In the last article Little F–k Thong (ฟักทอง “fak thaawng” meaning “pumpkin” in Thai), as I have named the pumpkin, had a major set-back by way of a hail storm. A really, really bad hail storm!
With the only fruit severed, I wasn’t sure if Little F–k Thong was going to survive – but turns out, it’s a fighter! Even though I had to cut swathes of foliage from the original vine because of the hail damage the plant has grown two huge new vine stems and currently has four female flowers which I will eventually pollinate and will become fruit!
The progress is timely as well. It is mid-Summer and there is still plenty of sunlight (mixed with showers) for the next 8 weeks at least. The rain can be a bit on the torrential side through the Melbourne Summer, so I will continue to keep my eye on the plant and make sure it survives anything untoward.
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- Another female flower with fruit
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- Female flower with fruit
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- Male pumpkin flower
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- The entire plant
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- New vine growth
