Hi P - I love that you got volunteer pumpkins!

I'm in the same zone and you're ahead of me. I wouldn't worry at all. On the other hand, I am getting a little irritated because the few female blooms that I have gotten fall off before opening. I think pumpkins have a vendetta against me or something - lol. For 4 years running something has happened to my pumpkins. I will win this war!

I am sad today... the one larger pumpkin that I thought was comming never made it. I hope I get at least ONE pumpkin!!!

-p

P, I'm sorry you lost one.... there will be more. And you should hand pollinate the female blooms to make sure they grow & don't abort. Good luck! Katie

I just hand pollinated one female flower this morning that is the frist one abled to mature. I have alot of garden friends, honeybees like the flowers. But, I don't want them cross pollination with lilies and other flowers nearby. This is my frist time grow pumkin. I thought they were late and the female flowers kept following off before they matured. Just on time. I just want have some pumkins for halloween. I want to have a pumkin patch for the kids. My neighour grows pumkins every year, NEVER has one that discouraged me a little.
Question:
What kind of organic ferilizer should I use after the fruit set? Now, I'm using Plant-Tone and bone meal.

You don't have to worry about cross pollination. While pollen can be transferred from a lily to a pumpkin it can't possibly result in viable seeds. Only another C. pepo can pollinate a C. pepo (and a few other very closely related plants). Basically only a squash can pollinate a squash. That goes for all plant. Two unrelated plants can't pollinate each other.

Thank you. Now I know.

Snow