Question
I am having a problem with my pumpkin plants this year. They grow full of blossoms and their leaves are big and green. One day I went out to find that the leaves were brown and shriveled up. They all ended up dying. I never had this problem before. As for the pumpkins themselves, they died also. What could cause this?
Thank you

Answer
Amy,

It sounds like they got blight.  Do you rotate where you plant your pumpkins each year?  Rotation is very important to help prevent disease and fungus, as well as rotating crops helps to keep your soil more fertile.

I would clean up the area, remove all the plant debris, do not compost it, either burn it or place it into the garbage.  The blight can be carried from year to year in the soil and in compost.  Then next year make sure you put the pumpkin in a new area.

Blight can happen for a variety of reasons, it is a disease that can live in the soil for many years, the plant could have had poor air circulation, the plant could have been stressed by too little or to much water and therefore picked up the disease.  There is often no one reason, so just try to prevent it have happening again by doing what I suggested above.

Sorry you lost your pumpkins, try planting some kale or late season broccoli in the area once you have cleaned it up and turned the soil that way you can still get some food from that area of your garden.

Happy gardening,

Catherine
www.your-vegetable-gardening-helper.com