I grew some Rouge Vif d'Etampes for the first time this year. Most of the fruits turned out lopsided. Is that normal or was there something wrong with the growing conditions? Also, you'll notice that there are varying amounts of green on the fruits. Why? The stems were dead when the pumpkins were picked.
This is the one fairly normal pumpkin I got.
a lopsided one
another lopsided one
Lovely squash Kelli!
I frequently see this variety at our famer's markets. They are always somewhat lopsided. I don't think I've ever seen one that wasn't. Perhaps it is just the variety?
They are still tasty, regardless of the shape.
They are a local staple around here, and they are almost always a bit "out of round" and "freckled".
almost all of mine will do that if I don't turn them frequently as I grow
=)
But I think they look nice! I can almost taste the pies....
If they're out of round and spotted in their country of origin, then how can I expect anything better here? ;-) Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
A bit of "love the body you've got" from the squash perspective?
But the thing is ... they TASTE so good!
Yes, they do. So no worries if they are out of round or freckled.
Just a couple of questions Kelli, if you don't mind. I have seeds for this variety and will be starting them very soon. I'm wondering how many you got per plant and about how big they were, just ballpark figures. You don't have to go out and measure or weigh them, lol! I just want to grow them for pies and don't need tons, so I'm wondering if I should just try to grow 1 or 2 plants.
Thanks!
vm
I had three plants and got four pumpkins. One was tiny - not much bigger than pattypan squashes. The largest was about 10 inches in diameter. The other two were more like 8 inches in diameter. For plant food - I had a koi that died and I buried it and planted the pumpkins on top of it. I also added some compost when I planted. I have one vine still alive but I doubt it will do anything this late in the year. My experience with pumpkins and winter squash is that as long as there is one fruit maturing on the vine, you won't get any more.
Wow! Costa Rica! How neat! Do you see a lot of different kinds of birds?
Thanks so much for the info Kelli - that's exactly what I wanted to know! I've never tried pumpkins before. Sounds like I should plant a few more plants than I thought. I have about 15 seeds, after trading some with an American friend for some of his "Jack O'Lantern" variety. I think I'll try starting about 6 plants and see what happens. If they do well, I'll give them away to the other Americans and Canadians around here. They'd probably be happy and would know what to do with them, ie: pumpkin pie, lol. They are unknown to Costa Ricans!
Yes, I see lots of different, really cool birds, especially hummingbirds. I have feeders, besides flowers that they like, and I get about a dozen species of hummers or hummer-like birds. My favourite is one called a Violet Sabrewing. It's gorgeous, especially when the sun shines on it's bright purple feathers! I live quite high up in the moutains so my climate is relatively cool, but comfortable for me. It's much cooler up here than down on the coasts, at the beach areas. This climate is actually great for cool-loving veggies and fruit. I can grow things like potatoes, strawberries, lettuce, etc. It still doesn't get really cold though, so citrus and bananas grow here as well. That's why I'm trying tomatoes and corn etc. Mangoes and papayas don't succeed however.
Thanks again for sharing your pumpkin-growing experience. I'll see how they work out here for me!
vm
Hey Kelli:
I love the Rouge vif d'temps as well and had great success with them. My were perfect, but I did put a thick layer of bubble wrap under each one and sat them perfectly upright. I don't know if you grow too many to do that, but I only grew 3 of them as its just me and I didn't want a ton of pumpkins. I still haven't cooked mine yet, you got any recipes?
I set mine upright on the ground when I noticed they were starting to get out-of-round. They were still quite young. The one that turned out normal was growing in a Salvia greggii bush that kind of kept it off the ground. It wasn't hanging loose, but maybe the bush did the same thing as your bubble wrap does.
I don't have any recipes. I grew the pumpkins for decoration and I'll eat the seeds later. I've never cooked pumpkin and wouldn't know what to do with it. (Pumpkin pie is probably my favorite food, but since it isn't low fat, I can't have it very often.)
