How To Hand Pollinate Squash for a Superior Harvest

How to Hand Pollinate Squash for a Superior Harvest

Hand pollinating summer squash is easier than you might think. It's vital to have the flowers pollinated for a productive harvest. Typically this will be done by bees, butterflies, and other insects. However if you are finding that your squash are not growing well, rotting, or falling off small you might have a problem with pollination. The easiest way to pollinate squash plants for having the highest yields is by hand. The first important step is to understand that there are male flowers and female flowers. The male flowers are the ones with the long skinny stems that will not turn into fruit below the flower. Only the female flowers can bear fruit. When you look at the female flowers they should have a small tiny fruit growing below the flower and a stigma inside the center of the flower. You can pick the male flower, peel back the petals and simply touch it to the female stigma a couple of times as if you are brushing paint. Do not remove the female flower. The goal is to transfer some pollen from the male flower onto the female flower, it really is just as easy as that! The positive results you will see in your garden include more fruits per plant and an earlier harvest.

Male Squash Blossom

Male Squash Blossom

Female Squash Blossom

Female Squash Blossom

BUY POLLINATOR SEEDS

Zucchini Vegetable Garden

BUY SQUASH SEEDS

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First zucchini harvest of the year! Look at how much water is in the stem after cutting! Wood chips are an incredible mulch that help vegetables grow in a #notill #backtoedengarden Learn how to grow your own food. Link in profile!

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How to Attract Bees & Pollinators

Another way to improve the fruit production of your squash is to plant flowers that attracts pollinators nearby. I used to only want to plant veggies and fruits in my garden and not take up any space with flowers. Ever since I planted Pollinator Seeds my fruit and veggie have production improved dramatically! Some of the flowers that are great pollinator attractors include Lavender, Borage, Sage, Scarlet Beebalm, Milkweed, Cosmos, Echinacea, Snapdragons Foxglove and the list goes on! The ARK All-In-One Seed Kit also includes many of these flowers and tons of veggies! BTE Gardeners can get a $20 discount using the code "woodchips."

Why are my squash rotting?

​Many people don't realize that the way they are watering your veggie garden may be negatively affecting the pollination and fruit production. Squash have such wide open flowers that they are susceptible to getting water inside the blossom causing rotting or the inability for healthy pollination. When you water make sure to spray the plant at the base or set up a soaker hose. If it rains frequently in your climate you can pin your blossoms shut with clothes pins during heavy rain storms or hand pollinate them before rain exposure. The great thing about Back to Eden Gardening is that you will be able to reduce your watering needs by up to 90%. Always touch test the soil for moisture at least 2 inches below the surface before watering. If it feels damp, you don’t need to water. Over watering can inhibit healthy root growth and cause rotting of the fruit.

Why Pruning & Harvesting Squash Matters

Last but not least, prune and harvest your squash plant frequently to enable healthy food production. When harvesting it is important to harvest the squash that are growing at the base of the plant first. If these are left on the plant the squash growing above them may not grow as well. My FELCO Pruning Shears are the only tool I need in the garden during the Summer. I'm so thankful that Paul Gautschi recommended I get these high-quality Swiss-made pruning shears! Pruning and harvesting are essential all summer long in your garden to stimulate new growth keeping your plants healthy and thriving. These shears give you a clean precision cut that is unlike any other! When pruning, trim the leaves of the plant off at the base of the plant. Remove leaves only when they are crossing over and just enough to allow moderate sunlight to filter inside the the plant. Don’t excessively prune or the plant will wilt.

What size you harvest your squash is based on your personal preference. I usually prefer the tender and less seedy results of young squash about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. When making baby stuffed zucchini blossoms I harvest them even younger at 4-6 inches. Try harvesting a variety of ways and see what you like best!
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If you follow all of these tips you will surely have more squash than you know what to do with this summer! 

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