Vine Seeds Attracts I have a volunteer pumpkin plant that started itself in late June or early July...?
If it doesn't have fruit yet, is it a loss? I'm not sure how a pumpkin seed found its way into my garden. I blame the lawn guys (tsk, tsk, tsk), but also thank them. I'm lerning new gardening, and have been inspired to plan a veggie garden next year. The vines are about 7 feet long or so and have been attracting every bee in town for a few weeks. I'm in the Chicago area. I'm afraid that I won't get any pumpkins for Halloween or even Thanksgiving. Can the plant be covered in a cloche to extend the growing season or does cold weather kill the plant even when protected? Thanks for your advice!
Pumpkin plants take about 120 days from seed germination to produce the fruit. So, you're looking at getting full sized pumpkins around October or November. Just let them go and see what you get. The shortening daylight and increased cold will eventually kill the plants, which die off after fruiting, anyway. So, if they do fruit, the timing should be just about perfect.
