Depends upon the cultivar. There are a few parthenocarpic zucchini, such as Jackpot that will bear fruit without pollination.

I should have added that zucchini is Cucurbita pepo, the same species as true pumpkins (not those giant orange hubbards which are C. maxima), crookneck squash, scallop squash, delicata, acorn squash, and many others. If you can get a male flower from any of the above, it will pollinate your female zucchini flower.

These are grey zucchini. I don't have any of the other species growing. And looking around the neighborhood, it doesn't look like there's anyone within a 1/4 mile that's growing a vegetable garden. But here's hoping that somehow I have a male flower somewhere around.

I now have 2 female flowers opened up. I posted this same question in another forum and the person answering said that the squash would abort. Know any details of this? Will it just shrivel up? How big do you think it will get before that happens?

If it is pollinated it will grow immediately, otherwise it will rot in a couple days. It won't get any bigger if it is not pollinated. If after a day you see no change in size it probably didn't get pollinated. You can however still eat them with the blossom still attached, even though there isn't much to them.

Well, that zuke wasn't pollinated. Today it turned yellow and the end with the blossom got really soft. So I cut it off. But this morning there was a male and female flower open. Tonight I took a good look and tomorrow morning there will be several male and females open on each plant. I don't see a lot of bees around, so hope some make it to the flowers. I did see some ants climbing on the flowers, any chance they will pollinate the flowers?

If there are no bees pick the male flower and remove the petals. Then use the center of the male flower to brush the center of the female flower.

Zeuspaul

Well, there is something that's pollinating them. I have a zuke that is growing like crazy. In the past 2 days it went from about 2" to just shy of 5". So it's getting there.

I've looked at the possibility of hand pollinating, but I wanted to give nature a shot first. If we don't start getting more that are pollinating, I'll give hand pollination a try.

Thanks everyone.

I figured I'd give an update. Today I picked an 8" zucchini. I don't like cooked zuchini, but my wife does, so I wanted to ensure that she gets a good tender zuke. We only have 2 plants, but have 3 or 4 zucchinis that are growing like mad.

Is this a male or female?

In your thread, someone said it was male. Personally, I can't tell without seeing the stem. The female has a little squash attached to it.

Definitely male. The female flower has much more going on in there. The male has a single, monolithic structure like in the picture. The female has a much larger structure which looks like it's sorta subdivided. Kinda forms a ring.

I am growing pumpkins for the first time. I am worried about all the rain we have been getting lately only due to the fact that I am scared my blossoms won't pollinate. Can pollination still occur in the rain? My husband mentioned the wind helps too but I am just getting nervous that I won't have any pumpkins. I have read about taping blossoms shut how do you do this and would anyone recommend me to do this?