That's it, no more squash planting this season for me. I harvested about a dozen zucchini and about twice that in yellow crook necks but when checking for ripe fruit yesterday I saw the dreaded SVB evidence. The signs have become all too familiar to me over the years of attempting to have a long crop of summer squash. It's a shame too since these plants were some of the largest I've had in years with the zuchinni leaves as big as the foliage of elephant ear plants.
No more succession planting for me. I give up. I know others have mentioned several resistant varieties but they all seem to be winter squash types and those are not my favorites. Farmer's Market, here I come for squash.
I know you are frustrated and understandably so. Not sure if you have seen this variety or not. I am trying it this year. Tatume can be harvested as summer or winter depending on when you pick it. This article looks promising.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2010/jun/tatume.html
I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
BTW, if anyone wants to try it, I got my seeds here.
https://rareseeds.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tatume&searchbox=products
Good luck to you.
Tate
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2010/jun/tatume.html
I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
BTW, if anyone wants to try it, I got my seeds here.
https://rareseeds.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tatume&searchbox=products
Good luck to you.
Tate
Gumbo,
I had the same problems with SVB's in Louisiana and in East Texas. Some years, it simply wasn't worth the effort. Other years, I was able to get either a spring crop or fall crop. If a particular year happened to be a double swarm year (spring and fall), I didn't get any squash. Powdery Mildew was more destructive on my squash plants every year than SVB's due to the high humidity. Many years, my plants were dead from the mildew before the SVB's swarmed.
Here in North Texas, I am harvesting squash and anticipate at least a month before the SVB's swarm. I will then pull those plants and replant to harvest a summer or fall crop before the fall swarm. I have almost no Powdery Mildew thanks to our low humidity.
When I can make a squash crop, it is worth the effort.
Ted
I had the same problems with SVB's in Louisiana and in East Texas. Some years, it simply wasn't worth the effort. Other years, I was able to get either a spring crop or fall crop. If a particular year happened to be a double swarm year (spring and fall), I didn't get any squash. Powdery Mildew was more destructive on my squash plants every year than SVB's due to the high humidity. Many years, my plants were dead from the mildew before the SVB's swarmed.
Here in North Texas, I am harvesting squash and anticipate at least a month before the SVB's swarm. I will then pull those plants and replant to harvest a summer or fall crop before the fall swarm. I have almost no Powdery Mildew thanks to our low humidity.
When I can make a squash crop, it is worth the effort.
Ted
Yep, it is very frustrating to lose these plants just when they are going so well in production. I've decided to let what ever is on the vines ripen then pull the plants, likely by early next week. Every plant is plagued by the borers from what I can see by the evidence along the stems.
I'll not plant any more until late summer to see if I can get a few more before it gets too cool for them in the fall. My whole family loves grilled summer squash and that is what bothers me more than anything else. Good thing they are plentiful and cheap in the markets now.
I'm making up for the squash with tomatoes, peppers, cucs and salad greens. I now have a dozen creoles sitting on the counter, 6 cucs and 10 bell peppers in the fridge and a shopping bag full of black seeded simpson and purple mizuna. Nothing like a good fresh salad out of the garden.
I'll not plant any more until late summer to see if I can get a few more before it gets too cool for them in the fall. My whole family loves grilled summer squash and that is what bothers me more than anything else. Good thing they are plentiful and cheap in the markets now.
I'm making up for the squash with tomatoes, peppers, cucs and salad greens. I now have a dozen creoles sitting on the counter, 6 cucs and 10 bell peppers in the fridge and a shopping bag full of black seeded simpson and purple mizuna. Nothing like a good fresh salad out of the garden.
Gumbo,
I guess that cheap squash in the store hasn't hit my area yet. The last time I checked, it was $2.69 per lb. In the winter, it was up to $3.69 per lb. Year before last, I tracked the amount of squash I produced in two beds and compared the total with what it would have cost in the market. I harvested about #350.00 worth at market prices. So far this year, I have harvested about $50.00 worth and expect to harvest through the summer. Without considering the cost, the home grown squash simply tastes so much better to me than the Mexican grown squash. I always wonder how many chemicals the Mexican squash has been exposed to and always peel them. My home grown squash is rarely peeled before eating.
