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Nashville, TN

I love carving pumpkins, but I usually am not in the business of growing them. This year I had an accidental pumkin patch -- a pumpkin seed must have fallen off my front porch into my flower bed last Halloween, resulting in the appearance of several fast (!!) growing vines in my front yard this summer. I thought it was kind of cute how nature prevailed in the middle of Nashville, TN and decided to keep the pumpkin around just to see what would happen.

Well, what has happened is that the vines have produced lots of flowers but no pumpkins. We've had lots of hot, dry weather around here this summer, and I can't vouch for the bee population, so I'm wondering if my accidental pumpkin is going to be a no-show. Should I let the vine keep growing and hope for the best, or should I give up the dream and just dig it up?

Thanks!

Hollister

9/3/2005 3:32:22 PM

Germantown, Tn

I am from Memphis, have killed myself trying to grow a giant or 2 and very poor results. If you notice, most of the successful growers are Yankees and cool weather. I am thinking we should give up. my suzy

9/3/2005 9:05:32 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Never, never, never give up. You guys have a longer growing season. Long enough to grow 2 crops in some areas. Start earlier to get the pollinations done before the heat starts. Use all the ice, styrofoam cooler, shade & misting tricks. Start another crop now & extend the season into November. Start a local autumn festival & forget about Holloween.

Here in CT we've had more days over 95*F than Ft Meyers FLA this year & yet there is a 1000 pounder in our midst. I missed the ideal pollination date this year by 3 days & also lost every set for 10 days. The difference is staggering.

Better planning & luck next year!

Never give up.

9/4/2005 8:14:06 AM

Follansbee, Wv

I agree with Steve. I'm a first year grower and have suffered many setbacks. I lost a 582 Hester to seedcorn maggots very early in the season, a 1097.5 Beachy to mutation problems, and my 905 Ailts fruit split at around 700 pounds. Temps here have been so hot this summer that PM wouldn't even grow! I now have one competition plant left (1367.5 Rose). Even with the hottest, driest summer I can remember here I am still fighting to keep my last plant going.
Read all you can on this site and ask lots of questions. Look at the diaries of others that live in your area. There are growers on this site from the Carolinas, Arizona, Nevada, Southern California and Australia, as well as the Tennessee region.
These plants will grow in the warmer regions, they just need a little more care. Start with your soil. Get that right and you are off to a great start and will have a much better season.

9/4/2005 8:41:21 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Mysuzy, I take exception to the Yankees comment, Canucks hold the record LOL...

Attrition is a rather large factor in the heat of this Katrina summer. out of 14 plants I am left with just three. Four that did set fruit kept aborting due to high temps. Imagine, I am way up here in Ontario in Zone 4 with 5 or 6 feet of snow in winter and we had about 20 days of 90* plus in the pollination window of June 25th to July 2oth.

If you can give them ample water and keep the young sets cool any thing is possible.

9/5/2005 8:41:41 AM