Pumpkins

[coldwaterrvr]

Hey yall! I live in North Mississppi and decided to grow a few pumpkin plants this year.I used seeds saved from pumpkins that were grown at a local farm.The plants are doing good but I have had 2-3 pumpkins shrivel up and fall off the vine when they reach the size of grapes.Is this a problem or normal??I do have one pumpkin that is coming along just fine.Also the vines are running into the grass....is that the cause?? Thanks!

[Chris]

Sounds like they were not pollinated. When a female bloom is unpollinated the fruit never really grows, shrivels, and dies off.

To help with pollination you can take a Q-tip from the male flowers to the female flowers. Paintbrushes work too.

[coldwaterrvr]

How do I tell the male from the female flowers???

[Chris]

Male flowers will have a skinny stem with stamens (little pollen producing antenna on the inside).

Female flowers will have a fat mini-pumpkin behind them and have only a pistil on the inside (the girl parts, looks like kinda a weird white-ish coral in squash family blooms).