Hey everyone, I'm a first-time gardener and I've run into some trouble with my zucchini and squash. Despite doing my research, my tomatoes, peppers, beans, and berries are thriving, but my zucchini just isn't living up to the hype of being overabundant. I've planted two types of zucchini and a pattypan squash in a raised bed with good soil and compost, and I've even added fertilizer periodically. I'm keeping everything watered well, but so far, only one of my zucchini has produced fruit, and it quickly fell off and died. My pumpkins are facing the same issue - not much production, just male flowers that either rot or drop off before fruit can develop, and any tiny fruit that does appear seems to go soft and squishy before I even get a chance to enjoy them. I've seen plenty of bees buzzing around the garden, and I've even tried hand pollination with zero success. There's no sign of pests or animal interference, which leaves me feeling pretty lost. I'm located in Zone 7b (Baltimore) and really want to get my zucchini game going since I love them. What do you think I might be doing wrong?
2 Answers
Have you thought about sharing some pictures of your plants? It might help us troubleshoot better from what we can see on the plants themselves!
Hey! I get what you're going through. Down here in Texas, my squash and zucchini usually stop producing decent fruit by mid-July due to higher nighttime temperatures. Even with shade cloth and regular watering, they just can’t handle the heat. I’ve had to replant later in the summer hoping for a fall harvest. You might want to consider that if your temps are getting high at night too!
Wow, that makes sense! I hadn’t thought about the temperature affecting them this much. It’s just so frustrating not getting any viable fruits after trying to care for them.