a friend of mine started pumpkin seeds indoors in april. in june he transplanted them outside. they were about 3 or 4 inches tall. he has plenty of vines and loads of flowers but only about 3 pumpkins of which 2 didnt make it. the one he has left is about the size of a pineapple. he says that he fertilized and watered as the instructions suggested. i dont know anything about pumpkins but i thought someone out there would be able to help. thanks.
need help with pumpkins
It sounds like he didn't have good pollination. Sometimes it is just too cold and rainy when things bloom and the bees stay home from work. Wish him better luck next year.
maryE - thank you. will pass this on to him.
Herbie 43 punkins ,squash, and cucumbers all benifit from a couple of shovels of composted cow stuff in the bottom of the hole at planting time. Can't hurt I also leaf feed them.
Punkins and the like all seem to do noticeably better when protected from the wind and are treated to increased temp by clotching or floating row covers. At least thats the way it works best for me.
Regards Eweed
There was a lot of that happening this year. If it wasn't rain keeping the bees at bay, then there may not have been many honeybees in the area. A couple of parastic mite species have taken their toll on wild populations and, in some areas, gardeners have had to pollinate their squash by hand. That might do the trick next year.
eweed/agrinerd - thanks for advice. maybe ill try them myself next year