About 3 months ago, we germinated a (1) (uno) (ein) pumpkin seed in a little peat pot. It sprouted and eventually I planted it in a patch of dirt next to the garage.
We now have a killer pumpkin vine that seems intent upon encircling the known world. It's HUGE! Feed me, Seymour...
It has encircled the garden area TWICE (I keep looping it around to the left to keep it from expanding out into the driveway or the sidewalk) and is now going UP into the giant gardinia bush. UP!?!?! I think that if I uncurled it, the darn thing would measure out over 25 feet! It's the kraken of pumpkin vines!
We're getting lots of blossoms, but haven't seen any pumpkins forming yet. I need to look this up because I'm not sure if every blossom is a potential pumpkin or if the plant just puts out a few pumpkins at opportune blossoms on the plant. It's a 'Cinderella Pumpkin', if that helps anyone out who is interested in giving me a hint as to how to get some fruit started... Help!
Note: I just looked up the following information because YES, I AM A LIBRARIAN, DARN IT!
Q. The first flowers that appeared on my pumpkin plants did not form fruits. Why not?
A. This condition is natural for cucurbits (such as cucumber, gourd, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash and watermelon). The first flowers are almost always male. The pollen on these first male flowers attracts bees and alerts them to the location of the blooming vines. By the time the first female blossoms open, the bees' route is well established and the male flowers' pollen is transferred to the female flowers by the bees. Male flowers bloom for one day, then drop off the plants. The male flowers may predominate under certain conditions, especially early in the season, or under certain kinds of stress. The small fruits, visible at the bases of the female flowers, identify them. There is no swelling on the bases of the male flower stems.
A. This condition is natural for cucurbits (such as cucumber, gourd, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash and watermelon). The first flowers are almost always male. The pollen on these first male flowers attracts bees and alerts them to the location of the blooming vines. By the time the first female blossoms open, the bees' route is well established and the male flowers' pollen is transferred to the female flowers by the bees. Male flowers bloom for one day, then drop off the plants. The male flowers may predominate under certain conditions, especially early in the season, or under certain kinds of stress. The small fruits, visible at the bases of the female flowers, identify them. There is no swelling on the bases of the male flower stems.
Ok. That seems to answer the question about why so many of the flowers have just fizzled out. I'll have to go out and frisk the vine for fruits. (Is that legal in NC?)
The temperature is over 100 degrees F today. Bleah. The pumpkin seems to like it, though! Rock on, GodzillaPumpkin!
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