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Chicago Illinois

After 3 years in a row of trying to grow a pumpkin in my backyard in Chicago with no luck, not even to get a female flower pollinated. I have successfully hand pollinated a female flower last Monday August 25th. It is now Saturday and it looks like the fruit has set.

I know its late in the season but is there anything I can do to help this pumpkin ripen and make it before the frost comes???

I have done a lot of research but still have no idea how long from successful pollination of the female flower to a ripe pumpkin takes??? Everything says around 100-130 days to maturity but I’m pretty sure that is from planting the seed, as I planted my seeds the last weekend of May with that info my pumpkin should almost be ready to harvest lol. What is the day range from successful pollination to a ripe pumpkin?
Even though it was 85 degrees today should I cut the leafs around the baby fruit? Would that help?

Any tips help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,

Grantford

8/30/2014 10:56:02 PM

Colorado

You need about 55 days for the fruit to start to mature and have viable seeds.Just keep the plant evenly watered. Pruning isnt going to change much.You might set up metal fence posts and rope to suspend floating row cover over the plant when a mild frost is coming .

8/31/2014 12:26:01 AM

So. Maine

You could also run a sprinkler any morning you would expect a frost you need to watch closely the over night low temps and what time to expect them .

Do the best you can till the end of this growing season and next year you will be better off .

Good Luck !

8/31/2014 12:49:57 AM

Chicago Illinois

Thanks so much!!

Question, When I start to see 10 day forecasts that have several days with a low temperature of blank??? with no upturn in site should I harvest regardless of how unripe it is?
And WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR that the problem its been 3 years of putting a lot of effort into growing my very own pumpkin but something must be wrong it can't be this hard. My pumpkin plants are third on my priority list after my wife and dog.

8/31/2014 1:32:32 AM

Chicago Illinois

Here is a pic of the little guy
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/fd/cb/a8/fdcba8e61f58e48ace8d22c0a1ebe971.jpg

and one of the plant
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/70/ec/92/70ec92ea5946c95730c939468ecc3c1c.jpg

8/31/2014 1:38:34 AM

Columbia, Kentucky

Next year whent you pollinate, you will want to remove the flower pedals from the female a day or two after pollination. It can cause mold and cause the little ones to rot and abort. Also I live 45 minutes south of Chicago. Where are you located

8/31/2014 1:28:59 PM

Chicago Illinois

Thanks for all the help!!
Scott im in the city in Lincoln Park (Halsted and Armitage)

8/31/2014 7:23:44 PM

Eurasia

I also grow in such a harsh climate here in Germany, and I sprayed potassium and magnesium with a little phosphorus now on 8/28 onto healthy AG leave, because my plants have to sponge up all the sun in September and maybe early October. Please buy such foliar fertilizers, because your plant looks not so dark green as it should be but still healthy.
For a better fruit set you also should spray boron with calcium next year when the first male flowers appear.
And for a better growth of the pollen tube your females need manganese before they open.
Northern Illinois has the cold climate of hardiness zone 5a, but in Chicago Lake Michigan makes 5b and your garden walls bring your plants into 6a, I think. Southern Lake Michigan is such a good heat reservoir! Please try to grow your fruit set on the Bavarian Ludwig´s Day 8/25 as long as possible. By the way: what seed do you grow?

8/31/2014 8:11:57 PM

East Jordan, MI

you can have viable seeds after as few as 30 days. We got a lot of seeds out of 2 late aug sets last year.

I think the plant knows if it is a late set and it will go into seed making mode faster.

8/31/2014 9:56:55 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I would not cut off any leaves at this point. You need all the energy that they can gather from the sun with the shortening days. Being in the city, you are less likely to get a hard frost early as someone out in the country. I'm about straight west of you and our average first frost is around October 5 to 10. Keep it fed and watered without over-doing it. If it gets up to around 100# and it gets cold at night, you can cover it with a blanket to hold in the heat, They grow at night so night time heat is important.

8/31/2014 10:22:03 PM

Minnesota

Where did you get the seeds? from here? get them here, growers offer them after the weigh-offs and they have dried, best seeds in the world, of just ask.

8/31/2014 11:57:14 PM