Young Pumpkin in Percy's Pearmain Portal. Note the thick stem, a sign that this pumpkin is going to be a biggy! Also note how the stem comes off the vine at a 90-degree angle, which will allow the vine to sit on top of the soon-to-be large pumpkin. Note the shriveled, dieing off flower. See the next pic, which shows this pumpkin's growth a month later.

Adolescent pumpkin (maybe Junior High). Note 1) how the vine was dragged up on top of the pumpkin (the vine was alongside the fruit when younger; see previous pic) so that the growing pumpkin would not pull away from the vine. With the vine on top and pumpkin below, why wanting the fruit to come off of the vine at a 90 degree angle (as mentioned in previous pic) becomes clearer.

Young pumpkin growing across Rock Birdbath. Note how quickly the fruit has grown yet the vine is not very developed beyond it. Also note how the young pumpkin still has the shriveled flower attached.

Skyward Netted Pumpkin. Now this project has been fun! My goal was to have a pumpkin grow in the air, suspended off the ground. This pumpkin almost made it to the top, that is, to the crossing bamboo poles, where I was wanting a pumpkin to hang out for a while – at least till Halloween. Spore Lore’s blog entry, 20121030 Skyward Pumpkins and Happy Halloween, tells all.

Skyward Netted Pumpkin -- close-up view. Note the thick stem, 90-degree stem, and the black plastic landscape netting that supports the weight of the pumpkin in the air on the not-so-strong vine.

Skyward Nestled Pumpkin -- close-up view. At last, a pumpkin vine has climbed up to the very crotch of the bamboo teepee AND fruited in a perfect orientation to wedge itself in FOREVER! You do it – I am not going to be the one to tell Skyward Nestled Pumpkin it’s time to move on.