I recently saw a method of growing zucchini squash in which it is staked and grown upright on a single stem much like tomato. The leaves below the growing zucchini are then removed close to the stem. This is to reduce the problems of powdery mildew and insects of which I already have on my plants. One question that I have is that on my seed packets, the instructions read to plant 4 or 5 seeds in a hill and thin to the strongest three. So there are 3 plants growing in one hill. Does it work to have one zucchini plant growing on a single stem--i thought you need to have the 3 plants to cross pollinate. Thank you for your help. I'm really trying to learn how to keep the squash bugs and powdery mildew under control.