No courgettes and no squashes, what happened?

r3nu4l

So springtime arrived, I planted courgette and squash seeds in potting compost, the seeds germinated and plants grew. When they were big enough to plant out, I dug a large hole for each plant, filled it to the top with manure and then mounded over with compost and soil and planted the plant into the mound.

The plants took off well, some grew better than others and they all flowered. However, then the flowers died off and no courgettes and no squashes appeared. So has anyone any idea of what the problem could be? We watered very regularly but didn't add any feed. Could this be the problem or is there something else I should be doing next year?

I should say that the plot we planted into is a two year old raised bed that has two year old topsoil in it. There is rhubarb growing successfully in the plot, as well as raspberries and blackcurrants. Last year we successfully grew cucumbers in the plot.

poppyfields

Sounds like they were not pollinated by the bees. I had this problem last year with my squashes. I think with all the manky weather we have been having we don't have as many bumble bee's doing there thing.

This year I have hand pollinated my squashes and you can do the same for courgettes. Find a female flower. this will have the fruit behind it, then pick a male flower, this will have a long stem with no fruit behind it.

Peel back the male flower so only it's stamen is left. Then rub it all around the centre of the female. You could always use a second male on her to get as much pollen as possible on her. So basically you're making love to the female so be a gentle lover!

But even this is no gaurantee as I have discovered. I've been able to set my fruit but they are still rotting with all the rain we've been having

r3nu4l

Thanks poppyfields, to be honest with you, I didn't think I'd have to hand pollinate them as there have been literally hundreds of bees in my garden this summer. I have one nest of bumblebees in my compost bin and that's less than 20 feet from the plot I'm talking about! There have also been lots of honeybees about as well. I was sure that this would bring about pollination for me

Oh well, next year I reckon I'll just hand pollinate anyway. I thought perhaps that I should have been adding a feed to them when I watered or something.

On the more positive side, our carrots, lettuce, beetroot, chillis and tomatoes are doing brilliantly and we had a good crop of broad beans and potatoes so it's not as if nothing worked

Dr Galen

i've found lots of things to be slow this year to be fair. I've gotten a few courgettes and squashes alright, but nothing near what I had hoped. Pumplins are doing ok, going to have at least 1 lovely one. I think the crappy weater is having a lot to do with it. There's barely been a proper run of sunny weather now since June. Slowing everthing down to an extent.

If you've gotten loads of bees etc around I'd doubt it a polination thing then. Doesn't happen to be particularly windy round where you are?

poppyfields

Well sounds like you've had a great crop!

Maybe with the squashes it could be because you've had all male flowers. Sometimes this happen, then the plant starts to produce male and female flowers later on. Have a look and see is there actually female flowers on the plant. I had a week of male flowers before the females started coming

Or more then likely if where you are is anything like the West of Ireland you're not getting the weather. Out of all our squash plants outside we only have one growing successfully and that's a Jack O Lantern I think it's a bit more suited to our manky weather

sushisushi

I've got a similar problem which, on inspection, seems to be because my courgette plants are exclusively producing male flowers. Should they start producing both after a certain length of time - they've been flowering away for at least a month now!

r3nu4l

Never thought about the all-male flowers thing, better check it out...

I can't complain about the weather. I have to say that the weather in the East of England is absolutely fantastic. Loads and loads of sunshine and some days with very heavy rain but not a lot so far.

poppyfields

I do the pumpkin love parade every morning. So for example this morning I went into the greenhouse where I have 3 vegetable spaghetti squashes taken over. There was 7 male flowers and not a single female one. It's all about timing really. Some days I could find 4 females and one male.

Some people put a elastic band over male flower to stop it opening until a female flower has opened.



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r3nu4l

Just wondering...

Is there any chance of getting a crop from these at all this year if they get pollinated in the next couple of weeks?

poppyfields

Well I hope so! I suppose we have August, September and October to grow them. Once they do set the fruit they do grow pretty fast. I was just out doing the rounds of my three sisters and there was a squash that I had only pollinated last week hiding and it has gotten to a good size already. Very excited I was and I fed it with some of the stinking nettle tea that I have brewing away.



www.lifeinthesloelane.moonfruit.com

r3nu4l

poppyfields wrote: »

Well I hope so! I suppose we have August, September and October to grow them. Once they do set the fruit they do grow pretty fast. I was just out doing the rounds of my three sisters and there was a squash that I had only pollinated last week hiding and it has gotten to a good size already.

That's promising!! Here's hoping.

Very excited I was and I fed it with some of the stinking nettle tea that I have brewing away.

Ha ha, funnily enough myself and Mrs r3nu4l were watching Gardeners World on the BBC iPlayer last night and Joe Swift was cooking up some nettle tea I only noticed a nettle in a rough patch at the back of the garden last week, I may just leave it alone now and even cultivate it!!

harper61

my courgettes are fine ............. only thing is fruit seems to rot when it reaches about 50 mm long, i have removed damaged fruit, has anyone any ideas what the problem is ?

beer enigma

harper61 wrote: »

my courgettes are fine ............. only thing is fruit seems to rot when it reaches about 50 mm long, i have removed damaged fruit, has anyone any ideas what the problem is ?

Try to make sure they dont sit on 'wet' ground - I put straw around mine & rarely lose one.....

harper61

Thanks Andip, however my courgette fruits are high on the plant & don't touch the ground ?

beer enigma

harper61 wrote: »

Thanks Andip, however my courgette fruits are high on the plant & don't touch the ground ?

Do you get a good flow of air around the plants ? may have to trim some of the leaves back - very much like a tomato plant.

I'm growing the sweeter yellow Courgette this year & its very very tender compared to the green ones....

harper61

That's a point, can't say they have good air flow, I'll cut back a few leave, did not know tomatoes needed same conditions

r3nu4l

Thought I'd post an update on this:

Well I've been up early morning as the flowers open on the plants and without fail, every single flower on the plants so far has been male! Not one female flower!

I'll keep looking and next year the first time I see a male and female flower I'll hand pollinate just to be sure!