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Mocksville, NC

What things determine your final choice of a pumpkin or pumpkins you keep on one plant? Just wanted to here a wide range of answers, thanks.
Rog.

6/29/2005 7:57:53 PM

Long Island,New York

Its gotta be far enough from the stump (depends on where you are geographically).
It has to be the right cross (self imposed rule here).
It has to be on the outside of a curve or at the end of a vine (I'd keep niether of Brooks posted sets because he didnt curve the vines).

6/29/2005 9:09:17 PM

Rhode Island

rog
there are several things to consider when choosing who stays and who goes

first the pumpkin must be at a good enough angle from the git-go so that it will not be difficult to gradually move the fruit to a 90 degree angle from the vine

second we look for the more agressive fruit based on date of pollination and location --- in other words you may have three fruit pollinated over a ten day period along the main.
if the second or third is growing at a faster rate that the first one then as long as that fruit is not in an unmanagable position i would look to keep that one.

third would be shape and stem length
round or egg shaped are the usual choices. in either case i dont like pumpkins with short stems,as the shoulders grow the main attached to a short stem can get torn off very easily.
you can try and manage with the shorter stem but it requires a bit off skill. you must cut extra main tap roots on each side of the fruit and gently each day slide the fruit back away from the vine

segments are not a big deal. four five or six are very common and world class fruit has been grown from all three

dick

6/29/2005 10:30:16 PM