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Thank you for this wonderful article packed with such useful and seemingly hard to find information. Summer squash is one of my top 5 favorite foods, and, for me, one that only tastes right when grown and picked fresh from the garden. Where I previously lived they were abundant and easy to grow. It was only upon moving to my current home that I learned about those horrid borers that quickly kill every squash plant in my garden. Subsequent research only yielded such 'solutions' as (1) inject nematodes into the infected stems or (2) use row covers. Clearly, neither of these proposed solutions is particularly feasible, especially for anyone with a full time job and other obligations, and both are fraught with problems. Eventually, I just stopped trying to grow yellow squash. These days I buy a few expensive and inferior ones from the grocery store and drool when I hear others talk about growing squash.
Next spring I'm going to try again using the tips from your article. I think I will try both the aluminum foil and Zephyr. If either of these solutions allows me to grow yellow squash in my garden, you will surely be my hero! Fingers crossed.
thanks--i am growing yellow and zuchini for first time ever and will try and keep those beetles away--thanks for foil idea--i hope next year to try the one you suggested! linda
Thanks, Tamara...nice to see Zephyr becoming more well-known!
And, I agree, it's a good'n! I've been growing it for two years now and my market customers rave about it (as I do, also!) I highly recommend this one. The flavor is outstanding and the plants are very productive.
As for their size, I will easily let the squashes get up to ten inches and still have a nice flavorful and tender veggie for steaming or grilling. Smaller ones I eat raw in salads or with a dip or for a very quick stir-fry.
Again, thanks! You picked a great topic to write about!
Tamara, splendid article!
I am the supervisor for a hunger garden, or better put 1/8 acre plot being planted (In Zone 6) with all produce and herbs going to Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, North Central Mass' largest, giving out 2 tons of food per week to hungry families. I am doing my best to include a wide variety, including all heirloom tomatoes from all colors and sizes, and square cucumbers, etc. Do you or someone who you know have access to this, what appears from my seed buying experience, not really on the market or can you suggest a source for at least 6 seeds so that we can start several and then save the seeds from a couple squash? Thanks again for opening my eyes to yet another absolutely yummy/beautiful veggie!
Sincerely,
Thor (You can send private Email should you prefer to thorandkevin@comcast.net)
Thanks for the nice feedback, everyone. I just love this squash; it's nice to know that others appreciate it too!
Thor, Shoe is correct - Zephyr is a hybrid, so the seeds probably won't come back "true".
However, another heirloom veggie that came to mind while reading your note was Lemon Cucumber - I have always had huge harvests from my plants and very little bitterness. Very interesting, unusual appearance too! Johnny's also carry this seed, as do many other seed resources.
You may want to contact Johnny's and see if they'll contribute seeds to your project - doesn't hurt to ask. They're just up the road from you, in Albion, Maine. http://www.johnnyseed.com
Thanks for the info on this interesting squash! I will have to
grow it now, you know.
For squash borers, this truly works:
Cut the bottom out of a milk jug.
Cut the top off.
Leave the handle part that sticks straight up.
Put several moth balls in a soft drink can, turn the can
upside down, and insert the handle up into the can.
Now set the jug over the infant squash plant.
There. The little plant is bathed in fumes, and is safe.
Fitsy
Fitsy, and others, it is not recommended to use moth balls in outdoor areas mainly due to its hazard towards other mammals, specifically wildlife and domestic pets. (A cat eating just one moth ball is a goner.) Some types of moth balls are considered carcinogens, or at least carry that warning. The ones made with naphthalene (sp?) are extremely hazardous if inhaled or swallowed.
That system you mentioned, Fitsy, might be a temporary fix for your young plants but more often than not vine borer adults will still be around when the plants are full size and not small enough to be covered with the jug, as you suggested.
I only mention this so folks won't think they can broadcast moth balls in their gardens (veggie or flower beds) and think it is a safe practice.
Aluminum foil, wrapped around the stem base works to halt vine borers for some; others lay the foil flat feeling it confuses the adult moth and she won't lay her eggs there. Others, like me, use row covers until the flowers need to be available for pollination by the bees/insects, etc. (Or you can hand-pollinate and recover your plants.)
