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Tx

well I spent half the night reading and looking at pics on this site trying to get an idea of how a pumpkin grows. WOW! there are some dedicated growers here. I am hooked, I am planning a patch for next year.This much I know, I have many male flowers but am not sure what the female looks like. I walked around our plant this morning and saw at the edges of the vine a flower growing that has a kiwi size growth where the stem is, now is that a female flower, or is that a baby pumpkin? There were several maybe five around.No experience here as to what to do, like I said I inherited this plant cause of my 5 yr. old grandson who left it with me.Since the plant has done so spectacularly on its own I am tempted to leave it alone and just observe as someone on the site suggested. Wish I knew what to look for.....lol. newbie

7/18/2007 1:21:39 PM

Central Connecticut

the kiwi growth is the female flower and the baby pumpkin. that is the part that will become the pumpkin with a succesfull pollination. the pollination may be by human or by insect (bees mainly). the pollen comes from the male flower which doesn't have the ball growth on it. Here are a couple links to a pictures of a cross section of the (2) different flowers.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=68740,

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=68738

Chris

7/18/2007 3:47:20 PM

Tx

ok, thanks for those pics of the female and male flowers, so now I know that I have both on my plant. I was planning on letting nature take it's course, but how will I know if the pollination happened? How long do I wait to see, and if I wait, and there is no pollination will it be tooo late to pollinate it myself? Now if I have to pollinate it, are there detailed step by step instructions w/pics I can follow?

7/19/2007 1:33:47 AM

San Jose garysand@pacbell.net

if it is kiwi size the bees have done their job about 5 days ago, my best advice is just let nature take its course this year, except for water if needed, keep reading and get ready for next year

GOOD LUCK

7/20/2007 12:36:27 AM

Tx

GARYSAND!!! are you sure? so now I know I have a pumpkin. well as of today the kiwi is more like a grapefruit size, so I guess I'm on my way to having a real pumpkin. also there are more growing but all are far apart from each other. Yey!!!!! oh we have had rain almost everyday for a month here, hope that doesnt hurt it. hubby went out and laid it on top of a piece of wood, but my question now is, do I have to protect it from the sun w a tent like I have seen in some of the pics here or what? and also, what is it with curving it that I have read some of you say? I tried to curve the pumpkin vine section and it is attached to the ground and I really cant turn it, guess I will have to just watch and see.

7/21/2007 1:21:24 AM