposed area?
    Should I try replanting it?
    Should I move it into a big plastic bucket?
    If I replant, how do I do that without killing it?

    Thanks.
    And please respond ASAP because my pumpkin is in need!
    I currently have it under a towel so the critters dont come at it as I suspect they have.
    And am going to the store to buy a fence and Marigolds and pesticides and Hot Sauce.

    On a side note,
    How do I tell if my plant is female or male areas?

    Hi Liz
    I may be too big to transplant. Pumpkins will lean and vine as they continue to grow. If you try transplanting you may do more harm than good. You can add some soil around the exposed roots. As they begin to vine they will also produce roots at the leaf joints.
    The first flowers that appear are usually male flowers which have slender stems and are smaller than female flowers. Female flowers have a tiny melon behind the flower. Bees pollinate the flowers, if for some reason that does not happen, you can hand pollinate by clipping the male flower (with pollen on their anthers) and dusting it on the pistils of the female flower.

    Reply
52. Katie - July 23, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    I planted pumpkins in planters on my second floor deck, the vines have grown over the railing and hang all the way to the lower deck! they have Pumpkins growing on them that are about the size of basket balls or a little smaller. They are turning orange already will they keep growing?
    My grandson wants them for Halloween and it is only July 23rd, will they stay on the vine until Oct?

    Hi Katie
    Once they turn orange, the pumpkins will not continue to grow. They can stay on the vine as long as insects and animals don’t attack it. When you do pick it, store them in a cool place to keep them from rotting.
    Store pumpkins in a dry, cool place with good air circulation and temperatures around 50-55F degrees with relative humidity of 50-70%. Properly stored pumpkins (50-55 F) can last up to 2 months but if stored in warmer temperatures (70 degrees) only 2 weeks.

    Reply
53. Barbara oxendine - July 28, 2015 at 3:11 pm

    I replanted my pumpkins now they have wilted but I water them every day what should I do

    Reply
54. Kris - August 21, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Hi, I just started growing pumpkin this year and already have one big pumpkin but that seems to be it. All of my female flowers don’t even have a chance to open and already turn yellow and fall off. Even the tiniest female flowers will turn yellow and die. I water the plant deeply once every three days and the leaves are huge. A lot of male flowers. I fertilized it once every two or three weeks with organic fertilizer. I don’t know what’s going on

    Hi Kris
    It may be a pollination issue. Some factors that affect poor pollination and fruit set are lack of insect pollinators. It’s possible that the weather has something to do with it.Temperatures above 85F can affect fruit set. The pollen breaks down quickly in hot weather and is not as viable. Not enough sun and too much nitrogen (fertilizer) during pollination time can also affect fruit set. Pollination occurs in early morning when The flowers open. Avoid spraying the plants with insecticide during this time as it will also deter the “good” insects.

    Reply
55. Steve Tonkovich - October 22, 2015 at 11:26 am

    I’m 63 years old, have had a vegetable garden as long back as I can remember, but every time I try to grow pumpkins, they get about as big as a bowling ball and then rot from the inside out. Can anybody tell me what I’m doing wrong?

    Reply
56. Omar - June 21, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    I’m growing pumpkins in a container. The plant seems to be very healthy, as I’ve monitored all levels and have given it lime and blood meal. I have several female flowers that are growing by the day however the baby fruit are yellow. One in particular will be blossoming tomorrow and I plan to hand pollinate as bees are scarce in my area.
    Is it ok for the baby fruit to be yellow? The flower is otherwise looking beautiful and healthy.

    Hi Omar
    The fruit is usually green, a yellow fruit will not grow, it usually dies off.

    Reply
57. Sharon - June 3, 2017 at 12:18 am

    Hi I’ve been away for two days my pumpkins looked fantastic when I left but now the whole lot 5 plants are wilted,soft to touch and black in color,there is fruit and they look fine but just the leaves are bad… It has been -2 degrees here could this be a frost/ weather issue as the smaller leaves that were under the bigger leaves are fine as well.it looks terrible..

    Reply
58. Candy myers - June 18, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    Can I plant pumpkins in pine trees and grow well . Yes or no.

    No, they need lots of sun and water.

    Reply