My squash family hardly ever produces female flowers. Except my butternut squash. This is doing fine. I handpolinate when I do find one, we have a bee scarcity also. Can you advise. I started this garden because of y2k and am loving it, except for this problem. Thanks,AAgje

-- Aagje Franken (Backyard@AOL.com), June 16, 2000

Answers

If this is an on-going problem, you should consider if your soil is badly unbalanced for nutrients, and that you are getting enough water on the plants-although too much water (rare if you're hand watering) would likely also cause problems, it just isn't ever a problem for me.

If this is the first year this has happened, give them some more time. Squash tend to produce male blossoms for a while before they produce female blossoms. Also be sure you aren't yanking off female flowers and using them to pollinate thinking they're male. Look very carefully at your vines, you might have a selective pest that prefers female flowers. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 17, 2000.