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Pumpkins already deep orange

AppleJaneAppleJane Posts: 5
in Fruit & veg
We’re growing some pumpkins for the first time - specifically for carving at Halloween - but some are already deep orange-red in colour! (We sowed a mixture of different seeds) Is this due to the hot weather?
should we leave them on the vine or is it better to cut them off?
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  • Hampshire HogHampshire Hog Posts: 330
    Leave them as they are pumpkins can be all sorts of colours nothing to worry about just keep watering and feeding photos below are ones on my patch.



    "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Leave them to ripen but make sure they get plenty of water.  If you have enough fruits formed, cut the stems beyond the last ones to concentrate energy in those fruits.  Lift the fruits onto bricks or straw or a bit of wooden pallet to protect them form damage from damp soil and slugs and other pests.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • AppleJaneAppleJane Posts: 5
    Hampshire Hog said:
    Leave them as they are pumpkins can be all sorts of colours nothing to worry about just keep watering and feeding photos below are ones on my patch.



    Obelixx said:
    Leave them to ripen but make sure they get plenty of water.  If you have enough fruits formed, cut the stems beyond the last ones to concentrate energy in those fruits.  Lift the fruits onto bricks or straw or a bit of wooden pallet to protect them form damage from damp soil and slugs and other pests.
    Thank you!!
    we’ll leave them and raise them then!
  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949
    Beautiful!
  • AppleJaneAppleJane Posts: 5
    Clarington said:
    Beautiful!
    Thank you! Meant to say Hampshire Hogs pumpkins look good too!!
  • Hampshire HogHampshire Hog Posts: 330
    edited August 2018
    That looks just fine Applejane, as Obelixx said try to lift it just off the ground if you can mine are on old paving slabs and trim the leaves / stems if you don't want any more to form.
    I tend not to do this until the end of August / mid September but I do remove any flowers or fruit that is forming mainly because I'm growing for show /weight and by now have only one pumpkin per plant.
    "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
  • AppleJaneAppleJane Posts: 5
    Hampshire Hog said:
    That looks just fine Applejane, as Obelixx said try to lift it just off the ground if you can mine are on old paving slabs and trim the leaves / stems if you don't want any more to form.
    I tend not to do this until the end of August / mid September but I do remove any flowers or fruit that is forming mainly because I'm growing for show /weight and by now have only one pumpkin per plant.
    Thank you for your advice HH. Very much appreciated!
    Growing for show? - I wondered why yours looked so good. Good luck! :) 
  • anyacoloanyacolo Posts: 44
    my pumpkins are just starting to turn orange now, and most are about 16 inches in diameter
  • RubyLeafRubyLeaf Posts: 260
    I have just one pumpkin. I've no idea why..
  • MagicmarigoldMagicmarigold Posts: 15
    edited August 2018
    Hi, I'll jump on this thread, I'm growing small sugar this year, two plants one of them has four pumpkins growing up a trellis, the other just has one with all the new female flowers just falling off before they even develop fully ( although I had a good look and the vine was slightly damaged in the strong wind we had a few months ago so I'm assuming it was that)

    Anyway, how do I know when they are ready to be picked?? Two of them are the right size and fully orange.. does this mean they are ready? Or am i meant to leave them a while?
    As you probably guessed I've never grown pumpkins before.. I'm just going to make some puree from them to either freeze or jar for autumn baking if that makes any difference... Thanks for any help!
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