Hey everyone! I'm super excited because this is my first year growing zucchini and squash. Before this, all I did was grow tomatoes in a pot, so I'm looking forward to expanding my gardening skills. I've noticed flowers starting to bloom this week, and I'm curious about whether I should be hand pollinating my zucchini and squash, or if it's better to let nature take its course? I do have a flower garden nearby, and I've seen a few bees buzzing around. I'd love to hear your advice! Thanks!
3 Answers
I’ve never hand-pollinated any of my plants. If there are pollinators nearby, they’ll do their job just fine!
I usually only hand-pollinate when I'm trying to avoid cross-pollination for seed saving. If you have a good number of male and female flowers at the same time, the bees should manage just fine!
Since it's your first time, I'll break it down a bit. Squash and zucchini have separate male and female flowers. The males come first and don’t produce fruit, so don’t worry if they die off without fruit—they're just the guys! As more flowers bloom, if there are any pollinators like bees or even flies around, you’ll be harvesting a ton of squash in no time! I don’t hand pollinate; I just focus on keeping pests away and let nature handle the rest!
Thanks for the tip about seed saving! That makes sense!