[Flowertot]

The sun  this week has really made my pumpkin plants grow and 2 of them have shoots about 3 feet long. I have read that I should pinch them out to get decent sized fruit but what I don't understand is when I should do it (how long should they be?) and do I do it with every shoot they produce?  What happens if I don't do it properly? 

[Beetroot queen]

I leave mine alone, never pinched out any of my pumpkin plant shoots 

[rowan57]

NOOOO The 'pinching out' is ref to the flowers. Should you only want a certain number of fruit per plant you can pinch out any new female flowers as they come on, to focus the energy of the plant into the existing fruit (Maybe 2-3). I personally shouldnt bother, but it depends what you are looking for.

[Beetroot queen]

I really started to doubt what i had been doing then  even when stuff works why do i then think i do it wrong. Walk away from that pumpkin 

[Flowertot]

Ok I will do just that - walk away I mean.  I shall ignore what I read as there are much wiser people on this site  and it's much easier to just leave them alone  thanks.  It's funny how growing veg can get your knickers in a twist 

[Trillium]

Even in my warmer summers (than the UK) it's hard to get pumpkins and squash to ripen on time so I always nip off the growing ends when I have 3-4 fruit per plant. The energy can then go into filling out the ones I have rather than making dozens of tiny ones that'll never mature.

[LilacSandy]

I wish I could get dozens of tiny ones to grow,  I am lucky if I get a couple of fruit to set on a plant, with or without pinching out. 

[Salmo]

If you want bigger pumpkins pinch off the shoot 2 leaves beyond a fruit once it has set and is swelling. Otherwise leave them to their own devices.

If you loosen up the soil and add a bit of compost at the joints along the stems they will put down roots. This effetively gives you several sub-plants which feed independantly of the main plant.

[LilacSandy]

Thanks for the tip Salmo, I will try that.  I need to do something to get a couple for the kids for Halloween, I only have one plant left as the slugs have muched my 'Mamoth'.

[Annen]

I pinched mine out  at one pumpkin last year and then the wind broke the main stem and I lost it. Not doing that again unless the plant is huge.