Pumpkin & Squash

[wesleythewatch]

Hi, I know that this is a tomato fetish website, but I trust you lot and would like to pick your collective brains regarding Squashes & pumkins.

Last year I had a disaterous yeild of pumkins (only 1 decent fruit from 8 plants) and want to avaoid the same result this year. So when is the best time to start the plants off and apart from giving them ample feed & water is there any hting else I can do to get a decent harvest this year?

Thanks

Wes

[PaulF]

Was your problem a disease or the result of a pest infestation, or did the plants just not produce fruit? Healthy plants with no fruit would perhaps indicate a pollination problem. Squash and pumpkins need insect pollinators like bees or wasps, etc. If you lack those guys, I don't know what to do to help.

[jerseyjohn61]

Hello Wesley.

The UK and its' damp climate might prove a difficult
locale to grow pumps and squash. Prolonged periods
of moisture, without drying sun, will lead to "powdery
mildew". Was this a problem last year?
JJ61

[outsiders71]

Like the others suggested please list what problem you were having with the pumpkins.

After my pumpkin vines are a few inches high, I mulch really good with straw, to keep weeds out and it also keeps them drier. Pumpkins like moisture in the roots, but doesn't like them on the foilage. If you do water them, make sure you don't water the foilage. I would leave my hose on low and just let it trickle where the vines were. Drip irrigation works good as well, smack a pipe deep in the ground next to where the pumpkins will be planted. Then just water through the pipe.

If you notice some white blotches (mildew) on the leaves, mist the leaves with skim milk. This could also be a sign that you're planting too many pumpkins too close together. Planting 8 pumpkin plants close together restricts airflow and will increase chance of disease. Either space them out, or plant a fewer number.

[wesleythewatch]

Thanks Guys,
I think the problem last year was the awful weather (one of the wettest on record). The plants started off well but were spindally and weak looking, despite having good fertile soil and plenty of manure. I just thought I may have missed a trick with pollonating (Some other folk have suggested manually pollonating the flowers with a small paint brush(?)) or committed some fatal mistake when transplanting them.

I thought I would ask the question here as you all seem to know everything horticultural.

[outsiders71]

Originally Posted by wesleythewatch

Thanks Guys,
I think the problem last year was the awful weather (one of the wettest on record). The plants started off well but were spindally and weak looking, despite having good fertile soil and plenty of manure. I just thought I may have missed a trick with pollonating (Some other folk have suggested manually pollonating the flowers with a small paint brush(?)) or committed some fatal mistake when transplanting them.

I thought I would ask the question here as you all seem to know everything horticultural.

Try mulching the entire pumpkin patch (where the pumpkin vines are going to trail) with a few inches of straw. This will help if it's too wet.

Pollinating pumpkins is EASY! When you have a female flower open, pull off a male flower (preferably from a different plant), and literally just wipe the male flower all over the female part. No need for brushes .

Lastly, don't transplant pumpkins, or any squash for that matter. They hate being transplanted! Wait until your last frost date, then directly sow them in the ground. They will germinate in a couple days and grow fast. No need to start these guys early .

[wesleythewatch]

Not much of a problem with Mildew though. They just didnt fruit.

[wesleythewatch]

Lastly, don't transplant pumpkins, or any squash for that matter. They hate being transplanted! Wait until your last frost date, then directly sow them in the ground. They will germinate in a couple days and grow fast. No need to start these guys early .

I didnt know you could do that over here, Thought it wouldnt be warm enough, but will give it a go. Thanks Outsider

[outsiders71]

What growing zone are you in? I'm in Zone 5b, and probably have a relatively close climate to the UK. It gets warm around here near the end of May and our growing season goes to near the end of September. It doesn't take long for pumpkins to produce, 2-3 months is all that's needed.

[wesleythewatch]

Im in the north west of England, On the other side of the Mersey River from Liverpool. But I'll give the direct sowing method a go this yera along with the ones I've already started off indoors.

[feldon30]

I don't know if I agree with the idea that curcurbits cannot be started indoors. It is true that they must be handled as gently as possible during transplant. But if you can transplant them without disturbing the roots, I don't see how that would be any different than starting outdoors? Case in point, the cucumber seeds I direct sowed did poorly. The seeds I sowed in a 4" pot and transplanted out (once they had opened their cotyledons) are doing fantastic.

[outsiders71]

Originally Posted by feldon30

I don't know if I agree with the idea that curcurbits cannot be started indoors. It is true that they must be handled as gently as possible during transplant. But if you can transplant them without disturbing the roots, I don't see how that would be any different than starting outdoors? Case in point, the cucumber seeds I direct sowed did poorly. The seeds I sowed in a 4" pot and transplanted out (once they had opened their cotyledons) are doing fantastic.

I just don't see the point to starting any kind of squash indoors when they germinate outside in 2 days and grow like monsters in no time. You can also try soaking the seed overnight, then direct sow. It should increase germination time.

[3 Olives]

Originally Posted by outsiders71

I just don't see the point to starting any kind of squash indoors when they germinate outside in 2 days and grow like monsters in no time. You can also try soaking the seed overnight, then direct sow. It should increase germination time.

I purchased some Choctaw Sweet Potato winter squash seeds from 1999. I started them and some Hopi Pale Grey seeds indoors because I wasn't expecting germination. They both had a high germination rate. They transplanted well and I had to retransplant several plants because they all did so well.

Starting them indoors shouldn't be a problem.

[blatanna]

Hi Wesley, the vast majority of England and Ireland are zone 8. It might give you an idea of when to plant indoors or not. I always start mine indoors in paper pots and plant the whole lot out when frost has passed, usually at the beginning of may.

[salix]

...Well, when the soil doesn't warm up till mid June, and the first frost can be at the beginning of August, even a week or two's head start is worth it...