I have been getting many questions about squash not developing. They just turn yellow and fall off. The primary cause of this is lack of pollination. All cucurbits (squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and melons) have male and female flowers. The male flower is just on the end of a thin stem. The female flower has a small version of the fruit just under it. Pollen must get from the male flower to the female flower. If it does not pollinate the female flower will grow the little vegetable a little then since it wasn’t fertilized the plant gets rid of it. If you suspect there are no insects pollinating your plant you can verify this problem by picking a male flower and rubbing the center of it into the female flowers. If the fruit develops then that was the problem. This isn’t a practical way to grow your whole crop, but it can easily show you what the problem was. Sometimes environmental conditions make one type of flower more predominate, patience is needed until the plant begins to put out both types of flowers again.  See the photos below for a visual reference.

Should you have any questions I’m always happy to help.

Jason French

Female Squash Flower

Male Squash Flower