"jmagerl" wrote in
. net:

I've been trying to grow pumpkins for the last 12 years and all I got
was NADA. Until last year. Unbeknownest to me I had 6 good sized
pumpkins growing underneath all the vines. But when the vines died
back, they were green and they stayed green untill they rotted. It is
now this year and I can see the little darings beginning to form
(about the size of a softballs now). WHat should I do to insure they
turn turn orange this year? My wife says you have to stomp on the
vines around Labor day and expose the pumpkins to sun. I have to
believe thats a bit dramatic but do I do that?

Mine are already turning orange. It's the only thing in the garden
that's ahead of anyone else's garden. I contribute that fact to the
massive amounts of draft horse manure that I've been dumping on them.
Er... wait... let me rephrase that... the massive amounts of manure that
I've been putting on them after my draft horse dumps.

Anyway, I won a blue ribbon for one perfect little orange pumpking at our
county fair. I was the only one who had one.

I think if a frost hits before they orange up, they stay green. Mine
turned orange on the vines and hidden below all the leaves. I suspect
stomping the vines might not be good but I have no logical reason why I
believe that.

Oh, yeah, and all my pumpkins are always volunteers from last Halloween's
carving discards. I have dozens of vines this year. I hand fertilized
so there are lots of pumpkins. Too bad I'll have to leave t hem all
behind.