Tuesday 29 July 2008

Pumpkin pollination

Not only did Hermione complete her Horizon Math book which she has been working on since April today, I also figured out the problem with my withering pumpkins and have hopefully solved it.

I assumed that all the tinkering seed producers do would result in vegetables which don't have to be manually pollinated, but perhaps that isn't the case - perhaps my pumpkins only grow to the size of a golf ball and whither because they haven't been pollinated. On close inspection it's easy to see distinct male and female flowers.





I picked the male flowers and did the necessaries - I think. Only time will tell. The children were intrigued and I felt that I could come much closer to the crunch with pumpkins than I have with frogs, hens or humans in the past.

6 comments:

Bridget said...

Goodness, you really are a committed gardener, doing the necessary with pumkins!! Claire, I think you may need to get out more!!!

Claire said...

Oh, I think you could be right there :-) Trouble is when I do get out I have nothing to talk about other than pollinating pumpkins which means I don't get invited again :-)

Anonymous said...

a few weeks ago my 70-something-W.I-member aunty was explaining how to polinate corgettes, at one point she said, "look you've got 4 children!!"

Claire said...

That made me laugh - and I was going to pass some comment about how it takes so much more knowledge, skill and commitment with courgettes - but then I thought I'd best not as Craig has been known to read my blog!

Anonymous said...

OO I didn't know they had to pollenate, I thought they might be like cucumbers

Claire said...

I'm not entirely sure Denise. My courgettes have done fine with no intervention from me but the pumpkins are getting no where - could be some other reason though - I'm just guessing here really.