Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

amcon2 6/15/2015, 10:06 am

I have planted summer squash and zucchini in my garden and have now read on some different sites that 2 plants should be planted together so they pollinate. Have I planted them wrong? I planted single plants 3 feet apart
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quiltbea 6/15/2015, 12:02 pm

amcon......Don't fret about those plants. They aren't far enough apart to make any difference. In fact, in a few weeks they'll be rubbing shoulders together at that short distance and eventually trying to push each other out. Those crops take up oodles of room.
As for pollination, its the insects that will pollinate those blossoms but you can do it yourself as well. Check out the process on youtube and see for yourself. You just need to take a male blossom and brush it over the female blossoms on the same plant and you've pollinated by hand. Don't use a squash over a zucchini or the opposite. You want to keep your crops pure.
Good luck.

amcon2 6/15/2015, 12:51 pm

Thanks for your response, Quiltbea. I was worried that there might be a problem in producing fruit. The plants are growing nicely, though I haven't see any bees in my yard when I'm out there. I may try the pollinating method myself that you describe. Thanks for your help!

**sanderson** 6/16/2015, 2:27 am

QB, I thought that the pollen could come from any squash as long as one isn't saving the seeds. That it was the fruit flower that determined the squash variety. I use the male flowers from whatever plant has them to pollinate a female flower. ????

audrey.jeanne.roberts 6/16/2015, 2:49 am

sanderson wrote:QB, I thought that the pollen could come from any squash as long as one isn't saving the seeds. That it was the fruit flower that determined the squash variety. I use the male flowers from whatever plant has them to pollinate a female flower. ????

That is my understanding as well. Fortunately, the bees are busy at work in my garden this year so I haven't had to do any hand pollinating.

quiltbea 6/16/2015, 6:55 pm

You may be right on the pollinating. I'm just extra careful about such things to be sure I don't cross anything and get something weird in the process.

**Turan** 6/16/2015, 11:38 pm

It only matters if what you want is the seeds. Like corn or for seed saving. The fruit will not care what pollen as long as they are the same species, which most squash are.

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Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

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Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini

Re: Question on planting summer squash and zucchini


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