Hello all,

Hubby and I planted our very first "real" garden ever (I have had experience with growing vegetables in planters, but never had the room before to actually dig a garden). Needless to say we have done extensive research on everything we've planted (and some stuff we'd like to plant next year) but every day and garden discovery brings other questions, some to which I find no answer. Sorry for the long intro, but I guess what I mean to say is that you're likely to see more posts from us in the coming weeks :)

Anywho, today's question is about pumpkins. We have 4 plants, 2 of which were started indoors back in March. We transplanted them in the garden proper about 5 weeks ago and they are thriving. The other two I planted about 3 weeks ago because my other seedlings died, and they are also doing very well.

My older plants have large, beautiful leaves and are growing like crazy. About two weeks ago, I started to notice some buds coming in and we now have about 10 good sized buds, which I know are male (we looked up male and female flowers and pollination, so I know that the first flowers will be male and will fall off, etc.). My question is, how long will it be until the buds actually flower? I read somewhere that the flowers open early in the morning, but I have yet to see a bloom. Is it normal for buds to be dormant this long? If not, is it a temperature problem? We used compost when planting, and fertilized about a week ago. We water the garden daily and the plants (leaves) are looking really healthy.

Am I just being impatient or is there something wrong with my pumpkins?

Any help much appreciated!