Sometimes squash blossoms need to be hand-pollinated to produce viable fruit. Cut a male flower (in right hand) and daub its pollen onto the female flower’s pollen (in left hand). A female squash ...

Q. My cucumber and squash are not setting fruit even though the plants appear healthy. I’m not seeing many bees. Can this be part of my problem? A. More than likely this is the result of incomplete ...

Q: This spring, I planted squash, which are growing well with many blossoms and more beginning to open. However, there is no fruit on the vines and dried blossoms have fallen off. There are no bees in ...

Q. I was walking in my vegetable garden the other day and noticed that some of my squash blossoms are falling off. What is going on? Is this an insect problem? What should I do? A. I have gotten ...

Many plants need to be pollinated to produce fruits or seeds to make more plants. But if pollinators are scarce in your area or you're growing fruit-bearing plants indoors, hand-pollinating is ...

This year's cooler-than-usual summer in the Northwest may affect home gardeners' squash crops, according to the Oregon State University Extension Service, which warns that pollinating insects may be ...

Becca Lewis is home maintenance writer who aims to foster confidence in and inspire DIY enthusiasts at all skill levels. Becca attended Southern Connecticut State University, where she studied ...

Hand pollination is a great way to get your fruit trees to produce better, more abundant harvests. It partly substitutes for natural pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and birds—which is ...