General information and discussion about cultivating all other edible garden plants.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
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Is there such a thing as Self Polinating Summer Squash? If so experience and suggestions for my greenhouse.
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 2,648
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They're called parthenocarpic and they set without bees. Johnny's and Territorial will have some of them, I'm sure.
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Michele |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I am so glad you asked this. I never thought about it and I for one will be ordering seeds for the high tunnel.
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carolyn k |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Posts: 261
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I have been growing Partenon for the last 3 years in a pop up tent purchased from Gardener's Supply to keep away the borers and squash bugs. It has been a fantastic producer. All the other zucchini grown in my Earthboxes are succumbing to mildew and mold and look terrible whereas my two Partenon plants just keep pumping out new squash. Johnny's and Scheepers carry it. There is another I have not tried called Cavilli, also carried by Scheepers. Both are green. I wish I could find a yellow variety.
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: NorthWest
Posts: 267
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Don't forget that you can pollinate your squash yourself if you need to. Squash is the easiest thing I pollinate by hand. It always seems to take the bees a few weeks to find my garden, so I bought some small paint brushes for things like cucumbers. Squash is even easier, I just pluck the male flowers and "paint" the female flowers with the stamens. Fast, easy and works like a charm!
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 2,648
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I use a Q tip to hand pollinate squash until the bees find them.
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Michele |
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#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I have no desire to hunker down under my row cover after pulling the pins up out of the dirt and refastening them or if I have the edges covered with soil to keep it "airtight" on a 50' row pollinating them myself .... parthenocarpic is just the answer for the type of gardening I do.
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carolyn k |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Vaasa, Finland, latitude N 63°
Posts: 838
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I am also growing Partenon, because I do not have room for many squash plants and with just one or two plants I did usually have female and male flowers at separate time. I grow them in containers and we get just enough squash for our family. I believe that in ground or bigger container the production could be better.
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"I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream." - Moomin-troll by Tove Jansson |
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Posts: 261
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My Partenon this year is 4 ft tall inside my tent. Production is fantastic and as you said two plants provide more than enough for the two of us!
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#10 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Illinois, zone 5a
Posts: 579
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Posts: 261
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Thanks for the tip on Easy pick gold. Territorial also has Cavalli so it looks like my one place vegetable seed store for 2016!
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I don't think this is a parthenocarpic variety. I grow it and I have a problem getting it to set fruit until the row cover is off and the bees are all over the flowers.
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carolyn k |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Posts: 261
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That is strange since Territorial describes it as a parthenocarpic variety. Actually I got a bee caught in my tent so maybe that has been helping this year's Partenon crop. Perhaps I should just capture several pollinators and set them loose in the tent! Thanks for the input.
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Illinois, zone 5a
Posts: 579
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Multiple seed sources list it as parthenocarpic, but maybe there are other factors at play. It's good to know your experience since I have not grown it myself yet. Partenon sounds like it might be a good, albeit green, one.
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I have many deformed or they just get moldy and fall off fruits until the cover is off and the bumbles and honey bees are out. maddening. I grow for markets and I always am in need of a goodly supply but when they aren't there its aggravating to say the least. And I picked this variety because it was such s short dtm variety. I'll try it next year in the high tunnel instead of the garden, though. maybe it need air movement to keep the little fruits from molding and falling off... which I have always assumed was from poor or no pollination.
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carolyn k |
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