This is interesting PBS video. Nature program. you can watch it full screen just like on TV.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bee Colony Collapse Disorder

That sounds like poor pollination. When I have that occur, I take a male flower and brush it around in all the female ones.

I agree with the lack of pollination. Hand pollination is your answer for the squash. I grew six varieties of winter squash with staggered blossoming. The hand pollination ensured fruiting even though the staggered blossoming reduced crossing.

I do think that the cucumber vines need a floral companion to attract pollinators. The blossoms are so small and there is usually more attractive blossoms to draw pollinators. The cucumber beetle (CB) is a large problem with juvenile plants too. I have ordered larger row covers (12' x 50') to cover my cucumber vines until blossom development. Marigolds, nasturtiums and radish (allowed to go to flower) will boost pollinators and beneficials for the CBs.

I grow only heirlooms and follow organic principles. My squash yields are very good, melons moderate and cucumbers a little troubling. I plan to start the seeds earlier and make use of the row covers.

Good luck next year.

Yeah you overcrowded the pots. 10 gallon containers are FAR too small for anything vining, a half whiskey barrel size is far more appropriate for one vining plant (or zucchini) but even then the plant will be stunted compared to in ground plants. You might be able to get away with it when the plants are small but once they start producing fruit you'll never be able to get enough water to the plants. Any fruits that might form would likely succumb to blossom end rot from drying out between waterings.

Well I do have 30 gallon containers. Would this container be big enough to grow squash in? The varieties of squash I grew WERE bush types, unfortunately their vines still sprawled over the place.

Also regarding the poor pollination problem, do you have to worry about this sort of thing with tomatoes (romas, slicers, cherry, grape) bell peppers (just sweet bell peppers), beans (any kind), and melons too? The reason I ask is because all of these things produce flowers and their fruit comes from the flowers. Would eggplant be susectible to this as well? I don't know if it flowers or not because I've never grown it before.

With cukes, I know there are all female varieties, so would poor pollination be something to worry about since I'm assuming it would essentially take care of pollination itself?

Also a really dumb question, but how do you distinguish between male and female flowers on squash (any kind), melons (again any kind) and bell peppers (if this poor pollination issue applies). How do you self-pollinate? I don't really know how to do so, because I've never done so before. Do the male blossoms have to be open before you can pollinate the female blossoms with the male blossoms?

Of the common vegetables, only members of the family Cucurbitaceae (cucumbers,melons,gourds, squash, watermelons)have separate male and female flowers which need a mechanism to transfer pollen from the male to the female. This normally done by insects, but often hand pollination is needed, especially when a limited number of plants are available. In all of these cases the fruit will appear with the female blossom. The male flower just has a straight stem.
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