I planted two Giant Atlantic pumpkin plants in my garden around 9 weeks or so ago. The male flowers where the first to show, many of them but haven't bloomed and are quite firm to the touch still. Since then three females (1 on one plant, 2 on the other) have grown, bloomed and started to wilt (in the last couple of days) without any sign of the males blooming so that I can pollinate.
I understand that the male pumpkins are supposed to bloom first. Is something wrong? what? and is there anything I can do?
More details
They were bred indoors for the first 6 weeks and transplanted outdoors in new soil/compost 13 foot holes. The rest of the garden (which they are now creeping over) is old soil, which I've been loosely mixing with compost as they grow over it. I've watered them 4-8 litres a day, at the base and also via funnel to the roots. Once or twice a week, adding high potash feed. There's not much else in the garden except some very new sunflower sprouts. I don't know the pH of the soil and have no way to find out.
I am in the U.K. (Scotland) it's been a combination of hot and sunny and cold and rainy although the soil has been no lower than 12C the entire time, that I can see. For most of their life they have been under a plastic, flexible greenhouse-type cover (until the last week or so).
(This is also my first foray into gardening)