help with growing pumpkins

[Jensg]

I hand pollenated too, and also got 3 pumpkins by doing so, maybe thats the secret, but I dont know. Thanks for the suggestion (Garden Carpet) of using straw to lay them on, but I wont bother as my pumpkins all lay on the grass anyway. One of my pumpkins is now off the plant and not ripe, its still very green, Ive got it sat in my sunniest window at the moment to try and save it. I didnt intentionally pick it, the vine it was on kept growing in length and sort of left the pumpkin behind, which kind of ripped it away from the vine. I have now also chopped off rather a lot from the vines because they were growing far too big for the garden. My only request at the moment is if anyone knows any way of ripening the pumpkin I would be glad to hear them.

[jordanno]

thanks everyone next year all get some ones that dont need pollinating and stuff the plant has one big vine that goes behind the side of the green house is growing on gravel with the bit of the vine with lots of pumpkins on ive got a cane and wedged it in the ground with the other end wedged in a bit of the gutter and put the vine on the cane its settled on it know with its tendrils wrapped oround the cane the slugs are at bay by using a pot full of mashed banna and water and slug pellets (dont worry our residents hedgehog doesnt go on gravel only our lawn and healthy hedgehogs dont eat dead slugs and im trying to get my parents to get hedgehog friendly ones ) one fruits been pollinated and hopefully it will form proerly wehen its big enough ill put the cane on the floor and put straw under the pupkin.

[Jez]

It could just well be down to the cold summer nights. Our grower at work who has been growing pumpkins for 25 years commercially has put it down to that!