writes:
In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Are there any male flowers on the plant? It sounds like a lack of
pollination.
Steve
"Penny O" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo
wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?
--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

I'm thinking that there seems to have been more pollination issues this
year than usual. Perhaps next spring, we should make certain to plant
borage plants near what appear to be this year's hard-to-pollinate plants.
The bonus is the flowers, slightly cucumber taste, to add to salads.
With borrage, one does not lack for bees.

Glenna


Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

In article fc.003d0941022e7af23b9aca00700d0e36.22e7b00@pmug. org,
(Glenna Rose) wrote:

writes:
In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Are there any male flowers on the plant? It sounds like a lack of
pollination.
Steve
"Penny O" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo
wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?
--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

I'm thinking that there seems to have been more pollination issues this
year than usual. Perhaps next spring, we should make certain to plant
borage plants near what appear to be this year's hard-to-pollinate plants.
The bonus is the flowers, slightly cucumber taste, to add to salads.
With borrage, one does not lack for bees.

Glenna


Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

I had this or a similar problem last year. I thought that the ornamental
flower growers across the street had gone bonkers with Sevin because
there were no bees. After hand pollinating for about as week, the bees
made their tardy entrance and the rest of the season was hide and seek
with the zuchs and the crook necks. From what I've read, if there were
bees around, you would have them. But borage is always a good medicinal
to have around because it is good for Anti-inflammatory; Expectorant;
Diaphoretic; Adrenal Gland Treatment; and Stimulates milk flow in
nursing women.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Thanks to you all for your replies. I hadn't even noticed there were different flowers on long stems (I'm new to this!), but they are there, and artificial insemination has just occured in my garden. I'll keep you posted on the results!