Ted
I guess that cheap squash in the store hasn't hit my area yet. The last time I checked, it was $2.69 per lb. In the winter, it was up to $3.69 per lb. Year before last, I tracked the amount of squash I produced in two beds and compared the total with what it would have cost in the market. I harvested about #350.00 worth at market prices. So far this year, I have harvested about $50.00 worth and expect to harvest through the summer. Without considering the cost, the home grown squash simply tastes so much better to me than the Mexican grown squash. I always wonder how many chemicals the Mexican squash has been exposed to and always peel them. My home grown squash is rarely peeled before eating.
Ted
Tate,
Last year I had about fifteen plants and the row cover worked great for protecting the plants. It did require hand pollinating every morning, but the hand pollinating increased production. My plants simply wore out by mid summer. When the vines reach five or six feet in length, they start producing smaller blossoms and smaller fruit. I finally pulled them and replanted.
I'm not using the row cover this year. While it worked well, it was also a pain in the butt to work around in order to pollinate the blossoms. I'm sure it wouldn't bother some folks to do it every day, but after a while, it got kind of old for me. I decided to sacrifice the plants this year and have replacement plants ready to plant when I pull the old ones. After the first SVB swarm is over, it is usually about eight weeks before the next swarm occurs if it does occur.
Ted
Last year I had about fifteen plants and the row cover worked great for protecting the plants. It did require hand pollinating every morning, but the hand pollinating increased production. My plants simply wore out by mid summer. When the vines reach five or six feet in length, they start producing smaller blossoms and smaller fruit. I finally pulled them and replanted.
I'm not using the row cover this year. While it worked well, it was also a pain in the butt to work around in order to pollinate the blossoms. I'm sure it wouldn't bother some folks to do it every day, but after a while, it got kind of old for me. I decided to sacrifice the plants this year and have replacement plants ready to plant when I pull the old ones. After the first SVB swarm is over, it is usually about eight weeks before the next swarm occurs if it does occur.
Ted
The last time I was at the local market, zuchinni and yellow crookneck squash was only about $1.25 a lb. It will likely only come down a bit more as the season progresses. Like you, I never peel my home grown squash since just about all of it goes on the grill.tedln wrote:Gumbo,
I guess that cheap squash in the store hasn't hit my area yet. The last time I checked, it was $2.69 per lb. In the winter, it was up to $3.69 per lb. Year before last, I tracked the amount of squash I produced in two beds and compared the total with what it would have cost in the market. I harvested about #350.00 worth at market prices. So far this year, I have harvested about $50.00 worth and expect to harvest through the summer. Without considering the cost, the home grown squash simply tastes so much better to me than the Mexican grown squash. I always wonder how many chemicals the Mexican squash has been exposed to and always peel them. My home grown squash is rarely peeled before eating.
Ted
Isn't it amazing how much you can save at the market growing your own produce once you have your garden established? I recently posted about the cost of Swiss Chard at the local supermarket. They wanted something like $2.60 for a bunch of chard that consisted of about 6 nice leaves. I have close to 20 ft. of a row with chard in it that is companion planted next to my cucumber trellis and that gives me more than I can use.
I didn't learn the secrets to growing chard until this year. I had been trying for a couple of years without success. This year, I did it right except I way over planted. I guess my subconscious thought since they are so hard to grow, I will plant a lot and be happy with a little. I was wrong. I have chard running out my ears this year. I'm thinking about pulling a lot and planting something else. We can't eat it all and most people we give stuff to don't know what it is and are a little suspicious of it. We have eaten a lot in salads, sauteed like spinach with garden onions, on sandwiches, and I am looking for some other ways to use it. Fortunately our Labrador retriever loves the stalks. He doesn't like the leaves though.
I guess at $2.69 for five or six big leaves of chard, I have about $150.00 worth ready to harvest and it is just getting started.
Ted
I guess at $2.69 for five or six big leaves of chard, I have about $150.00 worth ready to harvest and it is just getting started.
Ted
Fortunately for me, I have family and friends that are familiar with chard and its varied uses. They are more than willing to take any excess off my hands. I use it raw in salads, sauteed like spinach and use it in a vegetable lasagna in place of spinach. It really shines in the lasagna dish.tedln wrote:I didn't learn the secrets to growing chard until this year. I had been trying for a couple of years without success. This year, I did it right except I way over planted. I guess my subconscious thought since they are so hard to grow, I will plant a lot and be happy with a little. I was wrong. I have chard running out my ears this year. I'm thinking about pulling a lot and planting something else. We can't eat it all and most people we give stuff to don't know what it is and are a little suspicious of it. We have eaten a lot in salads, sauteed like spinach with garden onions, on sandwiches, and I am looking for some other ways to use it. Fortunately our Labrador retriever loves the stalks. He doesn't like the leaves though.
