[clarebear]

Hi there

I have been growing pumpkins in my mum's garden this year. It's my first attempt at growing anything and they do look quite swell.

I have 6 plants and each one has one pumpkin on it. They are quite big but they are green. Is this normal. Sorry if this sounds really silly but as I say I am really new to this.

If it is normal when do they start going orange?

Thanks

Clare

[WG.]

Hi Clare, can you post the variety please since that'll help others.  I haven't grown pumpkins with any success 'cos you folks in Ayr get all the good weather Scotland can produce!

[clarebear]

Oh I think it's a Jack O Lantern. They are at my mum's house so I can't check the tab.  But I;m almost certain it's Jack O Lanterns.

[muntjac]

nip the growing tips out on the vines and this wil bring them into colour .you have time ye till bonfire night and all hallows so do it 1st oct they should ripen in 30 days or so  

[clarebear]

Sorry silly question, what is the growing tips?

[muntjac]

if you follow the trailing plants from the ground to the end of the plant this is the growing tip .nip that back to 2 branches from the fruits you want to save     id allow 2 fruits only now to a vine trail.then select the best and cull the other one   when its big enough to eat grow the last for all hallows etc if you wish.or just feed them both to the end of the season .( first frosts cover em with fleece n straw

[clarebear]

Thanks that's really helpful, I'll do that.

[gobs]

Not here to disappoint, do all that and still, it was a no summer this season, so such crops in need of long, warm summer might not ripen this year at all, however hard you try...Sorry, try next year!
Good luck,
gobs

[clarebear]

I have taken some pictures





do you think it's worth keeping going with them and hoping they get bigger and go orange or would you pull them out and try again next year?

[gobs]

All that said I'm leaving mine in, it cannot hurt to try. Well, I normally leave them a few more weeks, because so they say, a bit of a frost sweetens the flesh

[purplebat]

my pumpkins are already orange and have been for a while but will they last until halloween? do I need to pick them now and if so will they store until then?

[muntjac]

id have em up now bat . store on dry straw in a cool place  

[purplebat]

thanks for that munty, done that; the cool place won't be a problem at the mo    probably have a heatwave next week      

[wellingtons]

... jack of all trades this year and atlantic giant and a couple of others.

And I've done OK, I've got two massive atlantic giants.  My jack of all trades only produced two, but I've picked them both and one was half green and half orange and it's ripening nicely on the window sill.

Having got them as far as you have I would probably pick them now and ripen them indoors in a greenhouse, particularly as they are quite exposed with no leaves around them to keep them warm and cosy.  You can still get them to go orange if you're lucky.  And for a first go, you did really well!!

I'm growing a small green squash that I've forgotten the name of and butternut squash and with the sunshine we've had they're going bonkers!

[gobs]

thanks for that munty, done that; the cool place won't be a problem at the mo    probably have a heatwave next week      

Not much of a heat wave here, so you are all right with that, lot of frost, sod it though.  I checked me winter storing pumpkins today: no comment, kind a rubbish it's all gonna be :evil: But then, it's not much you can do about the weather.