Fruit falls off before the blossom opens

Question

It’s confusing to me because if a female doesn’t grow until it is pollinated then why am I getting zucchini before the flowers even bloom? Then, they grow to about 3 or 4 inches, bloom, the flower drops off and then they seem to stop growing.

Answer 1

The flowers do bloom, but they are very short lived in how long they are open so you may not see the open bloom. In hot temps, it could be only a few hours the blossom is open. The fruit then starts to grow, but because the fruit has not been properly pollinated, the plant decides that fruit is not worth the effort and essentially aborts the fruit, sometimes with the blossom still attached.