Tiny Tuesday.

I am very fond of pumpkins and was spoilt in Australia being able to eat them all year round. Over here they are eagerly awaited as they only are available in autumn. Last year I tried to grow pumpkins from some plants given to me by a friend. A few leaves sprouted and that was it. This year she gave me 2 more which I planted in a sunny spot in our junk front yard. After a tenuous start being sheared off at ground level by slugs they took off like wild fire. Hubby would check early in the mornings for slugs which were prolific despite the slug killer and beer traps that I put out. Every morning I would find flowers lying on the ground. Eventually I found that coffee grounds worked wonders but the flowers still kept falling off. I did a bit of research and discovered that the first flowers are usually male and it is normal for them to fall off in the beginning. The poor maligned slugs were not responsible at all. I kept nurturing the plants then I was delighted to discover a female flower with its tiny pumpkin at its base. Hopefully it would be pollinated and reach its full potential. The growth appeared rather slow and my friend admitted to me that we planted them too late in the season. Either that or it was not fully pollinated. I gave up checking it every day then found it yesterday lying abandoned on the ground next to its shrivelled beginnings. Well, maybe next year it will be 3rd time lucky armed with my new knowledge about pumpkin habits.
The extra shows how tiny this really is. Thanks to jensphotos for hosting this month.