Sweetie Pie Pumpkins

vickeym
vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in Vegetables

First time growing pumpkins. Decided to try the Sweetie Pie since we both love pumpkin pie. Would anyone happen to know if you have to grow them in a green house in zone 3b? I know the folks up here that grow the giant ones and are trying for the records grow in green houses, but not sure if that is because they need the early start to get them ready for the weigh off at our state fair in mid August and want to control the growing conditions for the monster sizes they are trying for. I think we had one over 2000 pounds in the last few years. I just want a few of these little ones for pies.

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @vickeym I have never grown pumpkins on purpose cause I didn't think we had a long enough season (or enough garden space). A few years ago, I found what looked like a squash plant coming up in the garden but hadn't planted any. So it must have come from something I put in the compost but as I have a variety of squash guts going into my compost I wasn't sure which one it might be. I left it grow just to see what would come of it. The plant itself didn't spread out as much as I have seen with other squash or pumpkins. I didn't notice anything until one day in the fall just before the first frost (it was late that year), I spotted colour under one of the leaves. Sure enough, a small but ripe pumpkin! There were a couple of others but they weren't close enough to ready so I only got the one but it made a delicious pie! I had purchased the small sugar pie pumpkins the previous year for Thanksgiving so one of their seeds must have been the start. I tried them on purpose the following year but a frost got them while they were still quite green. I am in zone 3b/4. I know other people in the area who grow pumpkins outside but it is touch or go if they will ripen before a frost. You have so much extra sun in the summer, though, so that might give you the edge. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    torey That is good to know. Maybe I will try a few each way and see what happens. Hubby is building a more permanent green house for me but it won't hold everything I have . And I have not even started my outdoor stuff yet. Too much to do and not enough time to do it all. My job keeps interrupting my life. 😀

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Looks like the sweetie pie pumpkins can handle our weather after

    all.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @vickeym Congratulations! Here's hoping you get enough of a season for them to ripen. But I think from the size of these already, you have a good chance. 👍️