Why aren't our pumpkins growing?

Question

We planted a pumpkin patch and we've followed all the directions. Our plants are big and healthy looking, we water them everyday. I was told they need lots of water. There are tons of flower, but there are no pumpkins. Our neighbor has pumpkins the size of softballs. What did we do wrong? Thanks so much.

Looks like I better break out the paint brush! Thanks!

Answer 1

It sounds to me as though your vines are not being pollinated. One way you can do it is to get a soft, round cosmetic brush and dust it on one flower, and then on the next, and so on, just as a bee would go from flower to flower. Also be aware that there are male and female flowers, so of course you need to go from the male flowers to the female flowers. If you can use it on a few of your neighbor's vines' flowers, then that would be good, as they are almost certainly not the same strain. Hopefully you still have time to get some pumpkins off your vines if you pollinate them now.

I'm including a link on how to do this, and how to identify the gender of the flowers. Good luck!

Answer 2

Some how, I don't know how. You pumpkin flowers were not pollinated, and your neighbors plants were.
here are some reasons why that might be the answer:
1. you loved those plants SO MUCH, you kept plenty of pesticide on them to chase away the bad bugs!
That also killed of the pollinators, bees wasps, flies, butterflies and others.
2.Some one else had already done the killing, with pesticide sprays from Home Yard Care companies, or huge corn fields.
Or other huge fields under production.
3. If that was the case, your neighbor all ready knew there were no pollinators and went out with a water color paint brush and did his own pollinating.
4.Pumpkin flowers come in male and female.
Yup! the center of the flower either looks much like a boy...AN OUTIE or much like a girl ...AN INNIE. you and your paint brush need to bring the pollen from the outie flower to the innie flower! and just think of what is natural for all species, START POLLINATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

You aren't doing anything wrong.

Pumpkin plants have male and female blossoms. This photo shows the difference: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/senior/vegetabl/pumpkin4.htm

Here is what is probably happening to you:
1. Your blossoms are not being pollinated (male to female). Usually insects do this. You can do this yourself with a cotton swab or small paintbrush.
2. Your plants may still be too young (young plants typically produce more male flowers); the weather may be too hot or too wet. These conditions can cause more male flowers.

The website, pumpkinnook, that the other poster provided is the best website to tell you how to hand-pollinate your pumpkins. Good luck!!

Answer 4

I planted some watermelons and added one mound of pumpkins for Halloween. My one mound of pumpkins had at least fifty big flowery blooms before I got two pumpkins. I would say to be patent and give it another two weeks, and hopefully you'll start to notice a small pumpkin here and there. I was beginning to think I wouldn't have any pumpkins either.

Answer 5

Have you had bees coming around to collect nectar from your flowers. That is one of the steps for your pumpkins to grow.

Answer 6

Sounds like they are not being pollinated. You need to get pollen from the male flower and get it into the female flower. I've always done this with my finger.