mature pumkin skin sinking

13 years ago

yesterday our pumpkin was beautiful.. starting to turn orange and harden up. The seed packet names the variety as Zapallo gran max and the picture shows a nice orange fruit. I cannot find anything on that name.

We have had a ton of babies start to grow then shrivel and cave in. We pollenated most of them by hand but maybe too late to take.

We were perplexed by the yellow color, so we started reading up on growing pumpkins.

This morning we got up and checked out our brand new horn worm issues and saw our pride and joy showing signs of the skin sort of wilting down. The pumpkin is about the size of a basket ball or a bit larger, the spot on top covers about one quarter of the skin and the one on the bottom is more like where it was laying on the ground (artificial turf). It is not discolored, no leakage. the skin nearest the stem is turning orange..

Lacking any better knowledge, we have removed the pumpkin with hopes it will cure okay in our closet and be useable. We aren't sure what we will use it for right now. we hoped to grow them for our grandchildren.

So, is anyone able to tell me more about the variety (is it good to eat) and what the issue is with the skin changing so drastically overnight??

I have facebook pics posted of the pumpkin on the vine just a few days ago and can provide one of it in its' current state. I am new but checking out the URL here for my username to see if pics can be posted.

Thanks..

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Comments (3)

farmerdilla
13 years ago
It is easy to post photos here. Just transfer them to a free site like photobucket, copy the html code and paste it in your posting.
You may be right in that your fruit is showing lack of pollination. They are also subject to sunscald. This will show up as sunken leathery spot on top of the fruit where directly impacted by the sun.
I expect that you have a version of the Zapallo/Calabaza/Cuban Pumpkin which is a C moschata. Never turn really orange, but a yellowish buff orange that we old folks call terracotta. ( color of a clay drainage pipe) If you google by any of these common names, you will find descriptions and pictures.
happykat826
Original Author
13 years ago
I am thinking it may be sun.. it has the spots on top and also one on the bottom.. we have astro turf down so I can walk safely and it grew on that. it does get hot. I sure wish I could have talked him into removing the evening before .. GRRRR..

So is it a good one to eat? it seems fine now Just that the skin looks odd in those two spots.. it is hardening.. and he had fallen down off some brick and I think he steps on the vine because within one more day the vine on that side is all but totally withered and dead. so perhaps his fall caused the stem to break someplace near the start of the vine and it affected the fruit.

It weighs 18 pounds.. looks a little on the sad sad side today. not sure it is going to make it.

A local pumpkin farmer said he couldn't say without seeing it. I still cannot believe it was fine one evening and less than 12 hours later looks like it does. It has started wrinkling a bit on the larger spot. I don't expect good news but very curious as to what the opinions are as to what may have caused this.
thanks so much for your help.

Here is a link that might be useful: picasa pumpkin pics
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In the current issue of Mother Earth News there is an article on interesting pumpkins and your description sounds alot like one of them. From the article: Galeux dÂEysines Of the three, this French heirloom variety is quite an eye-popper! The pumpkins are flat and squat, and the hard skin of the mature fruit is salmon-pink and covered with warts resembling peanut shells. These bumps are sometimes called "sugar warts," because theyÂre caused by a buildup of sugars under the skin. It takes its name from Eysines, the place in France where it originated in the 19th century. In France the ÂGaleux dÂEysinesÂ is mostly used for soups, sauces and preserves such as pumpkin butter because the texture of the cooked fruit is very smooth. A pumpkinÂs flavor is most concentrated just under its skin and in the seed mass; boil the flesh (minus the skin) and the seed mass (minus the seeds) when making a soup stock and youÂll really taste the difference. The orange flesh is fragrant and quite sweet with a hint of sweet potato and apple. Each pumpkin weighs about 10 to 15 pounds and if picked before frost, it will store for up to six months. How cool is that!?
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happykat826
Original Author
13 years ago
OKAY found out Zapallo is the word for pumpkin.. LOL the packet says.. Big Max, zapallo,, gran max (also not english) so I guess they are supposed to be Big Max. but they were never green all a very pretty yellow.

We still have one vine that looks good. We are convinced we had cucumber beetles as the leaves drooped off and off. We now have read is a sign of bacteria wilt. We thought it was needing water. We do have the little striped beetles flying everywhere but no damage to other plants. We have had 8 very nice large cucumbers.. It is so hot here now and the rains came and went. 102 to 106 average and very long days, it made since to think.. they just need watering.

We caught the pumpkin as the sun scald just set it. It has been treated with bleach water and in a cool room. Prior to when the leaves started drooping (when the temps soared) they covered the plant. The vine and leaves were huge.

The local grower said we may get more off the healthy vine that remains but we have find out how to rid ourselves of these little bugs. We thought they were lady bugs. OOOOPS!

Link to a nice document showing diseases and good info.

http://njveg.rutgers.edu/assets/pdfs/aw/FS357final-Managing%20ImportantPumpkinDiseasesInHomeGarden-Part2.pdf

mature pumkin skin sinking

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farmerdilla

happykat826
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mature pumkin skin sinking

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