Author: Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension horticulture educator We're seeing some cases of low fruit set and / or fruit abortion in pumpkins and winter squash. If this is happening on your farm, there are a couple of potential explanations: 1. Pollination Pumpkins and squash are dependent upon insect pollination. Male flowers bloom about a week before female flowers, and flowers only bloom for a few hours in the morning, so it's crucial that conditions are right for pollination. Penn State Extension has an excellent, in-depth article on pollinators in pumpkins and squash . Some of the highlights include: Bumblebees and squash bees ( Peponapis pruinosa) are the best pollinators of pumpkins since they forage in the morning, and because squash bees have a lifecyle that's perfectly timed with the lifecycles of cucurbits. Cucurbits include pumpkin, squash, melons, cucumbers, and zucchini. Creating habitat on your farm for nesting sites may help boost pollination ...
