[NAFEX] OT - Zuchinni pollenation
Road's End Farm
organic87 at frontiernet.net
Sun Sep 11 21:09:04 EDT 2011
How long ago did you seed them? What variety did you use? How long
have they been flowering?
As Ernest said, male-only flowers are normal at the start of flowering
for cucurbits; but female flowers should be along within a week or two
from the beginning of flowering. It's possible that you have a variety
not suited for your area in some fashion. I don't know, offhand, what
would cause male-only flowers to continue so late in the season,
unless you started the plants quite late and they haven't been
flowering long.
By the way, most varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, and beans don't need
insect pollination; and there are a few varieties of cucumbers which
don't either, though most cucumbers do.
Yes, you can definitely eat squash blossoms. May as well get something
out of them!
-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
On Sep 11, 2011, at 5:50 PM, Caren Kirk wrote:
> Rivka and Ernest,
>
> OK now I'm a bit better informed, I went to check the flowers and
> they're all male! How does that work? This is commercial seed I'm
> using!
>
> Is there something that causes the plant only to set male flowers?
>
> Feeling terribly zucchini-deprived but searching for recipes for
> blossoms,
>
> Caren.
>
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