The Message Board

RE: Pumpkins!!

Posted 781 days ago

The female flower has a swelling below it and the male is on a long stem. The male flowers normally appear first.

RE: Pumpkins!!

Posted 780 days ago

Give you vine some time to produce more flowers. You will find that the first ones are male. If the bees don't do their job after female flowers appear you may have to hand pollinate.

RE: Pumpkins!!

Posted 779 days ago

thank you, i now have a bout 6 flowerrs. none that i can see have a swelling under them.

when/if a pumpkin does grow how do i tell when its ready??

RE: Pumpkins!!

Posted 772 days ago

The female flowers will come, I leave my pumpkins until the vine dies completly if the soil is moist where the pumpkin is sitting just put a small piece of timber under it so it does not rot.Don`t be tempted to pick early as there is nothing worse then cutting a beautiful looking pumpkin open only to find it hasn`t matured enough.
Cheers Dave.
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Pumpkins!!

Posted 759 days ago

I agree with BIGDAVE - the best pumpkins I have ever had were the ones I left on the vine all through winter until the vine shrivelled up.

Also it doesn't hurt to cut off about a foot of the shoots - You can eat the shoots like silverbeet if you want. Chop finely, barely cook, add salt and butter!! Interesting!
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Of all the wonderful surprises in life, none is better than seeing that first shoot tear out of the earth and form into a wonderful plant and vegetable.. .