I tried growing crookneck squash and black beauty zucchini this year, but I only got a tiny handful of squash and absolutely no zucchini. It's surprising because I've had success with these before. I had bug issues, but it seemed like the real problem was that the plants just kept blooming without producing female flowers. They were in the ground for months before I finally gave up and ripped them out. I've since planted some new starts and used a mix of Espoma garden tone, bone meal, and compost, with plans to give them Alaska fish fertilizer soon. I'm in zone 8a, and while I'm still hopeful, I suspect there may be a nutrient imbalance. I'm also planning to do a soil test since high nitrogen and low phosphorus might be culprits. Does anyone else have experience with easy veggies failing like this? Could it be the weather, too much rain, soil condition, or maybe bad seeds? We had tons of rain and heat in July, and I did use shade cloth and BT. Any thoughts on what could be going wrong?
4 Answers
I've had rough luck this year too. Out of five squash plants, I’ve managed to get just one fruit. On the other hand, six zucchini plants gave me five zucchini, but I was still hoping for more. It's definitely frustrating!
I've been in the same boat in zone 8a! My plants bloomed non-stop but I got zero fruit from my zucchini, butternut squash, mini watermelon, and pie pumpkins. I finally pulled everything up and I'm not sure if I'll even try again this year. It was really disheartening!
Excessive heat can really mess with fruit set. In your 8a zone, you might want to try planting early or even starting seeds indoors about four weeks before the last frost. You could plant another round after the hot summer months. I also recommend putting down boards after watering to keep the soil cooler, and check for sprouts in about four days. Plus, sprinkling some cayenne pepper around the base of the plants can help keep pests away!
I'm giving away pattypan squash this year, but my zucchinis were just stingy. Barely got enough for my family off two plants. I lost one to squash vine borers early on. I always plant two of each type of squash since some just don't thrive as well as others.