The cool, rainy weather this spring and summer has led to disease problems on trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, and turfgrass. The cool, wet weather has also affected fruiting of some vegetable crops. Vine corps, such as cucumbers, squash, muskmelons and watermelons, produce male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers furnish pollen for pollination, but never produce fruit. Female flowers have small, immature fruit at their base.
Fruit set occurs when the pollen is transferred from the male to female flowers by bees.
Most of the first flowers which appear on vine crops never produce fruit as they are predominantly male flowers. Fruit formation occurs as the number of female flowers increases during the growing season. Fruit formation on vine corps is normally good by midsummer. Unfortunately, many gardeners this year are still experiencing poor fruit set. The cool, rainy weather has reduced bee activity, resulting in poor pollination.