Has anyone grown white pumpkins? Do their leaves change colors? I have several "volunteer" white pumpkins that sprouted in my garden from a white pumpkin we tossed out there this winter. I transplanted around 15 of them to various places. They are all doing significantly better than the ones I planted from seeds. But, the one that is doing the VERY best has got what looks to be that 'powdery mildew' on it. Now, this stuff isn't powdery at all, and I water in early morning, with a hose onto the ground--no sprinkler. The foliage stays pretty dry. And something poked a hole in my pumpkin--would that be a bird or a squirrel problem? Here are some pictures of the problems.

The holey pumpkin



The white leaves:


Thanks,
Sarah

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6

I'm not sure what kind these are--they are from a pumpkin farm from Halloween last year. I'll try giving them some fish fertilizer and sprinkling it onto the leaves...haven't fertilized these guys yet anyway. We have lots of birds and squirrels around here. So that is probably what poked that hole. Anything I can do to repel them from my pumpkins? (I have a nearby garden that the birds keep bug-free for me.) Thanks for the tip about them turning bluish--I'll be writing that one down!

Sarah

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6

Thanks for the tip! I only put the fish fertilizer on half the leaves--and those leaves look a lot better! They still have some of the whitish color in their veins but no where near as bad!

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6

Don't worry about the white in the leaves, it's a natural colouring, not sooty mould. Fish fert is great for your pumpkins . They love it.
A rat usually gets into my pumpkins, i leave the damaged pumpkin for him to finish and he generally leaves the others alone. Been trying to catch him for nearly a year now. Clever critter. I'll get him one day.

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The secret is the soil.