Do they need to be planted around other pumpkins to pollenate to get pumpkins? I wanted to spread mine out over different areas of my yard to keep them in places I won't have to worry about mowing but it will keep them far away from eachother.
I have some really good starts this year. Here's a pic from July 1st. I've struggled with growing pumpkins the last few years, so any advice would be appreciated. I'm keeping the slugs away and watering them every morning. I don't have any flowers yet, but I'm looking.
I can't wait for my sprouts to get big like yours! (We planted last Sunday in June).... We had our first sprout within a week... (below), and Now we have about 40 sprouts from 50 seeds.
It's exciting because every day I go out there they are Bigger and Bigger!
LOL. those are just the first sprouts from the seeds... They were definitely pumpkin seeds though. They are already starting to get their secondary leaves, which look more like normal pumpkin leaves (although they are small right now)... up close and personal with a sproutling...
Everyone's plants look great! I cannot wait to see the pumpkins they produce!
Is June the month to plant pumpkins? My dad started some in March, and they've flowered, but no pumpkins =( He thought that it may be because we don't have a very large bee population and that he may need to do it by hand.
If you know your flowers are about to bloom, cover them with cheesecloth and when they bloom you can hand pollinate them (at least that's what I've read online).
We planted in Late June, but we are extreme south...and from what I've read it depends on where you live, as to when you plant....
We are in San Diego, CA, and the weather here is pretty consistent from March-November, so depending on when you'd like your pumpkins ready to go....is when you plant them. We have a place here called Bates Nut Farm, and they do pumpkins of all sizes, and their BigMacs get planted in Late May....
Tips I've read from various sources:
Figure around 100-120 days depending on the type you plant.
You also want to make sure you are not planting too early because they will die in a good frost... The soil should be around 70 degrees when you plant.
If you don't have a good supply of bees in your area, you will want to hand pollinate...
Water ONLY the base of the plants once they get going, or you can get leaf rot...
I ended up not having to plant any this year! They sprung up on their own in May in the old dirt pile and in the compost pile. Some were dug up and moved about, so we have... 4 spots for them to venture out and grow where they won't be disturbed. They all have gotten large leaves and have started their vines. Some have already bloomed, others are about to. Can't wait, pumpkins are the best part of fall!
I've got buds ready to bloom any day now, I plan on pollinating them by hand, I also read to trim off excess leaves once you get a pumpkin going, and if you're going big, stop any others from starting. You want all energy going to that one pumpkin to produce a big one. We'll see, I only got 2 softball ones last year letting them fend for themselves.
I have some really good starts this year. Here's a pic from July 1st. I've struggled with growing pumpkins the last few years, so any advice would be appreciated. I'm keeping the slugs away and watering them every morning. I don't have any flowers yet, but I'm looking.
