From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Mulino, Oregon

Here's a question that I've gotten three different answers to from 3 heavy hitters. When you are measuring on day 20,30 etc.. do you count the day you pollinated the fruit as day 1? For example if a fruit was pollinated on June 24th would day 30 be July 23rd or July 24th? When does 'life' really begin? Hmmmmmmmm

7/24/2012 11:55:01 PM

Rhode Island

i believe life begins the moment you pollinate the female.both my keepers were the third pollination and were done on july 1st.when i taped on the 17th i considered both fruit to be 17 days old.
i suppose though for arguments sake its not a big deal either way. im more concerned with daily averages from once a week tapings starting when the fruit is around 3 weeks old.
pap

7/25/2012 12:19:53 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

I personally count day one as the day after pollination.
I thought most people do as well....maybe not?
With people, we count one year old, as one year after birth. So it makes sense to me that day one would be the day after pollination, as that's when the pumpkin is one day old.

7/25/2012 12:25:41 AM

Germany

A good question, indeed. Even though I don´t belong to the group of heavy hitters, I feel like writing some lines here, I hope you don´t mind Jim. Although I cannot tell how others count these days, I noticed that in many cases the age of a pumpkin is reported as DAP (Days After Pollination), and this is a clear definition by itself. One day after pollination (i.e., the day after the day "when it happened") is 1 DAP. If people only report "day so-and-so", it is much more likely to (or, in my opinion, it should) include the day of pollination. As Doug14 pointed out, we count "one year old" as one year after birth (a parallel to DAP). To continue this comparison, when we talk about something that happened to a child in his/her first year, we talk about the time before the first birthday, right? (which would be the equivalent to day 1 in the life of an AG). So far the theory, but there´s still the question if people who report the age of the pumpkin do adhere to those definitions. Will read this thread with interest, thank you for getting it started. Jörg

7/25/2012 4:38:41 AM

St. Thomas Ontario

Before pollination, there is no pumpkin, just a glint in the 'pollinators' eye;)
i.e...The morning of July 1st there is a female bloom, you pollinate her with that special 'male' and you wait 24 hrs. The morning of July 2nd comes, 24 hrs has past and you have a 1 day old fruit. (just one mans opinion;)

7/25/2012 7:00:10 AM

Merrimack NH

I would think that 24 hours after you pollinate , it's one day old.

7/25/2012 8:14:57 AM

Ashby, MA

If you pollinate on July 1st and then measure on July 21st then 20 days (24 hours per day x 20 days) have past which, for me, means it's 20 days old. For example, lets look at 3 days for sake of argument. If you pollinate on the 1st then add 3 days you're at the 4th which would make the fruit 3 days old.

Note: this also matters for daily averages. If you think your measuring every 10 days but really measuring every 9 days (or the other way around) then this will have an affect on your average.

7/25/2012 8:36:36 AM

you know you have been growing too long when....

7/25/2012 8:37:11 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Well....one more day is 10 mo incheZ.....Jim...

7/25/2012 9:50:49 AM

Wi

I thought everyone thought of pollination day as Day ZERO.

7/25/2012 9:55:03 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I've thought the same as you Chris...I pollinated on July 4th....Day one was next morning July 5th.

7/25/2012 10:02:26 AM

Upa Creek, MO

I guess when I use the term DAP, it means a day after. So the fruit I pollinated Monday are 2 DAP today, but 3 days old?

7/25/2012 10:14:51 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

If pollination occurs on July 1 then July 02 is day #1.

7/25/2012 10:40:44 AM

Mulino, Oregon

See, clear as 'mud'. I know it doesn't really matter but it sure is a fun psychological excercise.

7/25/2012 11:10:51 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

So when you measure....if you measure after noon...is that the next day?

7/25/2012 11:19:00 AM

Colorado

lookajook explained it nicely!!! were measuring growth so calling day 0 day 1 makes no sense-I hope that confuses you -it did me

7/25/2012 12:20:11 PM

Western NY

pollination morning is day zero.

7/25/2012 1:26:58 PM

Central Minnesota

Pollination is day zero, 24 hours after pollination is day 1.

7/25/2012 1:54:19 PM

Westford, MA

When do you celebrate the pumpkin's 1st birthday??
365 days FROM day of pollination??
Or 366 days from day of pollination???
.
.
Also what do you get for the 1 year old fruit???

7/25/2012 2:13:25 PM

Clinton, NY

Think I'll weigh in here(no pun intended)... As a very experienced gardener ,albeit first time AG grower I feel it best to wait until the pumkin is about volley ball size and then start day 1... It just looks better in the diary...could be just me though...dAp ..Q. The day you pollinate, has it been a full day?..seems like true day 1 would be DOP day of and dap would be day after....not sure I care, either way seems like it would work..ps. I knew this would be fun.. Didn't realize how fun ...thanks for all the info bigpumpkin peeps!!!

7/25/2012 3:06:36 PM

Bristol,RI,USA.

I tend to think like chris poll day is day 0 then count from there for mr the whole 20day thing is more so i don't go crazy taping every day kinda limit myself to every saturday! so i have some kind of a recourd to look back on to compear year to year

7/25/2012 4:18:42 PM

Lloydminster/AB

Pollination time is time 0. 24 hours later is end of day 1.

7/25/2012 8:57:32 PM

Bristol R.I. USA

Ive always counted day 1 as the day the pumpkin gets pollinated. It only makes sence. It begin its jorney. If you where going on vacatipn you count the day you leave.

7/26/2012 5:17:26 AM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

You're not a day old when you are born. Day oen is 24 hours later.,

7/26/2012 7:17:50 AM

Rhode Island

i was born 12-20-1941. i consider that the first day of my life.not 24 hrs later. but then again who cares? im more concerned with where im at at day 95 or is that day 96?

7/26/2012 10:19:49 AM

Novar, Ontario

The real question is, what are the tables established on. I am sure when they were being built that a criteria was established. Doesnt make any difference in the end, but as a newer grower, just trying to make an educated guess on the final numbers, bar all the things which can and will go wrong. Fifteen or twenty pounds at day twenty can be huge on the charts.

7/26/2012 8:45:18 PM

Ohio

It doesnt really matter to me, all my pumpkins quit growing around 30 or 31 days anyway, lol

7/28/2012 5:44:02 AM

Muddy Waters

Wow! I'm so confused I think I will go play with my melons!LOL!

7/28/2012 7:01:28 AM

Indiana

Are you 1 year old on the day you are born?

7/29/2012 10:07:02 AM

Muddy Waters

No you are 1 day old

7/31/2012 6:48:55 PM