How to Pollinate Squash By Hand
I've heard many people say that each winter squash plant will only produce 2-3 squash per plant. I personally have never experienced that. The plants in our garden seem to be close to 6-10 squash per plant. Now that we have an established garden (4 years running), we have inherited a plethora of insects to pollinate the plants for us. However, the first year or two we needed to give the plants a helping hand. We still hand pollinate the first couple squash of the year to ensure sooner production. By hand pollinated, you know you will get squash and can also ensure each and every female blossom gets pollinated. Male/Female Blossoms: What's the Difference? Male Blossom (Left) Female Blossom (Right) Male blossoms have a longer, straighter, and thinner stem than female blossoms. They have a noticeable stamen covered in pollen and also tend to stick out farther from the plant. Male Squash Blossom A female blossom will have a noticeable bulge at the base of the ...