Steve,

They look good. I bet you will get a crop before frost.

One way to train a squash/pumpkin is simply to move the vines where you want them to go, as they grow. Also, when the vines get really large and begin to invade part of the garden, where you don't want them to go, you can either pinch out the growing tip, whenever it heads into that area, or perhaps better, simply lift the vines and flip them back upon the plant and away from where you don't want them to go. This works well.

Unless you are very pinched for space I wouldn't bother with trellising. Most squash and pumpkins require a sling type of support for any fruit suspended by a trellis, in order to prevent it from tearing off the vine when it gets heavy. If you opt to do this, I hear that old nylons work well for slings.

George
Tahlequah, OK

thanks george

can you tell me what these are ?

Those are male flowers. They provide pollen only. Female flowers will show up later and are able to develop into actual pumpkins. You will know them by a tiny "baby" pumpkin attached to the base of the flower. Pollen from the male flowers must reach the female flowers for a pumpkin to happen. You can let the bees do it or you can break off an open male flower and dab its innards into the female blossom if you don't trust the bees to do it.

nice. can you eat the males like zuccinni flowers?

also, how many plants per hill should i be looking at?

thanks so much for your help