Need Gardening Help

Anything in the squash, cucumber, or gourd family, is NOT a companion plant with potatoes. The same with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. How long ago did you plant? pumpkins need 90-120 days until maturity. How big are your beds? Pumpkins need space. They also need very, very deep watering. If they are crammed in a tiny space and not watered deeply and thoroughly, they will be very parched. Are you fertilizing? Pumpkins need a neutral soil PH, and lots of good organic fertilizer. Do the plants have a white film, are they yellow and splotchy? If you are watering from above, directly on the leaves...they will mold. You have to water pumpkins from below, underneath the leaves.

The biggest culprit with pumpkins not fruiting, is under-pollination and an unhealthy plant. Healthy plants, fruit. Flowering does not mean the plant is healthy, fruiting does. Make sure they are getting a lot of deep watering, and only water when the soil is dry. Water from below. Plant flowers that bees like, and take out all the potatoes. If you are trying to grow pumpkins in a small space, they don't have much chance. They need to be spread out, and the require so much deep water. If all the plants in a little space are fighting for water, they won't fruit much. Pumpkins are VERY prolific. Since you've only grow about a dozen pumpkins a year, I think you really don't have the optimal space. You should be getting more then that.

Mom2Many... I have to laugh at the arduous suggestion of hand-pollinating!

Actually, pollinate all you want, the trouble is that potatoes and zukes/pumpkins are not good companion plants at all. I found an article for you:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/zucchini-gardening-complemen...

Scroll to the bottom:

"Plants to Avoid

When laying out your vegetable garden, keep the zucchini patch well away from any plantings of potatoes. Potatoes are said to inhibit the growth of zucchini and other squash plants."

Hope that helps. I hope you have a good pumpkin patch nearby... I think it may be too late even if you remove the potatoes.

Yup...it's those dang potatoes! Those things are inhibiting the growth of the pumpkins for sure and I'm surprised they haven't messed up your zucchini too. Get rid of those and you should see some improvement. pumpkins are sometimes very temperamental. I read all tis and was brought back to a garden that my mother and I had when I was a young teenager. This is exactly what we grew and we had many successes but those darn pumpkins could be hit or miss some years. Your garden sounds so much fun! Just ditch the pesky taters and really check to make sure you get everything overturned well so that they aren't hiding in the soil. Once they get going, they like to take over. Good luck and thanks for bringing back so many great memories for me and the pumpkins and zucchini I used to grow with my mom!

How many of the blossoms are actually female or capable or becoming fruit? On my plants less than one fourth are actually female, all try to become fruit, some are eaten by pests.

Water and temperature before it even starts to blossom is what dictates which pods will bear fruit.

I don't think it has anything to do with the potatoes, we have potatoes, doesn't change production. Granted they are not on top of each other.

I think people are missing the potatoes are not messing up your zucchini, or at least not getting that if they aren't messing up your zucchini that is probably not what is effecting your pumpkins.

A great place to ask is the CSU extension agency and a master gardener will help with this question. It's free and easy, and they can be very helpful!
http://www.extension.colostate.edu/douglas/
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/douglas/contact.shtml

They're most likely not being pollinated, even though you see the bee's it doesn't mean they are getting to every flower. If you really want those pumpkins you can try to pollinate them yourself.

ETA...............................

Never said I'd be the one to get out there and do it, but plenty of people do lol

As for potatoes and Zuchs', last year mine shared a 200+ acre field with potatoes, never had a problem.