fat little pumpkins

I've lost even more pumpkins, even after taking over pollination.  It appears that they have to be at just the right stage to pollinate - too early or too late and it's no good.  At least I know what to look for now.  If they pollinate properly, by the very next day you can almost tell that they've grown; the day after that and they're definitely bigger.  If they don't pollinate, they stay the same size on the vine for about a week before dropping off.

Having said that, I think I've got at least a half-dozen that pollinated and plenty more that haven't reached the flowering stage yet.  And three of my pumpkins are already huge!  Look at the size of these little beauties.  Though I don't actually know what size they're meant to get in the end...

They've gotten about to the size where I had to start thinking about extra support.  They are up on the fence after all and if they get too heavy they might break off the vine!

I'd heard of using old pantyhose but I don't wear them enough to have spares.  I had an old t-shirt I was going to slice up, but then I got worried.  Would it be bad for the pumpkins if their sunlight was blocked?  And if they get wet in the rain, will the t-shirts stay damp and rot the pumpkins?

So the bird netting got put to yet another purpose.  I took a piece I'd already cut off and cut it even smaller.  Voila, pumpkin hammocks!  It must be a good life, to be a pumpkin on a fence.  You get to hang out in the shade and breeze, then get cradled in a hammock.