Pumpkins perishing

[MClan]

Please help me solve this mystery. I'm growing pumpkins, butternut squash and courgettes amongst my sweetcorn.
They've all been growing well but oops I gave them some tomato feed and got lots of flowers. I've got quite a few butternut squash growing but only 1! Pumpkin. The other 2 pumpkins had fruited, started to grow, turned yellow and have rotted off. Any ideas why?

[Pumkinpie]

Perhaps they were not pollinated.

[tosca]

The pumpkin growing here in BG has been a revelation to me. When we moved out in May a good half of the veg side of the garden had been planted up with pumpkins and squash to help keep the weeds down.

They were all planted in a dip so that water was contained, but were watered rarely as we had storms for a couple of weeks. By the time it had dried and got really hot they had got going and were covering the ground fast. We were told not to water them, and it was alarming when we had temperatures in the forties day after day and the plants wilted, but they came back overnight and did the same next day. And still they weren't watered. There were masses of flowers, but mostly non-fruiting (thank goodness) In fact, watering is kept to a minimum with everything (except roots) grown in trenches. Even though peppers and tomatoes wilted by day they were only watered a couple of times a week. The pumpkins and squash were picked and piled on to pallets last week and the plants were so dry they were burned next day.

So I am thinking we maybe used to pamper things too much in the UK. Given that the atmosphere is generally very damp maybe the plants didn't need as much water as we thought they did. Maybe that just encourages too much growth and not enough flowers. And rot and mould.

I'll be interested in what others think.

[doofaloofa]

That is a shit load of pumpkin

What will you do with them all?

[tosca]

That is a shit load of pumpkin

What will you do with them all?

I am hoping the neighbours have something in mind. There are enough to feed the whole village. They had planted dozens of tomatoes and peppers for us and we have recently had to tell them we can't use any more! We have dozens of bottles of stuff, about half a large freezer full and some we have dehydrated. We arrived at the end of may and it has been non-stop since then, with courgettes, plums, apricots and peaches, followed by the tomatoes, then aubergines, peppers and okra, and they have given us cucumbers by the half dozen, melons, figs, onions, carrots and bottled beans (cos the ones we planted failed) I don't like bottled veg but couldn't refuse. We have walnuts and medlars to come, as well as some beets, chard, carrots, leeks, cabbage (they put 50 in for us) PSB and kale we have grown. And eggs coming out of our ears!
So a dozen pumpkins/squash will be plenty for us and the chooks. We will have to be firm. If not, a stall at the market!!!

There are just the two of us.

[doofaloofa]

Sounds like you could use a pig!

[tosca]

Sounds like you could use a pig!

I keep telling OH that, but he says not worth it just for him (I'm veggie) As I said, it will be different next year when we are in control.

To be fair to the neighbour, we found out that we were supposed to be Irish or Scouse with a brood of kids. Amazing to be taken under the wing of people who have not much but goodwill to give.

[MClan]

I'm really impressed Tosca. I'll have to give that some thought. I'm very jealous though. We would make our way through that lot easily, there are five of us and we love pumpkins and squashes.