[brucesgirl]

My husband is in despair. The only seed he planted was a pumpkin, he has fed it, manured it, called it Gwen for some reason, and although it started off really well the three fruits are about 16 cm in diameter, still green and seem to have stopped growing.
There was an article in Gardeners World mag this month about infusing a solution of sugar and water directly into the stem holding the fruit.
Has anyone tried this and does it work.
He gets very depressed when he thinks of his pumpkins.

[Little Miss Muffet]

The only seed he planted was a pumpkin, he has fed it, manured it, called it Gwen for some reason,


that has to be the best line of the entire forum.i laughed my head off now i have a image of your husband talking and caressing gwen asking it to grow. :oops:      

i havnt ever done the sugar  thing.to help mine grow i got told to take all the other flowers off the pumpkin plant so all the goodness goes to that one pumpkin (i hav)not sure if this helps. but thanks anyway for making my day

[Heather_S]

Yeah try to pinch out the growing tip of the vines if you haven't already. Pumpkins do seem to like to take their time. They bumble along growing really fast then just stop and take AGES to ripen.

I'm a little depressed about my one pumpkin vine as it keeps producing male flowers then a few female flowers that just drop off   I hope it gets a pumpkin soon because it's running out of growing days.

[jacnal]

I'm very lucky in that my one pumpkin plant is the best plant on my plot. It's very prolific, has set at least 9 pumpkins, and is still spreading all over the place even though I've pinched out a few growing tips. The fruit are orange from the beginning, but I've no idea what cultivar it is as was given the plant by Gilbert my lottie friend and neighbour. Biggest pumpkin is too big to lift already. I mulched it with manure weeks ago when it seemed to struggle to set fruit, but not sure if that helped or if it's a coincidence.

[mushroom]

My husband is in despair. The only seed he planted was a pumpkin, he has fed it, manured it, called it Gwen for some reason,

LOL

He gets very depressed when he thinks of his pumpkins.

moral of the story - don't name yer pumpkins!

The plot next to mine has one monster pumpkin and a few smaller ones. They seem to grow in spurts, so don't get depressed about it  

[brucesgirl]

I'll pass on all your comments, he is going to start measuring them each week to see if they are growing and he hasn't noticed (!).
I suggested he force feed just one, and see if it grows noticeably more than the others.
Will keep you informed.

[alan42]

my grandad used to thread a length of kniting wool through his cucumbers and put one end in a jam jar full of sugar and water so the capiliary action sucked the sugar water up and swelled the cucumber, it was a cheet for making show cuces swell i believe dont know how it efects taste but i remember he grow some impresive cucs and i am keeping the secret of how to hide the holes made by the wool to myself lol.
alan

[Aidy]

:shock:  must be beginners luck, first time i have grown one, its for the little one, she is in competion, I feed it twice a week with tom food, and every so oft a little dhicken poo. using the punk'in' weight estimate chart its around 45-50 lbs. I did nip all the other fruit off just to keep the one big one. the circumference is 46 inches.

[brucesgirl]

Blimey Aidy there is no way I am going to tell the old man about that!
Well, we have inserted the sugar water drip, and will let you all know what happens.

[brucesgirl]

Thought I would let you all know about our force-feeding results.
The pumpkin hasn't grown at all!! Not even 1mm!
Husband and Gwen are now not on speaking terms at all.

[jacnal]

Awww!

         

Come on Gwen the pumpkin! Stop being stubborn  :roll: !

[Aidy]

Here is an update, Oli the hun proudly modelling the punk'in



I can now see how ppl become addicted to growing these things.

[brucesgirl]

Thanks for rubbing salt in the wound Aidy!!
Showed the picture to hubby and he just sniffed and walked away!

Cute little girl though.

[Sadgit]

had a poor year with my pumpkins (along with everything else) but from my 2 plants I will (fingers crossed) have 3 nice sized fruit. Picked one 2 weeks ago and we are still eating it... must be about 30lbs or so and the other 2 are smaller but will keep them growing for a few more weeks.

Mine have had zero feed and zero manure. Looking to cover the plot in manure in a few weeks time so will hopefully have better luck next year when the soil is loads richer.

[Reidragon]

Apparently in 1918 they treated pumpkins like this.


http://www.earthlypursuits.com/GardenTips/tip_pumpkin.htm

    Andy