Seeds and species... Zucchini.

Summer 2016.

As we wrote in our post: 'Seeds and species... Cabbage', There is a (big?) difference between the seeds which we can buy in stores and the seeds that professional gardeners have to there disposal. Diversity is needed and seed is destined to go where it can be useful, but we hobby gardeners also want to see good results from our efforts. And often we are disappointed, for example when no broccoli grows on our broccoli plant, or (in this case) when a zucchini plant only produces failed zucchinis. Like this one. There is really is not much happening here:

Male or female.

The devil with zucchini lies in the absence of both male and female flowers. If you have bad luck a zucchini plant, in the beginning (a few weeks), only makes female flowers. From this you cannot expect much zucchini, because they are not pollinated. Cultivating more zucchini plants gives you the opportunity of more flowers, of which maybe is a male one. But it still remains to be seen.

A quick look at the flowers does not tell you, whether it is a male or female. But the stalk of the flower will tell you right away:

The male flower has a thin stalk, the female starts with the beginning-of-a-fruit and has a thick stalk. Zucchinis are monoecious, which means that both male and female flowers grow on the same plant.

You can wait for the bees to pollinate the flowers, but you can also do it yourself with a soft brush. The female flower only needs a little touch of pollen, preferably from a different plant than hers. So even a zucchini flower likes to avoid inbreeding.

Fortunately, here we can buy zucchini plants in the market that are grown from the right seeds. Seed to which some seed processing is preceded...
Not at every stall you have as much success. But everyone knows by experience where one can buy the plants the best. And such a stall is often crowded.

Here the patient result of a month and a half waiting for a useful male flower:

And still such a plant will maintain a long time, continuing to bear fruit, until the bitter end. Tie an old plant to a sturdy stick. Than the plant will stay firm and the zucchini stays clean.

Zucchini plants and some aubergine plants in the greenhouse.

*

Stella.