Last year, I hand pollinated our butternut squash. I hand pollinated almost everything, last year. This time last year, the squash were trying to take over the front garden. If it weren't for the squash bugs, they might've gotten their way, too.

This year, my squash are just now getting started.

Larry, You will know the female butternut flower has been successfully pollinated when the small fruit attached to the flower starts growing and enlarging. (The male flowers don't have the small fruit behind them.)

You could hand-pollinate if you want to do it to ensure pollination. I never do because I have lots of bees around to do it for me. For your reading pleasure, George's private secretary is going to link his famous thread on how-to-hand-pollinate.

I have fruitset on most of my winter squash and melons already, but if yours took a while to get going because of the persistent cold and rain, the plants might be a little behind.

We expect to be harvesting the first watermelon around July 4th, but I imagine the first mature winter squash won't be ready for another month after that. The ones that set fruit earliest were Long Island Cheese, Seminole and Old-Timey Cornfield Pumpkin. I didn't plant butternut this year, but it was my earliest one last year and the year before.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: George's How-To Thread

Dawn, thank.

My Cornfield pumpkin don't have any blooms or fruit on them. I have not fed or watered them, but they look good. The Seminole are just now starting to bud, the Brazilian squash is not budding. At this point all my squash/pumpkin are looking good but not all are setting fruit.