My zucchini and squash are flowering nicely but no veggies.

Jill
by Jill
Today I found a tiny squash that just fell off the vine. What is going on?I grew tons in California now I'm in Marietta Ga. What should I do?
  3 answers
  • JL Spring & Associates JL Spring & Associates on Jul 21, 2011
    Hi Jill, without being an expert gardener I can only think of 3 reasons why the plants aren't producing...either the nitrogen levels are high which make lots of flowers but no "babies" , or there's a pollination problem where the Bees are disappearing all over the place or perhaps there are no females in the group producing (again a pollination issue) I would consult your local garden center and see if there are others locally that are experiencing the same problems. The males usually appear first and most squash and gourds females have tiny baby squashes inside, you may have to strip down the outer yellw petals of the males and manually pollinate...should work if you do see bees around...hope this helps a little..JL
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 22, 2011
    JL gives you good advice, Jill. Zucchini plants produce male and female blooms and for proper fruit set, the pollen must be transferred from the male to the female blooms. This is usually done by pollinating insects, primarily honeybees. If pollen transfer does not take place, fruit will not set. You can hand-pollinate, but it is a tedious process. I would first try planting other pollen- producing flowers and herbs throughout your garden to attract and welcome beneficial pollinating insects to your garden beds. Good luck!
  • Erica Glasener Erica Glasener on Jul 22, 2011
    Jill, While my flower garden looks good this year despite our mostly dry and extremely hot weather my veggie garden is another story. Just to let you know you are not alone. I have had tons of flowers on my squash plants and no fruit. Lack of pollination and the weather are the problem. I have talked to other successful gardeners in GA who have had similar problems this year. I will be planting more bush beans and sunflowers. Maybe next year I will have better luck with squash. The good news is you can plant greens like kale and spinach in early September and expect good production this fall and into winter.