AeroGarden Used to Grow Watermelon Plants

Today the first flower has bloomed.  Based on the information I found from the website, My Balcony Jungle, I learned that I need to pollinate the flowers in order to grow watermelons.  I identified  the blossoming flower as being a female flower.  According to My Balcony Jungle the flowers need to be pollinated fairly quickly.  You can easily tell the difference between flower sexes by looking at the stem that leads up the base of the flower.  If the stem is straight and skinny up to the base of the flower, the flower is male.  If the stem has a rounded ball shaped ovary near the base of the flower, it is a female flower.  Unfortunately none of the male flowers have yet opened, leaving the female without a mate and it's too late in the year to run up the the garden center and pick a flower from a starter vine for sale, which I thought about doing.. LOL

Based on some information I've read, watermelons generally need a lot of light and warmth.  I'm afraid my AeroGarden might not produce enough light for the vine once it starts growing watermelons so I decided to buy a grow light bulb for my old reptile heat lamp.  I picked one up at Wal-Mart for a few dollars and clipped the lamp to my table.  I hope that this will encourage even more growth!

The first male flower blossomed today!  Finally, though he is a bit late since the female has gotten tired of waiting.  Her petals already closed and beginning to wilt and wither away.  Mother nature is on a very tight schedule!  Regardless, I thought I might try to intervene.  The male flower's pollen seems to be ready, it shakes off when I touch it with a toothpick, so it must be ready.  I pulled back the closed petals from the female flower.  Using the toothpick I gently rolled it a bit on the female flowers stigma, making the toothpick head sticky.  I then collected pollen from the anthers of the male flowers stamens and transferred the pollen back onto the female stigma.  I tried my best to get the pollen in the center of the stigma but am not sure if I got enough in there or not.  I closed the petals back up and now all I can do is wait.

The new lamp with a grow light bulb. Hope it helps!	Here comes the male flower. Late for the date.	Closer view of the male flower.
Even closer view, notice the straight skinny stem.	Both flowers, after manual pollination.	Closer view of both flowers after pollination.