Pumpkin Planting!

[DMF]

You may have to get the extra long Q tips out and start pollinating the flowers.

If I do, it would be the first time...never even considered it before.

 

[Luremaker]

If I do, it would be the first time...never even considered it before.

It is rather easy to do. Cut off two male flowers (from different plants), poke the Q tip deep into each flower to pick up some pollen. Now walk around and gently poke the Q tip into the female flowers.

 

[natem]

So glad i was told about this thread thanks. Because I just love to grow pumpkins.
My pumpkin patch is on a much smaller scale, would like to expand but just dont have the land, I wish I did. The plants that survived that wet, cool spring have really taken off now. Looks to be a lot of fruit. The hole q-tip thing does work, that is how I pollinate the giants. Here is a pic of my giant and the vines from last year. Happy growing!!

 

[Luremaker]

Hi Natem, great pictures. I really like the flower shop display. Your pumpkins like most everyone else's this year were a little slow to vine out but look like they are doing really nice now.

 

[natem]

Those are pics from last year. I will try to get some new ones.

 

[Kernopelli]

This is our first year for planting any. I would like to work up to about an acre patch someday. Since I've never grown any I wanted to get my feet wet and plant a few this year and get the hang of things. Our plants have been flowering for weeks and the vines are starting to run but no fruit yet. The plants look great and almost every day you can see a noticeable difference in the vines and how they are starting to spread and growing fast. We planted the first week in July, the soonest weather would permit. Anyway, I'd like to hear some opinions from the pumpkins gurus, I keep thinking I should be seeing some pumpkins by now but don't have a clue if I am being overly anxious or if we're really behind. How long after they start flowering do you usually see fruit?

 

[Luremaker]

This is our first year for planting any. I would like to work up to about an acre patch someday. Since I've never grown any I wanted to get my feet wet and plant a few this year and get the hang of things. Our plants have been flowering for weeks and the vines are starting to run but no fruit yet. The plants look great and almost every day you can see a noticeable difference in the vines and how they are starting to spread and growing fast. We planted the first week in July, the soonest weather would permit. Anyway, I'd like to hear some opinions from the pumpkins gurus, I keep thinking I should be seeing some pumpkins by now but don't have a clue if I am being overly anxious or if we're really behind. How long after they start flowering do you usually see fruit?

Hi Kernopelli, Pumpkins have both male and female flowers. Female flowers have what looks like a small pumpkin at the base of the flower while male flowers do not have them. You must have both male and female flowers in order to pollinate the female flowers. If your summer has been very cool (under 70 degrees) your plants may not have developed any female flowers. Unpollinated female flowers will simply fall off after a few days. If you do not see any bees in you patch you may have to pull out the q-tips as mentioned above.

What variety of pumpkin did you plant and how many growing days does it require?

See the link below for a nice summary of pumpkin growing requirements for Michgan.
http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/0/Pumpkins Squash and Gourds.pdf

I have had patches as large as two acres but have decide that a little over 1/2 acre produces all the pumpkins I need and I can actually keep up with the weeding. Here are a few pictures taken yesterday.

 

[natem]

Here are some pics of mine.

 

[barrybro]

Some mums I sell along with my pumpkins.

 

[DMF]

Very nice!

Well gents, it looks like I am out of the pumkin business. A quick look during the rain storm on Saturday did not reveal any pumpkins in the patch....none....nada...

 

[Luremaker]

Very nice!

Well gents, it looks like I am out of the pumkin business. A quick look during the rain storm on Saturday did not reveal any pumpkins in the patch....none....nada...

Wow DMF, that's terrible news! Not a single pumpkin. Did you ever see any bees in your patch? It would be nice to know why your plants did not set any fruit this year.

Even after the incredible slow start to the summer my pumpkins are doing alright. It looks like my large pumpkin (Howden) crop will be off by 25% or so while my medium pumpkin (Jack-O-Lantern) crop will be up by 20% or so but the average size will be smaller than average. It looks like my miniature pumpkin and gourd production will be the largest I have ever had. The plants are just full of fruit. All I need another two to three weeks of warm growing weather to finish them off.

I am harvesting lot's of corn from my corn patch right now. Its a few weeks late but it's a really nice crop this summer.

Some mums I sell along with my pumpkins.

Those are nice mums Barry. My wife always buys a few mum plants for the fall.

Here are some pics of mine.

Great looking patch you have there.

 

[barrybro]

I am sorry to hear that. Can you buy some wholesale just to keep you customers coming down your driveway?

Any idea what the wholesale price is in your area. Around here I have heard of 8 - 10 cents a pound.

