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amyinowasso

Seminole pumpkin

I have a Seminole pumpkin growing nicely. One vine has reached about 15 feet in length. There are NO flowers. Is this normal? This is in unamended soil. It was an experiment, so the plant got no special treatment. I have another moschata variety across the yard that has produced one fruit and a bunch of male flowers, the volunteer curcurbit in my compost bin wins for vitality, sure hope its good.

Comments (18)

  • slowpoke_gardener
    9 years ago

    Amy, I grew Seminole for the first time last year. I think my plants were planted in the first half of may and the first female flower appeared 6-29. It was a first year bed, but amended. The seeds were started in a 4-pack in my bathroom. I think we have had a cooler, wetter spring this year, and the plants may be running a little behind. I think you still have plenty of time for the pumpkin to bloom and set fruit. I live a 100+ miles east of you and 50+ miles south, I expect my fruit set may happen a little ahead of yours.

    Larry

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    9 years ago

    Amy, Ditto what Larry said. Seminole seems like it just takes its good old time and makes tons of roots and vines/foliage before it begins to produce. You have oodles of time left. I always plant Seminole kinda late since it is a true heat-lover, and still gets dozens of pumpkins from it every year. By August, in particular, it is flowering so heavily most years and setting so many squash that I harvest some of them small and use them as summer squash and then leave the others on the vine to reach their full size and mature as a winter squash.

    I don't watch the calendar closely but I think mine normally are in full bloom by mid-July no matter how late I planted them and are still in bloom in November if frost hasn't already killed them, and the plants flower and set fruit nonstop as long as the plants are getting enough water and are healthy.

    The great thing about Seminole is that it won't die and you can't kill it, so just be patient with it and it will amaze you with its productivity over the next few months.

    Dawn

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    LOL, bet I could kill it! I'm sad because the supposedly borer resistant acorn squash I planted appears to have not resisted. Not sure what to think about all the male flowers on the trombocino. Too bad I'm not into eating rhem. Thanks for the info.

  • Lisa_H OK
    9 years ago

    Amy, you don't like the trombocino? If you don't have friends to give it to, you might check your local food pantry. We sent produce there last year.

    I like it, but there is only one of me, so I give a lot of it away. Yesterday it was a great gift to bring a friend recovering from hip surgery.

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I like the trombocino fine,,,the one I have gotten. It has dozens of male flowers, but no new female flowers. I am just impatient :)

  • Lisa_H OK
    9 years ago

    LOL...mine is just gearing up. I was out tonight trying to train all the vines on the fence. One is climbing the neighbor's tree...not to be seen again until the leaves fall off!

  • Macmex
    9 years ago

    What was the acorn squash variety? I grow one which has some resistance. But it's nothing like c. moschata resistance.

    George

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Scarchuk's Supreme was the acorn, George. I probably got the name from a GW thread last year. I buried the damaged parts, and there looks like one feeble vine with tiny leaves is still trying to survive. There were 5 plants to begin wth. I really like acorn squash, and I discovered last year I like them immature and cooked like summer squash. Next year there will be some squash grown under cover! I saw the SVBs, I tried to get the eggs off with tape. I couldn't figure out how people wrap the vines to keep them off. I assume maybe if the plants had been bigger they might have survived.

    BTW there is one female bloom on the Seminole today, but no males.

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This trombocino just suddenly appeared, LOL. I hope it is still small enough to eat like summer squash.

  • Lisa_H OK
    9 years ago

    HAHA, I have one just that size that I somehow MISSED when I was harvesting on Saturday morning.

    (It should be fine, I harvested mine that big all the time the first time I grew it.)

  • Lisa_H OK
    9 years ago

    here's a pic of the one I missed:

  • Macmex
    9 years ago

    Scarchuks Supreme is what I grow. It has some resistance, but it's not the same as a c. moschata. The stems are still somewhat susceptible. But it is extremely vigorous and has good thick stems. I still lose them, occasionally, to SVB. But it's the only acorn I'll grow.

    George

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    George, I pulled a bunch that I thought were dead, but apparently a couple WERE surviving till I messed with them. One vine on the trellis wilted after my work, so maybe I pulled it loose from another rooted node. The other was trying to grow into the yard and didn't like being returned to the bed. I don't know what will happen to them. Have we had the 2nd generation of SVBs yet? What if I replanted?

  • Macmex
    9 years ago

    I think now, if you replant, they won't produce mature fruit. But if you want them for summer squash, you could do it successfully. One thing I do with c. pepo varieties is I try to put soil over the vine in various places. The vine roots and gains some more resistance to squash vine borers.

    George

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    9 years ago

    I don't know if we have had the second generation yet. I saw some flying around back when we had the first generation, and I haven't seen any flying around lately which makes me think the second generation isn't here yet.

  • chickencoupe
    9 years ago

    It has been pretty calm here between the SVB and the squash bugs. Today I found SVB eggs atop a gourd leaf. *sigh

  • AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yeah, went out to walk the garden today and rhere were 2 SVB moths flying around the Seminole. (Which, BTW, has one fruit on it. I won't be saving seed from that one because I swear there were no male flowers) I pulled eggs off the Seminole and the volunteer. I looked for squah bug eggs, but found none. The volunteer is HUGE. Big leaves, big stems. It is of course growing in pure compost, so that may be why. You can't even see the box any more. I have no idea what it is. I was hoping for melon. The little Scarchuk's Supreme has a little bloom. The leaves are really small, it must have rooted at a node, the rest of the plant is dead. Blossom is bigger than a cuke, but smaller than normal squash. If 2nd generation of SVBs are here it won't have a chance.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    9 years ago

    Well, then, apparently your second generation has begun there. I was out in the garden both yesterday morning and this morning and I didn't see any out there yet.

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