Insects on pumpkins

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trifunov Brandon, MS(Zone 8a) Sep 23, 2004

I planted pumpkin seeds for the first time this year hoping to have pumpkins for Halloween. One of the plants has a lot of small flies around it, and these big yellow ant-like insects on the buds (see picture). Do I need to do anything about these? A couple of the other plants also have marks on the leaves (not the plant with the insects though (see the next picture). I haven't put any kind of insecticides on these yet, I wanted to try and keep my new vege patch organic. These pumpkins were my first effort.
I have just one more question, too, if you don't mind... It said on the seed packet "maturity 90 days", so I planted these at the end of July so that they would have 90 days to Halloween. Was I perhaps too late?? I don't see any little pumpkins yet, although there are lots of flowers.... they don't have much time left to start growing pumpkins.
Thanks so much for any help
Natasha

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trifunov Brandon, MS(Zone 8a) Sep 23, 2004

Here are the marks on the leaves...

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Sep 24, 2004

I have liitle luck with fall pumkins for several reasons. First the heat of July and August inhibits setting and secondly the pickle worms are ferocious. Technically our seasons are long enough for a July planted pumpkin to mature. I gave that up and grow pumpkins in the spring so that the rinds are hard when the pickle worms arrive. For whatever reasons, the Cushaws are easier to grow here than the orange types. Seem to tolerate the heat better.

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trifunov Brandon, MS(Zone 8a) Sep 24, 2004

Thanks FarmerDill - I think I will just leave them alone and be thankful if I get any little pumpkins.
I'm so excited about having a garden and growing stuff. Ive been working really hard laying landscape timbers and bringing barrows of compost and grass clippings and leaves to get the basic shape of my vege patch right (sort of around the pumpkin hills, which I couldn't wait to plant). At the worst I guess I can till the pumpkin plants into the soil - they must be good organic matter :>) Here's my vege garden today...

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Sep 24, 2004

Be forewarned. Two hills of a halloween sized pumpkin will cover your whole garden, The vines wil grow from 12 to twenty feet.

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trifunov Brandon, MS(Zone 8a) Sep 24, 2004

I planted two packs of seeds, each pack had about 30 seeds. I kept about 20 plants in the vege garden and put the other 40 thinnings on the outside of the fence to spill over into the drainage ditch - couldn't bear to throw them away. I guess I'm going to be overrun with pumpkin plants, if not pumpkins. Next year I'll try and control myself at pumpkin planting time...
Thanks again
Natasha

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