Barry

 

[barrybro]

I sold about 200 mums last year so of courst I went ahead and planted 800 this year.

I hope I sell them.

Barry

 

[DMF]

I had more bees than ever around this year... I have no idea why absolutely nothing started; I knew it was going to be bad with the wet spring but we never figured on this.

As far as wholesale, I'm planning on turning both of my patches into more hay... a lot less work for me in the long run.

 

[barrybro]

I will take my pumpkin work over my hay work any day.

The bales are a log heavier and you have to harvest more than once a year.

 

[DMF]

Not for me!
Hay:
1. Spread 2-3 tons of lime in the spring or fall
2. First cut, usually done in 3 or 4 sections, cut, tedder, rake, bale and move approx. 600 +/- bales to the barn
3. Second cut; usually done in 3 or 4 sections, cut, tedder, rake, bale 450 +/- bales and watch my customers pick it up off the field and pay me.
4. Maybe get a third cut, usually done in 2 sections, 200 +/- bales that we either sell off the field or sell some and move some to the barn.
5. Spread fertilizer (composted horse manure) every other fall
6. In March, when all the people who wouldn't think of giving their horses first cut run out of hay, sell it to them from the barn (at a higher cost than if they'd have gotten it off the field the previous spring of course)
Pumpkins:
1. Plow in last year's green manure crop.
2. Pick rocks
3. Till soil
4. Pick rocks
5. Plant pumpkins directly assuming it's a dry enough year to do so on time, if it's a wet year (usually the case) do the additional work:
a. Buy peat pots
b. Start seeds (800 to 1000) in peat pots
c. When field is dry enough, manually plant them into the patch
6. Weed plants
a. Till between rows
b. Hoe by hand between plants
c. Pick rocks
7. Side dress plants with fertilizer
8. Spray with Sevin if/when cucumber beetles show up
9. Water as often as necessary
10. Weed plants
a. Till between rows
b. Hoe by hand between plants
c. Pick rocks
11. Weed plants as best as possible once plants start to run
12. Keep deer out of patch, scarecrows, noisemakers, etc.
13. Worry that:
a. The plants won't fruit
b. The fruit will come too late to sell in season
c. The deer will eat the fruit
d. The people won't come to buy them
14. Set up displays and stand area.
15. Harvest and move several hundred pumpkins from the patch to the stand area.
16. Advertise
17. Spend every weekend in October and late September tied to the stand area
18. Plow under plants.
19. Pick rocks.
20. Till soil.
21. Plant cover crop/green manure
22. After October 31st move all unsold pumpkins to pile in back field to rot.
Of course, when the pumpkins are great we make a lot more money on that then the hay, but last year was marginal for us and this year is going to be a bust so it makes sense to pull out; at least for a season or two.

 

[Luremaker]

Just wait until next spring. Next thing you know you'll find yourself ...
a. looking through the see catalogs
b. picking a few varieties of pumpkins
c. ordering seeds
d. ordering 800 - 1000 peat pots
e. planting 800 - 1000 pumpkin seeds
f. tilling patch
g. picking rocks (I too have to do this a few times each year)
h. transplanting 800 - 1000 plants
i. to z. repeating all the above things....in your above post

 

[DMF]

Just wait until next spring. Next thing you know you'll find yourself ...
a. looking through the see catalogs
b. picking a few varieties of pumpkins
c. ordering seeds
d. ordering 800 - 1000 peat pots
e. planting 800 - 1000 pumpkin seeds
f. tilling patch
g. picking rocks (I too have to do this a few times each year)
h. transplanting 800 - 1000 plants
i. to z. repeating all the above things....in your above post

You're probably right...although a year or two off would be nice.

 

[Kernopelli]

Hi Kernopelli, Pumpkins have both male and female flowers.

Well, this turned out to be my problem....all male flowers. I started checking my blooms every morning and quickly figured out that my plants are producing about 99.999% males. As of today, I have two pumpkins and I'm pretty bummed about it.
Anyone have any idea why the plants would so predominantly produce only male flowers? Is it possible that it is related to a nutrient deficiency since I really never fertilized?

 

[Luremaker]

Well, this turned out to be my problem....all male flowers. I started checking my blooms every morning and quickly figured out that my plants are producing about 99.999% males. As of today, I have two pumpkins and I'm pretty bummed about it.
Anyone have any idea why the plants would so predominantly produce only male flowers? Is it possible that it is related to a nutrient deficiency since I really never fertilized?

Here is a quote from the growing pumpkins article in the link below. Cold weather will produce mainly male flowers.

http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/0/Pumpkins Squash and Gourds.pdf