I planted pumpkins for the first time this year. But didn't get a single pumpkin, what did I do wrong?

Question

I had 5 seemingly healthy plants growing quite vigorously and producing flowers on almost a daily basis. A couple of notes, I never did see any bees in the flowers. Also, looking at the flowers they all seemed to look identical, like there were all male flowers. Any help would be really appreciated!

Answer 1

Maybe they were all male plants. Did you get seed from a reputable source? Too much nitrogen can encourage all the growth to be leaves rather than flowers or fruit. You need the correct variety for your area. If the nights are too cold, for instance, some varieties may not produce. Bees may not be the pollinators of pumpkins, I'm not sure, but it doesn't have to be bees for each type of plant.

Have you tried you County Extension agent? They have info on growing everything. Every county has one. Look in the government pages in your phone book under "county".

Better luck next year! Pumpkins take a lot of space.

Answer 2

Some vegetables do not produce fruit if the season is to hot. I live in Australia and over the last few years with the extra heat of drought even the tomatoes stop producing fruit. I wouldn't blame myself as your vines etc were healthy. Next year I would have a go at cross pollinating yourself just in case there are enough insects around to increase your chances.

Answer 3

Most pumpkins have a long growing season, and need some warm weather while they are doing it. So you may have planted them too late, or it may be too cold at night where you are. If you planted the seed from a pumpkin you bought at the store, it might have come from an F1, and therefore your generation of seed may not have been particularly good for pumpkin fruits.

Answer 4

yes cross pollination is essential for the success of pumpkins , and as Susan m said , you need a big area --- but fear not --- if you have a lot of seeds , be aware that they are a great source of protein and so if you care dry them out , deep fry them then add some salt and eat them them the same way as peanuts --- they are known in this form as Pepito's . good luck .