Anyone Growing Your Own Pkins?

[NeverMore]

NeverMore who knew you had a green thumb, wow!!!!!!!

Serious! Now if I could just grow more of those $20 bills.

[witchy]

NeverMore who knew you had a green thumb, wow!!!!!!!

Serious! Now if I could just grow more of those $20 bills.

You let me know when you do!!!!!!!

[ramaries69]

Love that pic, Witchy!

[witchy]

Thanks!!!!!!

[NeverMore]

I think this dude got crossed with a squish. Pumpkin + squash = squaskin? Pumpash?

• 

  temp.jpg (127.14 KiB) Viewed 20989 times

The first squish is growing. Interesting that the squash plants don't seem to create long vines like the pumpkins. They're more bushy. I sure am learning a lot.

• 

  temp2.jpg (117.91 KiB) Viewed 20989 times

Point of reference, if you're growing vegetables and plant sunflowers alongside to attract the bees, plant them early. My sunflowers are getting really tall but no sign of blooms yet. Meanwhile I'm getting quite a few female flowers on the pumpkins but not many seem to be getting pollinated. I self-pollinated another this morning then put a bag over it so hopefully I don't get another squaskin.

BTW: I ate one of the pumpkin flowers. It literally melted on my tongue and had a very slight pumpkin taste. I'm gonna have to try making some of that flor de calabaza sopa (pumpkin flower soup) this summer.

• 
  Click image for recipe.

[/size][/color]

[Murfreesboro]

Sounds lovely!

Squaskin! I love it!

[NeverMore]

I'm getting a little worried. My first pumpkin is getting a bit big. It's now definitely bigger than the ones I put in the ground. I didn't build the trellis strong enough to hold a bunch of larger pumpkins. I'm hoping the fact that it's turned dark green means that it's getting close to ripening? There's a lesson learned, if you're growing on a trellis know what size pumpkins you planted. I did notice the other day that the leaves look a lot like the ones on the 'Connecticut Field' pumpkins which I planted on the ground because they do grow larger.

Today...

• 

  temp.jpg (116.67 KiB) Viewed 20959 times

1 week ago...

• 

It would be funny if these pumpkins turned out to be 'Big Max' or 'Atlantic Giants' and somebody just harvested them really early, or had a bunch on one vine. I guess I'll just keep letting this one grow until it really starts pulling on the trellis. The size it is now is all I was hoping for from these vines.


The poor guy below was growing on top of the trellis but I noticed it was getting scarred where it was laying on the vine. I decided yesterday to drop it through but it slipped when I was trying to tie it up and the stem cracked. I pushed it back up and hammocked it with the hope that the vine will repair itself. Without a doubt what I read is correct, the stems on the ones that are hanging are much thicker than this one which was supported from below.

You can see another squaskin/squashkin in the background. Stupid bees are faster than I am. I've only been able to pollinate and bag one before they got to it and it's definitely looking normal. I did an image search on squashkins and none look like this. Maybe they are just mutant pumpkins? Or pod people!?!

• 

  temp3.jpg (134.32 KiB) Viewed 20959 times

The 'Sweet Sugar Pie' pumpkins are finally taking off and climbing up the other trellis. These are smaller pumpkins bred specifically for cooking. Let's see, three mounds with two vines each, we're gonna have lots of them. That means lots of homemade pumpkin pies this year! YAHOO!

• 

  temp2.jpg (168.49 KiB) Viewed 20959 times

[/size][/color]

[witchy]

That is awesome, now I wish I planted some!!!

[NeverMore]

Weekly report time. I'm wondering how Jadewick is doing with her pumpkins. Probably can't see her house by now. They shouldn't have made that movie about tomatoes, it should have been called 'Attack of the Killer Pumpkins'.



Here's Number One and his sister Squashkin. Number one seems to be done growing and appears to be turning orange. I'm guessing by his size that he's probably a 'Connecticut Field' or Howden pumpkin. I've got two that are growing right next to each other and I doubt the trellis will hold two 30 or 35 pound pumpkins in one spot so I'm definitely gonna have to add support.

• 

  temp.jpg (166.8 KiB) Viewed 20846 times

I started getting the powdery mildew that pumpkins are apparently famous for. I had to cut off a bunch of leaves in an attempt to keep it from spreading. Didn't work. I just saw more leaves with it so I'm gonna try making my own organic fungicide. Hope it works. Here's the recipe I'm trying. I was a bit worried about the silver color along the veins of the leaves but that's normal. Here's more info on the mildew and variegation.

• 

  temp2.jpg (127.92 KiB) Viewed 20846 times

The 'Big Max' plant is about to get it's first female bloom. I'm hoping to get out there in time to self-pollinate it since it's exactly where I would like the jumbo pumpkin to grow. The sunflowers are getting seriously tall! Looks like they are about to bloom. Hard to believe that those came from teeny tiney little seeds that I put in the ground.

• 

  temp3.jpg (163.81 KiB) Viewed 20846 times

[/size][/color]

[Pumpkin56]

Nevermore, I am seriously impressed with your pumpkin growing skills (not to mention incredibly jealous). I look forward to all the new posts about your "kids"

[NeverMore]

I think I can blame the fertile soil as much as anything, thanks to that sewage flood we had last year. That and diligent upkeep of the vines. I'm out there for about an hour every day tying up vines, pulling weeds, checking for bugs and mildew. Can't believe I'm getting ripe ones with 100 days left. Gonna have to build a storage facility.

[Pumpkin56]

You could probably make a little bit of money if you wanted to sell part of your pumpkin army to people around your neighborhood. But I think I remember reading that you were considering a pumpkin carving party? That sounds way more fun

[NeverMore]

Yeah, carving party, and I'm thinking of doing something like this...

• • • 

[witchy]

Ohhhh!!! I luv that!!!!! Take lots of pics, PLEASE!!!!!!!

[NeverMore]

DANGER Will Robinson! We've got orange!!!! That's the only one so far.

• 

  temp3.jpg (114.64 KiB) Viewed 20781 times

The home-made fungicide seems to be holding the powdery mildew at bay. Good thing... we spotted some of the mildew on the squash leaves today. I wish I would have known about this before I cut off all those leaves.

I started propping up the trellis since the pumpkins are so large and, of course, I have a bunch growing in one spot. The squashkin is getting so big! I was really expecting smaller pumpkins on these vines. I think I'm gonna chop down the sunflowers underneath since they aren't getting any sun. They are starting to grow sideways to reach the sun and I can't walk under there anymore. Plus that will be a good place to sit to get out of the sun, just have to try not to bump my head on the pumpkins when I stand up.

• 

  temp2.jpg (149.05 KiB) Viewed 20781 times

The next batch of vines that I planted have gone up the trellis and so far have three pumpkins growing. These are the sweet sugar pie pumpkins. Just for the fun of it I'm gonna let one of the vines go up onto the roof of the porch. Let them go wild up there.

• 

  temp4.jpg (193.23 KiB) Viewed 20781 times

Still haven't had any 'Big Max' pumpkins grow yet. A couple started but then withered. I think they're not getting enough pollen? I tried self-pollinating one but the male flowers had hardly any pollen. Looks like one's gonna bloom in the morning, I'll try again. I want to start trimming those vines back, they're taking over the remainder of the yard.

[/size][/color]