Will my pumpkins survive ?

Anything to do with growing herbs and vegetables goes here.
Post Reply
User avatar
deb13b
margo - newbie
margo - newbie
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:43 pm
Location: Durham

Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 202881Post deb13b »

After moving a compost bin early this year and using the soil around it, I found a little plant growing. It didn't look like a weed and I had been trying to grow some wildflowers from seed I bought online, so I posted a pic in a wildflower forum to see if anyone knew what it was. Got a bit of a shock to find out it was a pumpkin ! I had put last years shopbought Halloween pumpkin in the compost bin. Anyway it was growing away in a little pot so I decided to give it a chance. I now have 3 of them in pots and I'm moving house in 2 weeks, to a house with a garden. ( had no garden for 3.5 years, just a tiny yard).
I'm taking all my plants that I've grown in pots with me. Is there a good chance my pumpkins will survive? And actually produce pumpkins ? I would be chuffed to bits to actually have them growing well in the new garden !

irishwillow
margo - newbie
margo - newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:15 pm
Location: beautiful sligo

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 202894Post irishwillow »

I should think they should survive if you are careful replanting them.. dig a bigger hole than the pot put in some compost and water, I usually try and put my homemade seaweed feed in the hole! firm them in well and water again..you may lose a few of the older leaves but they will soon make new growth, esp without the confines of a pot! keep an eye they dont dry out and good luck!! :icon_smile:

grahamhobbs
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 1212
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:39 pm
Location: London

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 202947Post grahamhobbs »

From experience I try not to disturb the roots when transplanting, don't tease them out just straight from the pot to the hole in the ground.

User avatar
citizentwiglet
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 848
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:02 pm
Location: Just outside Glasgow

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 202982Post citizentwiglet »

They're similar to courgettes when you start them off, I believe. I don't grow pumpkins, but I do have some fantastic courgette plants, LOL! I have two plants at home, and one in our community garden raised bed.

I had no problems transplanting my courgette into our raised bed - as Graham says, just leave the roots alone, plonk it in to a much bigger hole than it needs, then gently back-fill it (the urge to tease the roots is horrendous, though!). As Irishwillow says, lots of water and compost. Lots of people say that loads of manure helps - but my fellow gardeners up at the community garden who have grown courgettes, squash, pumpkins etc reckon they've had similar results WITHOUT any manure.

I also make a sort of 'moat' around my courgettes, so the plant looks as though it's sitting in the middle of a volanco crater (if that makes sense), so when you water, water from a watering can without a rose and just aim at the bottom of the plant; the 'crater' helps keep the water at the roots. Because they are terribly thirsty plants......(I also find they much prefer rain water than tap water. If you don't have a water butt, filling up your watering can from the tap and leaving it for 24 hours so the chemicals like chlorine disappear before watering is a very close second).

At the end of the day, it's a freebie (what a lovely thing to find in your compost!), so if it dies, it's not the end of the world. It wasn't as though it was a planned part of your harvest. If it lives - lovely big bonus, loads of experience points and scrummy pumpkin soup and pies and whatnot.

Half the fun of gardening is seeing what makes them thrive, and - erm - what doesn't. But I've kind of adopted your pumpkin plant as an Ishy mascot, now. I want to see some photos, and don't you DARE kill it, LOL!
I took my dog to play frisbee. She was useless. I think I need a flatter dog.

http://reflectionsinraindrops.wordpress.com - My blog
http://www.bothwellscarecrowfestival.co.uk - Scarecrow Festival
http://bothwellcommunitygarden.wordpress.com - Community Garden

User avatar
Gem
Living the good life
Living the good life
Posts: 240
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:37 pm
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 203073Post Gem »

My butternuts and pumpkin survived when I moved them to the allotment. I would second grahams comment on not disturbing the roots, they dont need to loosening of the soil and the less roots you loose the better

User avatar
deb13b
margo - newbie
margo - newbie
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:43 pm
Location: Durham

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 204170Post deb13b »

Been in the new place for a day, boxes n bags everywhere, can't move lol. Soon as I get the house put straight I can start on the garden, can't wait ! So all the plants are still in pots but here's pics of a couple of pumpkin plants. They seem to be doing ok so far, must get them in the ground soon.
Image
Image

User avatar
Millymollymandy
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 17637
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 6:09 am
Location: Brittany, France

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 204175Post Millymollymandy »

Good luck, don't envy you the unpacking but your pumpkins look happy! :flower:
boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, :hugish: (thanks)
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/

cochlear_nerve
margo - newbie
margo - newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 5:57 pm
Location: Oxford, UK

Re: Will my pumpkins survive ?

Post: # 204857Post cochlear_nerve »

I've planted a mixture of pumpkin (from a packet) and various squash (salvaged from fruit in our veg box).

A pumpkin ended up in a raised bed and has taken over 1 metre by 2 metre. Wondering a) how brutal should we be in cutting it back (it only appears to have one pumpkin on it, though lots of flowers) and b) do you have to wait for them to fully ripen or can they be eaten early (ie green)? One of the squash is kind of egg shaped (though much larger) and yellow - any idea what kind of squash that might be? And when it should be harvested? (Might try and work out how to post a photo).

Post Reply