"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The SVB's Win

I have stinkbugs and squash bugs.  I have leaf rot.  I have birds pecking at the remaining tomatoes.  I have hoards of mosquitoes that have been hatched these past few weeks and like to put a "tap" into me every chance they get.  I can shrug off all of these annoyances but one.


The freakin SVB's.  

Squash Vine Borers have molested my garden big time this year.  You start to notice a perfectly beautiful plant starting to produce fruit.



Then you see the yellowing leaves close to where the main root is.  



A closer inspection shows the tell-tale signs of a bastard worm eating the base from the inside out.  Given enough time they just saw the base in half.  End of plant.



I've lost so many Summer and Winter Squash plants to these little buggers.  Funny thing was that I had "zero" last year.  Bumper crop of everything squashy in our 2010 garden.  Squash coming out of my ears.


"OK...You win!  Now how about bugging off next year, hmmm?"



10 comments:

  1. Tami - I have never succeeded in growing either squash, pumpkin or zucchini. Reckon it must be my soil - although I have even tried growing them straight out of a compost bag... Nada!

    Hope you have better luck next year.

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  2. So sorry to hear about this, tami.
    Any chance you could grow them vertically on an enclosed patio next time?

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  3. I think I'm going to be aggressive with row covers next year. Until the blooming starts.

    That and try to plant varieties the bugs don't like. My butternut did well. And I did get enough summer squash before they died off completely. I think the biggest bummer is the pumpkins and other winter squashes. Not enough time to let the fruit develop before the worm kills the plant.

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  4. The bugs won this year. I just heard on the news the stink bugs have infested the carolina's now and if they make it to florida the us food crop will be greatly affected. Just great.

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  5. Never done well with either zucchini or yellow squash because of these bugs. Have been sort of successful in pulling the dirt over the base of the plant and it re-roots, but you probably did the right thing earlier when you pulled them up to not let the bugs lay their larvae. This is the first year we've planted winter squash so we'll see. Also, been very successful with volunteer pumpkins but not with purposefully planted pumpkin seeds...so we'll see this year as we put in a 'pumpkin patch'...if it doesn't work I told Tom I'm just gonna''compost' our fall pumpkins there and watch it do great next year!

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  6. Squash bugs were under control here until about a week ago & now I can't get rid of them no matter how many hundreds I take off the plants. They did, however, pretty much leave my butternut alone (I heard that butternut is pretty resistant to squash bugs) but have dessimated two of my zukes.

    Have you planted your squash in the same place every year? I hear moving them year to year helps a bit.

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  7. Oh yes, rumor has it in these parts that the stink bugs are about to invade us as well. Really??? What the heck else can happen this year?!

    Sorry your feeling the pain too Tami. It's a real bummer :(

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  8. It's as though you've taken a photo of my garden! I feel your pain - so disappointing!!

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  9. You can pick 'em off (if you're not squeamish), them cover the base of the vines in tin foil and mound with soil to keep them from re-infesting. We have terrible problems with them, as well, but this mostly seems to work with our various squash plants. This, and planting extras so if some die, we still have a few to carry on.

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  10. Me too!!! I was so mad at the squash bugs that I was ready to break out the Sevin. What's the point of planting and weeding and etc etc if you go out one morning and the bugs have melted your plant away? sorry to hear about your squashaster. :)

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