I've been growing the damned things for ages, but all of a sudden I seem to
have forgotten how to look after them!

All this talk of an early frost this week ... are the pumpkins which are
still growing going to be ok, or will they get frost damaged? The ones we
stored in the summerhouse got terrible frost damaged earlier this year and
then went mouldy. But is there a difference between the still growing fruit
and the stored fruit?

I can't believe we previously harvested before first frost unless first
frost isn't normally until late October!

--

wrote...
I've been growing the damned things for ages, but all of a sudden I seem
to
have forgotten how to look after them!

All this talk of an early frost this week ... are the pumpkins which are
still growing going to be ok, or will they get frost damaged? The ones we
stored in the summerhouse got terrible frost damaged earlier this year and
then went mouldy. But is there a difference between the still growing
fruit
and the stored fruit?

I can't believe we previously harvested before first frost unless first
frost isn't normally until late October!


Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night. Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die in the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope they are
OK, will find out later.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Bob Hobden wrote:
Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night. Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die in the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope they are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact that I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

wrote ...
Bob Hobden wrote:
Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night.
Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die in
the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope they
are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact that I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

We don't usually get ours in until frosts are forecast, and they don't
usually happen around here until October at the earliest.
Normal! I don't think we have "normal" weather any more.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

wrote in message
...
Bob Hobden wrote:
Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night.
Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die in
the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope they
are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact that I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

How would bubble-wrap sheets do instead of fleece?

Bill

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-09-18 19:01:15 +0100, "Bill Grey" said:


wrote in message
...
Bob Hobden wrote:
Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our
chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night.
Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die in
the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope they
are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact that I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

How would bubble-wrap sheets do instead of fleece?

Bill

I'd guess that would make them sweat and rot. Fleece allows things to
'breathe'.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Quite possibly, I know bubble wrap is good to keep the frost away - as it
does for my outside water tap. Sweat and rot - very possible.

Bill

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-09-19 20:56:13 +0100, "Bill Grey" said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-09-18 19:01:15 +0100, "Bill Grey"
said:


wrote in message
...
Bob Hobden wrote:
Frost seems to be early this year, we went down and fleeced our
chillies
yesterday afternoon but I don't think there was a frost last night.
Tonight
it looks like it will be warmer again. Your pumpkin plants will die
in
the
frost but as long as the fruit are mature and covered they will be
OK.
Didn't have enough fleece to cover our butternut bed so I do hope
they
are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps
we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact that
I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

How would bubble-wrap sheets do instead of fleece?

Bill

I'd guess that would make them sweat and rot. Fleece allows things to
'breathe'.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Quite possibly, I know bubble wrap is good to keep the frost away - as
it
does for my outside water tap. Sweat and rot - very possible.

Bill

Someone else with experience of that use will know more than I do but it
would be a shame to see yours suffer. ;-(
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Thanks for your concern, but I'm probably the worst gardener on this NG. I
planted runner beans this year and nothing germinated :-(

I was given four tomato plants which I tried to grow outdoors in pots. Yes
I got tomatos but they fell off before I could gather them :-(

Bill

Wethey
are
OK, will find out later.

We've never fleeced the pumpkins or butternuts in the past. Perhaps
we
normally just harvest earlier! I'm slightly worried by the fact
that
I
can't seem to remember what was 'normal' last year any more! :-(

How would bubble-wrap sheets do instead of fleece?

Bill

I'd guess that would make them sweat and rot. Fleece allows things to
'breathe'.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Quite possibly, I know bubble wrap is good to keep the frost away - as
it
does for my outside water tap. Sweat and rot - very possible.

Bill

Someone else with experience of that use will know more than I do but it
would be a shame to see yours suffer. ;-(
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Thanks for your concern, but I'm probably the worst gardener on this NG.
I
planted runner beans this year and nothing germinated :-(

I was given four tomato plants which I tried to grow outdoors in pots.
Yes
I got tomatos but they fell off before I could gather them :-(

Bill

No such thing as a 'bad' or 'worst' gardener - just like us all, there are
things to learn all the time. Our tomatoes fall off in the greenhouse,
too and I suspect they get more than a bit of help from the blackbirds!
That could be what happened to yours!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Well it might have been blackbirds if so good luck to them. The plants
always looked abit sorry for themeselves so it was no surprise that success
was distant dream. I once grew tomatoes - five plants one in each bucket
in a glass conservtory. The were grown in John Innes No 3 compost (not
nowing anything different). I had a truly marvellous crop. Those facilities
are no longer available.

My real disappointment was the failure of the runner beans:-(

Bill

The pumpkin is a culture very difficult. They can grow almost anywhere, in almost all conditions. Unlike many vegetables, they do not need to be fertilized, even unnatural. Although it is late and will not hurt them all, he probably will not do much good. Even if the weather is bad, the pumpkins grow. If no other crop will survive, will be pumpkins. Flooding is the only thing we really need to keep an eye on. This vine can rot and prevent the pumpkins growing.