Pumpkins only bloom in the right conditions, depending on the variety. Some like it hot. Others go for temperate. Even a pollinated baby pumpkin may shrivel in hot, humid, or dry weather, or rot if a rat or wombat has gnawed their skin. Very hot days and warm nights also stress vines so much they discard their fruit. Human pumpkin pollinators need to shake a male flower over a female till all the pollen seems to have dropped off. You may also try a small paintbrush to transfer all the sticky yellow grains to the stigmas – the comparatively long ‘threads’ in the flower that have no pollen. This is easier with large pumpkins than small cucumber flowers, and very easy with passionfruit flowers, as they obligingly open fully, making access easy.
