[frenchliving]

Hi

Tried to keep an veg plot and this is my 3rd year. We have planted for the first time this year a butternut squash plant (dont know what variety - it just said butternut on the market!)

Its maybe around a foot long, but has around 12 flowers buds on it, reading previous posts from last year, how can I tell a male flower from a female flower, I suppose this question goes for cucumbers. Reading advice before I planted it - people said dont really plant more than one but I wasnt expecting THAT many fruits!

I line in SW France so weather is warmer here, although it has been unusually wet here too! Cloudy 24 today!

[Salmo]

Male flowers have a thin stem. Female flowers have a small fruit behind them.

[mumofstig]

Here is an old thread that shows male and female flowers on a courgette.
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=19092.msg232199#msg232199

The flowers are similar for squash/pumpkins/courgettes/cucumbers...
I hope we get some good weather for the bees to do their work, or we'll get no fruit, unless we pollinate the flowers by hand. (strip the petals off a male flower, and insert into the middle of the female flower)

[frenchliving]

Thanks - very clear now! Think I may have to wait for the flower to develop a little more, to see if its male of female!