I’ve been worried about the bees. You know, the fact that, beginning a few years ago, scientists have noticed a dramatic drop in the bee population which has effects not just on honey production but also on farmers who rely on bees to pollinate their crops. I’ve thought about adding plants that attract bees, and have even toyed with the idea of getting my own hive. I’m just worried about them stinging someone (me).
Today, however, I read my favorite weekly garden column by PNW expert Ciscoe. He says:
The most common problem home gardeners have growing zucchini is that the fruit form, then rot on the vine. The cause is lack of pollination. There just aren't enough bees around to get the job done these days.
Solve the problem by being the bee. Take a male flower and use it to pollinate about 5 female blossoms (the female looks like it has a little fruit at the bottom; the male lacks this) by knocking pollen on the pistil that sticks up out of the middle of the bloom. If all goes well, the only job left to do is to keep the area around the plant weeded, and to remember to pick your zucchinis before they become the size of baseball bats!
I didn’t seem to have a problem with too much zucchini rot last year, but I did have baseball bat-sized zucchini! Well, I’m hopeful that the bees (and the birds) will do their thing this year and I won’t have to get involved, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I get in the pollination business.
