What Looks Best?

[Mauldintiger]

Not sure about energetic, but I enjoy messing around in the garden. The coffee shop is on my way to work, so it's really not much trouble.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Tatume is resistant to both SVB (solid seems) and squash bugs, I think because it grows so fast. And I haven't seen any sign of the vine borers yet.
Knock on wood, most bugs have been hard to find in this years garden. Just speculation, but I have numerous robins constantly in the garden scratching around in the heavy mulch for any bug or worm they can find.
That's in combination with lots of onions, garlic and coffee grounds. First year I have scattered the onions around the garden and my first year putting down 15 gallons of coffee grounds each week. We had a very mild winter, so there should be more.
Whatever it is, I am grateful for it!

I've put both Desi and Tatume on my list for next year. I've only seen the squash vine borer here a couple of different years but the squash bugs are usually so bad I can't get normal squash and zucchini to live long enough to produce. @hoodat used to live just across the border in Oklahoma and he said he quit growing squash here beause the squash bugs were so bad. I grow Tromboncini as it has some resistance but would like to try something else. It sounds like Tatume needs a fence to grow on, I can do that. How much does Desi spread? Do I need to trellis it?

A couple of years back I thought I'd solved it, I planted yellow squash and zucchini pretty late and had a good year. When I mentioned it at the Mom 'n Pop garden store the owner shot me down, she said no one was having much trouble with squash bugs that year. For some reason, they are cyclic. I skipped growing anything they feed one year to try to thin the numbers by starving them. Nope, didn't work. There must be some weed that grows here that they feed on when I don't plant squash or cukes.

 

[so lucky]

When do squash bugs show up? My zucchini is growing better this year than in years before, so I want to be prepared in case it actually tries to produce. Would it help to put netting over the whole plant? I have my cabbage under netting, hoping to keep further cabbage moths out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They should be showing up any day. I checked my zucchini yesterday and did not see any eggs. Look on the bottom of the leaves and on the stems, you are looking for masses of yellow eggs. Remove and kill these. You probably know this already.

I'd think netting could work to keep them from laying eggs but adult squash bugs are fairly small, the size of stink bugs since they are a kind of stink bug. It would need to be fairly small-mesh netting. And if they lay eggs somewhere close by, the nymphs are tiny. If they hatch out close by on something else I don't think any netting will keep them out.

 

[Smart Red]

I had relatively good success spraying (or dusting) my squash with kaolin clay. It is organic and safe. The bugs don't eat through the clay and most insects don't realize there is a food source because it's not green. The clay washes off easily.

 

[Nyboy]

Zucchini " actually tries to produce "I always thought zucchini foolproof. Joke during zucchini season if car left unlock will find it full of zucchini, can't give it away so much around.

 

[hoodat]

I live in a Mexican neighborhood. The neighbors are delighted to take any excess (including zuchini) off my hands.

 

[Mauldintiger]

@Ridgerunner, Desi is a pretty small plant so far and is from India, so it should like our heat, but I guess most squash like the heat. AFIK, Baker Creek is the only source, but Tatume seems to be widely available.
We get a few squas bugs here, but SVB's and in late July pickle worms. Pickle worms wreak havoc on all my squash, but I'm determined to figure out a way to protect my squash and cukes.
I hate those things!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had not heard of pickleworms until your post so I looked it up. It can reach here but it's not very common. Maybe my squash die from the squash bugs before if gets here. It overwinters in the tropics (parts of Florida and maybe Texas) then spreads during the summer. Eggs are normally laid in flower buds.

The moth flies at night so maybe row covers could help. Take them off during the day so pollinators can do their thing then put them back on at night. Pesticides can help but you need the pollinators too for squash or cukes. BT supposedly kills them but due to their feeding habits it's hard to get the BT to where it will do good. Since squash and cuke flowers are so short-lived maybe hit them daily or every other day with BT? I think I'd try that, at least BT doesn't hurt the pollinators.

You've probably already read all of this. It sounds like a nasty pest.

 

[Mauldintiger]

I had some luck with Bt powder last year, going to try the liquid this year, along with wrapping the fruit or bagging it.