Community Chat

[MrsLorraine]

My attempt to grow pumpkins this year has been successful beyond my wildest dreams. I have about a half dozen that are big, which includes two that are HUGE--I'd estimate 20 lbs. at least.

When are they finally finished growing? when they've turned orange? after they do, I think I let them sit for some days before cutting them off the vine? I do know to leave a good sized stump as the handle.

I can't believe I've actually done what I've dreamed of doing for years. I figured out, too, why this year I've had so much success after so many years of failure or so-so results: I planted them where they could really spread out (they took up so much room, in fact, that I trained some of the vines along my picket fence rather than have them take up a lot of the flower bed) AND, most importantly, in a spot where they get almost all day long sun.

Some of it is just plain luck, too; we've had a lot of bumblebees and a few other types of bees and wasps pollinating them.

Any and all information you share will be gratefully accepted.