Help me identify this plant - pumpkin? watermelon? gourd? squash?

[Wynette]

I've got a few horses, which means I've got LOTS of manure. We pile it up over fall/winter, and then spread it over our field in spring/summer.

I had a few smaller piles this year, and this plant was a volunteer in one of the manure piles. I told DH not to spread this pile, as I was curious to know what the plant was. I'm hoping pumpkin, and that's entirely likely since we have a huge pumpkin farm behind our 10 acres. Also, I do feed my chooks pumpkins, squash, and watermelon, and I suppose it's possible that they could have pooped out part of a seed....anyway - what are your thoughts?

Here's a view of most of the plant - it's a large plant, the largest leaves maybe being a hair smaller around than a basketball (?), and they are lobed. The actual plant is probably....oh, maybe 12' from one end to the other:

I tried to get a pic of one of the flowers opened, but none of them were open at the time I took pics - but, they are yellow:

And - here is the veggie that is growing - there are a few, maybe 3 of these that I've found thus far - at the time of the pic, this one was maybe just shy of the size of a basketball:

I'm REALLY hoping it's a pumpkin - I've tried to grow them a few times and have never been successful, but to say I have a green thumb would be an out & out lie. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[BirdNut]

Congratulations - I'm pretty sure it's a Pumpkin!

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Oh, I hope you're right!

 

[Judy]

The only thing is, be prepared, these will cross pollinate, you could get an odd fruit indeed....

 

[Orchid]

I don't know, the leaves are really deeply lobed for pumpkin vines (at least compared to the ones I'm growing). It looks more like a melon vine, but those fruits don't look like watermelons. Or canteloupe.

It's a conundrum!

 

[Amyable]

Looks like a pumpkin at teh moment, but could turn out to be a squash. Hopefully it matures in time for you to find out!

 

[AquaEyes]

Gourds and pumpkins are types of squash. From what I remember when I grew some, the plants looked pretty much the same. What we called it was based on what the fruit looked like.

 

[saddina]

Ok so first... pumpkins are squashes. I'll say a pumpkin, unless you've been feeding the animals the innards from large squashes last year.

 

[Wynette]

Well, I knew that a pumpkin is a type of squash...and I figured they are all in the same family, but wasn't completely sure.

Judy, what do you mean it would cross pollenate? I don't have any other squashes...

Saddina, actually, come to think of it, yes, they do get squashes to eat (chooks, not horses). Sheesh, I guess if it DID come from a gut, it could be canteloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash....darnit! I want it to be a pumpkin!

ETA: Maybe I'll wait a few weeks & add some update pics!

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
Out of all the things you said it could be, the fruit looks like a pumpkin.