in ground composts (pumpkin) growth?

17 years ago

Ok, don't yell at me - but I think I did something stupid!

Last fall (8/08) I dug a significant hole with the thought of planting a Bing Cherry tree this spring. Over the winter I added vegetable and fruit scraps/peels as well as coffee grounds, egg shells, etc, grass and leaf mulch as 'layers'. When we cleaned the pumpkins for the grand kids, the scraps went straight into this 'pit'. Continued to cover with kitchen scraps and grass/leaf mulch until the end of March.

In mid-April I transplanted the Bing from a pot to the compost pit and the tree seems to be doing fine - though it is struggling to get out of the winter slumber. I'm sure that getting really warm and then having a significant freeze/snow did not help.

Anyway, I noticed last night that there are LOTS of either pumpkin or water-melon plants growing out around the base of the tree and in the 'pit'. It is possible that they could be cukes, but the leaves look too large at this point for cukes - though none of them is over 2 or 3 inches long?

When I put the Bing in I churned the soil really well (I thought) and it seemed as though all the scraps had decayed properly, but I guess I was wrong. Sure was rich dark brown soil in appearance!

???

Can I transplant these little plants without harming the tree?

And, if I can and do, if I remove the bulk of the buds as the pumpkin matures, will that cause all the plants energy to go to the few buds we leave alone so the GK's can have bigger specimens to carve come Trick or Treat time?

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Comments (7)

farmboy66
17 years ago
watermelon and pumpkins are huge water users i would take the chance and try to transplant what ever it is growing your goal is the cherry tree right if you save the "bonus"plants great but a young transplanted tree especially the first couple of years is critical in getting your root system growing it needs all the water it can get.
big_deck
Original Author
17 years ago
Cool - thanks.

Did the transplant of the whatever they are this afternoon - just in time for the rain!
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jbann23
17 years ago
Had a pumpkin plant grow out of my compost last year and transplanted it to some terrible ground (gravel) in a hole filled with compost. Darn thing grew and gave me a nice pumpkin for a fall table display. Can't beat the price.
big_deck
Original Author
17 years ago
I can'r believe how fast these vines are growing - maybe 2" tall at transplant and at least 2 feet now! Thanks for the advise!
kim1012
17 years ago
I'm new to this, but I was curious if you've had continued success with your pumpkin since you transplanted it? I'm about to do the same thing and I've read both good and bad things about it.

We had a very nice pumpkin on our front step over the fall, but in a nasty storm it must have fell off...once the leaves fell followed by the snow, it was soon forgotten. I noticed a good sized yellowish-orange blossom yesterday as I was leaving for work, and upon further inspection I'm pretty sure that Mr. Pumpkin has decided to make it's home in my landscaping :) (Not too upset about that - I'd been meaning to work on that anyway!) The only problem I have is that it's very close to our front porch and the drive way, so if it is left to grow there, it will over take the drive way.

I was pleased to read that many have had good luck transplanting their pumpkins but I'm still a little nervous - just because I've been known to have a very, VERY bad time growing things!
big_deck
Original Author
17 years ago
They seem to be thriving. Big yellow flower buds all over the place, though they seem to fall off as opposed to turning into little balls, as I assume they will? Not too worried about that, as there are literally dozens of blossoms and at least one is going to turn into something.

Good luck on yours. I would not wait until the roots get overly developed to transplant, but I also do not know what I am talking about. Never grew a pumpkin before.
iam3killerbs
17 years ago
Its normal for squash and pumpkins to have male flowers only at first. The female flowers will come soon. You'll be able to tell because they have miniature pumpkins at their bases.

Do you have plenty of bees working the flowers? If so, great! If not you may need to hand pollinate the females.