So, about squash ... as many of us have learned from personal experience, the organic gardener has a major obstacle to overcome if they are to grow squash in our area. That obstacle is named
The Squash Vine Borer and in our area, just to add insult to injury, there are two generations per year!
In my first year of serious squash attempt, I fought the borers diligently ... cutting the evil larvae out of the stems of the plants, injecting liquid Bt into the stems in an attempt to kill them, time after time after time ... until they ultimately defeated me and my squash plants.
Second year (last year) I took a very different approach. I used a summer weight row cover and covered my squash plants. This requires hand pollinating of the blooms since keeping the squash vine borers out also keeps pollinators out. Hand pollinating is easy though, so this was working well. Then I went on vacation at the end of June. When I came back, the whiteflies (which are very manageable if caught early) had taken over and squash season was over for the second year.
This year, it's a multi-pronged attack! I planted the most susceptible varieties under row cover determined to keep an eye on them and not leave them in the middle of summer (ha! I'm in Florida right now!). This was working well until we had the first two weeks of extremely humid weather. I think I planted too many plants in the space under the row cover; it was always moist and that made the baby fruits tend to rot. So, I uncovered them and expect them to succumb to the SVB soon. Thankfully, I did get several nice squash before I hit this point. I also planted 3 new varieties (Cushaw, Tatume, & Tromboncini) that are supposed to be SVB resistant. They are resistant due to having denser stems (harder for the borers to bore through) and due to their aggressive growth - if one part is damaged, the rest of the plant keeps on going. So far, they have been true to their reputation. They have been attacked by the SVBs, but they are continuing to grow and produce squash.
In case you hadn't guessed, summer squash is a veggie my entire family loves. That's why I am so determined to be successful at growing it!
Do you have any experience to share regarding squash production?
KIM - I know you are using a cover made from screening material this year. How is that working for you? Any problems with airflow/moisture build-up?
