Is this normal

[szeik]

Hi,

This year I planted pumpkin, watermelon, and cucumbers.

All the plants were in the ground at the end of may and the pumpkin and cucumber seem to be thriving although we have no pumpkins or cucumbers yet. The watermelon is a little stunted but seems to be doing well now and I see some flowers getting ready to bloom.

So here is is August 11th and so far no visible fruits. Is this normal? I saw one female flower on the pumpkin and I tried to hand polinate it and it seemed to take but then it just dried up and fell off. I saw a bee crawling in that flower as well. It seems like all the new buds I see are males. Is it normal to have so many male flowers and so few female? It's been really hot lately - in the high

90's.

I usually get out and water everything in the morning with a hose so they are all getting plenty of water.

I'd appreciate any feedback on the results I am seeing since this is our first year trying to grow anything.

Thanks in advance, Steve

[Andy Petro]

You don't say where you live. Makes a big difference =================================================================

[szeik]

Northern New Jersey - close to New York City.

Thanks, Steve

[Wallace Pipp]

Hi Steve,

I planted my cukes in mid-June due to the cool weather and I've picked almost two dozen foot-long ones already. I've heard that if there's too much nitrogen, i.e. a lot of fertilizer, the plants get too 'viney' and don't bare fruit.

The canteloup I planted got tons of male flowers for the first month or so, then the females came after that. Probably in a week or so I'll be able to pick my first melon. However, I have noticed that some of the smaller buds are turning yellow. I thought maybe they weren't polinated even though there's enough bee activity around, now I'm not so sure. I just saw a melon about the size of a fig turn yellow and I figured that has to have been polinated to reach that size. I'm not sure if I need more fertilizer or if it's just the heat, although I'm about ten degrees cooler than you.

Yeah, I've been watering mine too almost everyday because of the heat and no rain for almost a month.

Wally

[Wallace Pipp]

Steve, I live in Queens, NY which is considered NYC and it's only been in the high nineties for a few days. The average temp here has been high eighties, low ninties.

[simy1]

no, it is not normal. specially the cukes, start producing within a month of being in the ground. my guess: you have no bees or other pollinators.

[Steve]

OK, you saw a bee, that's good. I'm trying to think what your problem might be. The first 2 things that come to mind are... Are you trying to grow a garden in a location that is in shade half the day? or... Did you plant way too much in an area that is too small? All the plants that you have trouble with will tend to produce male flowers if they are not thriving and may abort any fruits that start to grow. I live way north of you and I don't dare plant out much until about June

1st. We've had an exceptionally nice and warm summer but we get a few nights in the 40s as we do every summer. I've been picking cucumbers for a month I bet. My pumpkins are doing well. Some of the small ones are starting to turn orange already. The other pumpkins that are destined to be big (close to 100 pounds sometimes) are just now starting to set some fruit. The biggest right now are no bigger than a volley ball but they will soon be much bigger than that! I've been growing vegetables here since 1980 and helped my mother before that. It gets easier. :-)

Steve in the Adirondacks

[FDR]

Steve, I was just in Old Forge yesterday at the Water Safari. I could definitely tell that it's cooler around those parts, compared to the blistering 90+ days in Syracuse.

I just started getting ripe tomatos today. I'm at least two weeks behind where I was last year. I suppose the heat had something to do with it. My Pumpkin planst are finally flowering so hopefully we'll have some for Halloween.

[Steve]

Yeah, I'm in Tupper Lake about another hour's drive north of Old Forge. We used to take the kids down there sometimes. Now the younger one doesn't like it any more and my daughter can drive herself and take her friends. I've been getting some of the little tomatoes but I haven't picked any of the big types yet. I have one that has been looking ripe for a few days now. I had better pick it before something happens to it!

Steve

[FDR]

Geez, you really are in the cold regions of NY state!