I guess at $2.69 for five or six big leaves of chard, I have about $150.00 worth ready to harvest and it is just getting started.
Ted
I'll also use it in place of lettuce on sandwiches like you do. It is an excellent choice since it is much firmer and flavorful than many lettuces. My wife loves it on the BLT's I fix for her some mornings to take to work.
I totally understand GUMBO2176 - I have just resolved that there are certain things I can't do well. 
The squash is one of them, I hate to buy it - but I try going to the local Farmers market and at least feel like I am helping local farmers and the economy by buying from them, they who are lucky enough to know how. I just came from my egg man and his squash are growing in leaps and bounds, the squash were so big I was drooling (yellow squash is my favorite) he saw my pathetic look and threw a few in with my eggs. I also can't grow corn which is no surprise, but I plant it so it feeds the little worms that cut them down like lumberjack, so at least I feel it is doing something for the garden, it keeps them away from other plants. Now 
Hows your okra doing! Mine are already getting big, and my name should be the Okra Lady I have no problem at all growing Okra!!!!! 
The squash is one of them, I hate to buy it - but I try going to the local Farmers market and at least feel like I am helping local farmers and the economy by buying from them, they who are lucky enough to know how. I just came from my egg man and his squash are growing in leaps and bounds, the squash were so big I was drooling (yellow squash is my favorite) he saw my pathetic look and threw a few in with my eggs. I also can't grow corn which is no surprise, but I plant it so it feeds the little worms that cut them down like lumberjack, so at least I feel it is doing something for the garden, it keeps them away from other plants. Now Hows your okra doing! Mine are already getting big, and my name should be the Okra Lady I have no problem at all growing Okra!!!!! My okra is going fine. I picked about a dozen pods today and the plants are not all that big. I'll likely have a crop like I did last year with plenty for the freezer, lots to grill, pickle and plenty to give away. I can always count on Okra to come through in the summer.Avonnow wrote:I totally understand GUMBO2176 - I have just resolved that there are certain things I can't do well.
I was amazed at the effort you put in last year on that with the hand pollination. I think your strategy this year sounds good too. I guess I need to get some other plants in the pipeline myself as well for my regular varieties. I am growing Tatume and Seminole that are borer resistant. I will post my findings later on those. The Tatume vines are spreading and I am covering them with dirt so they root along the vine well. So far I see no signs of frass on the Tatume or Seminole. The Tatume are just now getting ready to start blooming and I see a lot of those are female blooms. I found some eggs early that I quickly removed, but no SVB eggs since on them. I was surprised to see those eggs since they were just a little more than seedlings at the time. Later.tedln wrote:Tate,
Last year I had about fifteen plants and the row cover worked great for protecting the plants. It did require hand pollinating every morning, but the hand pollinating increased production. My plants simply wore out by mid summer. When the vines reach five or six feet in length, they start producing smaller blossoms and smaller fruit. I finally pulled them and replanted.
I'm not using the row cover this year. While it worked well, it was also a pain in the butt to work around in order to pollinate the blossoms. I'm sure it wouldn't bother some folks to do it every day, but after a while, it got kind of old for me. I decided to sacrifice the plants this year and have replacement plants ready to plant when I pull the old ones. After the first SVB swarm is over, it is usually about eight weeks before the next swarm occurs if it does occur.
Ted
Tate
Tate, I am growing a winter squash that can also be eaten as a summer squash named Cornell Delicata. It is a also a variety that is supposedly resistant to SVB. I think it simply depends on if the main stem is hollow or solid. The SVB grub prefers the hollow stem after it hatches. They are defined as a semi bush type. I hope they are right about the growth habit because I am growing them in tomato cages to get the plant off the ground. It always seems to be easier to see eggs and damage if the stem is raised.
Ted
Ted
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rainbowgardener
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Yup, for this year anyway, I gave up on the zucchini, which the SVB's always get eventually, and I am growing only acorn squash. Haven't grown that before, see how it does!
I love the delicata squash. But the seeds I had saved from delicata squash from the farmer's market last year didn't germinate...
I love the delicata squash. But the seeds I had saved from delicata squash from the farmer's market last year didn't germinate...