My garden has become a low priority this year. It's rather unusual for a Master Gardener to admit this, but I gave birth to a baby boy in May — right at planting time. I was still physically able, however, to tell my husband and daughter where to put seeds and how to plant them.

Everything is just late. But I give my family a "green thumbs up" for helping out.

I wasn't able to plant my pumpkins until late June, and I have noticed a few on the vine already. So I researched the subject to find out if I might actually have a small crop this year within the growing season. Many vines are flowering now — a critical time for watering and pollination.

Watering

Actually, pumpkins can be planted in this area until late July. They must be watered during extended dry periods. Pumpkins tolerate short periods of hot, dry weather pretty well.

Pollination

The first flowers that bloom are almost always male. The pollen on these first male flowers attracts bees and alerts them to the location of the blooming vines. By the time the first female blossoms open, the bees' route is well established and the male flowers' pollen is transferred to the female flowers by the bees.

Male flowers bloom for one day, then drop off the plants. The male flowers may predominate under certain conditions, especially early in the season, or under certain kinds of stress. The small fruits, visible at the bases of the female flowers only, identify them. There is no swelling on the bases of the male flower stems.

I encouraged bees this year by planting the pumpkins in one of my flower beds. While I don't use insecticides, here is some advice for those who do. Bees, which are necessary for pollinating squash, pumpkins and most plants on earth, may be killed by insecticides.

When insecticides are used, they should be applied only in late afternoon or early evening when the blossoms have closed for the day and bees are no longer visiting the blossoms. As new blossoms open each day and bees land only inside the open blossoms, these pollinating insects should be safe from contact with any potentially deadly sprays.

Harvesting

Pumpkins can be harvested whenever they are a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties) and the rind is hard. If vines remain healthy, harvest in late September or early October, before heavy frosts. If vines die prematurely from disease or other causes, harvest the mature fruit and store them in a moderately warm, dry place until Halloween. Cut pumpkins from the vines carefully, using pruning shears or a sharp knife, and leave 3 to 4 inches of stem attached.

If the stems are snapped from the vines, the pumpkins will have broken or missing "handles." Pumpkins without stems usually do not keep well. Wear gloves when harvesting fruit because many varieties have sharp prickles on their stems.

Avoid cutting and bruising the pumpkins when handling them. Fruits that are not fully mature or that have been injured or subjected to heavy frost do not keep. Store in a dry building where the temperature is between 50 and 55°F.

Pumpkins can range in size from less than 1 pound to more than 1,000 pounds. Miniature pumpkins weigh less than 1 pound and typically are used for decorative purposes. Pie pumpkins range in many sizes. The 5 to 10 pound pie pumpkin varieties are most often grown. Pumpkins in the 10 to 25 pound range are primarily used for jack-o'-lanterns and can also be used for processing. Pumpkins above 25 pounds are called giant. Giant pumpkins typically range between 25 to 75 pounds in size.

Just for the record, Pennsylvania is one of the four top pumpkin producing states in the country, along with Ohio, Illinois and California.

Jennifer Frohnapfel is a Master Gardener with the Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County.