Pumpkin B

Pumpkin A

Pumpkin Circumferences

               A (inches)              B (inches)


7/02/13    pollination 
7/06/13                                 pollination

7/14/13    30.5                      15

7/17/13    46                         23

7/19/13    58.5                      27.5
7/21/13    67                         34
7/24/13    76.5                      46
7/26/13    83                         53
7/28/13    88                         58
7/30/13    94                         64
8/05/13    105                       81
8/08/13    108                       81

The pumpkins are growing!

The second pumpkin plant was pollinated on 7/6/13.  I measured the circumference of both pumpkins on 7/14/13, 12 days after pollination of the first plant, 8 days after pollination of the second plant.  At that time, Pumpkin A was 31 inches in circumference, and Pumpkin B was 15 inches in circumference.  Last night, I measured them again, 3 days later.  Both had grown by 50%!

On 7/17/13, Pumpkin A measured 46 inches in circumference, and Pumpkin B was 23 inches in circumference.

Pumpkin A

Pumpkin B

Pollination

Plant A: The first female flower was found on July 2.  It was pollinated today.  I closed the flower with a rubber band after pollination with 3 male flowers.  Plant B was also found to have a female flower on July 2, but it is a few days behind Plant A in development.

Plant B had some of the leaves sagging downward orginally, rather than being upright like Plant A.  There was also one leaf with yellowing and some small holes.  I was wondering if this was Yellow Leaf Curl.  After applying Actinovate to the leaves, the problem seems to have resolved, as all of the new leaves are now upright like they should be.

The older 2 girls helped me weed the patch on July 2.  I buried more of the vines, and deadheaded a few of the secondary vines of Plant A, which had reached their max allowed length.  It turns out that deadheading just involves snipping off the end of the vine and burying the remaining end.

Pumpkin Update

The pumpkin plants are coming along.  They have male flowers that are opening each day.  So far, no female flowers have opened.   The first side vines from one plant have already hit their maximum allowed length; I will have to figure out how to deadhead them later today or tomorrow.

 

The vines are growing like crazy with all of the rain we have had lately.  I was out of town this past weekend, so I have some catch up weeding and vine burying to do.  The vine burying seems to have worked.  With all of the bad storms we have had, so far the plants are still doing great.

 

 It is almost time to apply the compost tea again.