Three days ago just before sunrise, with the baby monitor clipped to my back pocket, I crept into the garden to check on the most promising female blossom. The one that I posted a few days back died and fell off much as the earlier ones had. I didn't panic, I finally found someone to tell me that it was normal. Are they right? Who knows, but it made me feel better.

A few feet down the vine, another female had appeared. It also proceeded to produce a blossom. This time the blossom developed until it was almost ready. It was the next morning that I made my move.

From the far end of the secondary vine I grabbed a male blossom that was ready to open. I carefully peeled back the female blossoms petals to reveal the stamen inside.

Next I picked up the male blossom and removed his petals

Once the petals were removed I prepared to try to make a baby pumpkin. But that's when it hit me. I was facilitating pumpkin sex. Not only was I crouched next to my pumpkin plant preparing to micromanage a little pumpkin-love, I was photographing it for posterity. I was a pumpkin pornographer. But wait, if the photos were for "education" then wouldn't it be more like a documentary? Kind of like why they can show bare chested women on National Geographic but fuzz them out on Cops. Soooo, new intellectual conclusion in mind, I proceeded with my plan.

I rubbed the stamen of the male flower onto the female flower and tried to keep from thinking "Pumpkin Porn" and giggling hysterically. It was only half past four in the morning and I'm not sure the neighbors would have let this one slide.

After pollinating the pumpkin I carefully closed the flower and tied it with a piece of twine, this is to keep the bees from cross pollinating with other pumpkin pollen and since i have a regular pumpkin plant, I didn't want to risk it.





Sorry about the quality of all the pictures, it was early, I was squatting to keep my butt out of the wet grass and there was a considerable amount of snickering going on.

Did it work? I'm not 100% sure. Everything I've seen so far is promising. Tonight the little pumpkin is bigger than ever and seem to be growing steadily. To be honest, I'm afraid to hope that this might work out after all!