Little to no fruit on my vines; no female flowers?

[Jason Ornoff]

This will be a two-or-three part post...

I have pumpkin vines that have been doing pretty well from the time I seeded them in late May. I've noticed no female flowers (so of course no pumpkins yet). I just recently added an organic fertilizer which I'm hoping will help. Thoughts?

My tomato plant, also doing well as a plant, has given 2 tomatoes, both a little smaller than tennis balls, and both started to stress on the vine before fully ripening so I pulled them off and composted them.

Conditions: Central Florida. Typically temperatures range from low 90s to high 90s with heat indexes occasionally up to 103. Watering (overnight) typically 5 days a week plus near daily rain. No yellowing leaves, no browning leaves. I did no soil prep before planting. I added an organic fertilizer about a week ago. Native soil PH is unknown, but this area was orange groves until developed about 20 years ago. Very dark soil and healthy grass, if that means anything. I think I've noticed a lack of pollinators, but I do have one eggplant that has 3 fruit on it. I've seen the occasional small wasp or ladybug.

Thanks for reading, and for any help!

 

[headfullofbees]

Tomatoes don't need pollinators, and of course, since you have no female flowers, pollination isn't an issue with your pumpkins.
I'm afraid it's the heat that's your problem.
Do your plants get a lot of sunshine, and if so, can you shade them from the sun, and cool them by damping down, or moving them into a draught?

 

[Chuck]

Too hot now. Just try to keep your plants alive until it cools off

 

[headfullofbees]

The heat is unlikely to kill your plants, especially if you raise their watering levels a little (they will transpire more).
The problem you have is that the fruit will not be produced on the growth you presently have.
Cut the tomatoes down to just six inches above soil level, and prune back the pumpkins, and when temperatures cool, away they go!

 

[Jason Ornoff]

Thanks everyone! Trying to shade them is probably not feasible. Good to know that the healthy vines are a good sign. I'll try pruning and hope for the best... I'll also plant the pumpkins earlier next year with the hopes they'll bloom before it gets too hot and can remain viable on the vine through the summer til October for the kids

 

[headfullofbees]

Thanks everyone! Trying to shade them is probably not feasible. Good to know that the healthy vines are a good sign. I'll try pruning and hope for the best... I'll also plant the pumpkins earlier next year with the hopes they'll bloom before it gets too hot and can remain viable on the vine through the summer til October for the kids

I've not enjoyed growing in your climate, but leaving pumpkins on the vine does not sound like a great idea.
For one thing they will probably fall off, as the handle weakens.
They WILL store for months, but are best taken off the vine, and put somewhere cool and dark.

 

[Corzhens]

Right now we have a squash vine that is kind of wild because we just throw the seeds in the backyard and let it grow if they can. With the squash vine that usually grows here, we still have to see some fruits. Yes, the flowers are the male flowers so there's no fruit. But a good thing because we eat the flowers like a vegetable. We have a local dish that has squash flower for an ingredient.

 

[headfullofbees]

Right now we have a squash vine that is kind of wild because we just throw the seeds in the backyard and let it grow if they can. With the squash vine that usually grows here, we still have to see some fruits. Yes, the flowers are the male flowers so there's no fruit. But a good thing because we eat the flowers like a vegetable. We have a local dish that has squash flower for an ingredient.

Cucurbit flowers are eaten all over the World.
The first time I had them was in Crete, 2006.
They were stuffed with rice that tasted like the filling of dolmathes, which I'm having this evening