Kitanda said:



I'm a novice veg grower - this is only my 2nd year and I have a question
about cucubits.

Last year I bought all female cucumbers so the question didn't come up.
But this year I have male/female cucumbers, and also male/female
courgettes growing. I'm sure I read somewhere that I should cut off the
male cucumber flowers as female pollinated fruit becomes bitter.

Are you sure that the cucumber variety you are growing this year will set
fruit without pollination?

Should
I do the same for the courgettes?

Courgettes generally don't grow fruit without pollination. The flower
drops, the incipent fruit eventually withers/rots/drops off. It's a major
problem for some gardeners, which is why you run across instructions
for hand-pollinating them.


I also read this morning that I should hand pollinate female courgette
flowers with the male. But I was wondering if it's possible that an
insect landing on the male courgette flower could then pollinate a
female cucumber flower?

No. Entirely different genera.

It's *possible* but unlikely to get natural crosses between plants in the
same genus.

Is this a daft question or a valid point?

Honestly, a bit daft, toward the end.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Vegetables are like bombs packed tight with all kinds of important
nutrients..." --Largo Potter, Valkyria Chronicles

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