Squash Vine Borers

[chrysanthemum]

We have a lot of squash vine borer pressure down here in south central Texas.  By early June I was seeing adults flying in the garden (and they were probably there before), and I lost my first zucchini around that time.  I just pulled up the second this week.  I try to cut off leaves where I see entry holes and physically remove borers from the stems.  I also keep burying the stems of damaged plants to encourage rooting further up the vine.  (When I pull up a plant or cut off parts, I put the material in a covered pail of water for several days to drown any remaining borers so that they can’t mature.)

It’s usually a race down here to get mature fruit before the plants succumb, and I need to get a couple more zucchini seeds sprouting to replace what I’ve lost.  (My second sowing didn’t take.). Even though those plants are so susceptible, the quick maturity helps.

I have a couple of small pumpkin vines which have seen damage but have been growing some fruit.  Yesterday, however, I saw something I’ve read about but had never seen before: evidence of a borer in the fruit itself.  Grr.

I had to harvest my immature pumpkin and carve out that nasty little borer.  Just for fun, I let my kids design a face around the carving, and we put a candle inside for entertainment.  We aren’t Halloween people, but I figure a good pumpkin carving is a nice activity.  My eight year old made toasted pumpkin seeds flavored with cinnamon sugar, and they were good.

I had one butternut squash that was on a pretty dead section of vine, so I went ahead and cut that off and brought it in to cure.  I didn’t want to chance a borer getting inside that one, too.

[Deleted]

When I write that my pumpkins are "rooted in well", this is why.  Constant vine borers and 2 (I swear it's 3) generations of squash bugs.   First year I grew winter squash/pumpkins I unwittingly planted their favorites by way of c Pepo squash gourds ten feet away from my pumpkin.  They had a convention on my Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkins (OTCP).  The squash bugs went on to build condominiums after the convention, and by that time the spread of the OTCP was about 40 foot diameter.  First time ever growing pumpkins.  Had no idea that this was a very robust plant.

We taped eggs, squished eggs, squished bugs, flushed out the bugs and eventually vaccuumed bugs.  We lost.  They decimated every leaf.  Not a one left.  I caved and stopped watering.  Two weeks later, every leaf was coming back with a vengeance and the bugs had moved on.  Bumper crop.

I was new then.  And now, it ain't a garden unless I got OTCP growin!   

[chrysanthemum]

I know that watching your plants be decimated is no fun at all, but boy, you made me laugh with your description of squash bugs constructing condominiums after falling in love with their convention site.

What a great testimony to the hardiness of Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin. I had to go reread that thread just because of your reply here. I hope you have a great crop this year!

[Deleted]

It's hilarious.  There is a commercial pumpkin patch that grows many c peppo varities every year and also a Uni Ag nearby that trials c pepo varieties.  I don't stand a chance. 


The OTCP is very similar to Seminole Pumpkin, but we keep its genetics going.  It's much like the rattlesnake bean versus the Cooper's Runner bean.  George suspects the OTCP is closer to the original genetics than Seminole.   Seminole seems to be more unstable in terms of pumpkin size and shape whereas OTCP is more consistent.   I could be wrong, but I recall George making the claim that OTCP tastes better than Seminole.  

[chrysanthemum]

Wow. No wonder the bugs built condominiums in your garden. It’s a whole community.

I discovered today that a vine borer had completely taken out the stem of one of my maturing butternut squashes. I think it’s far enough along. The other maturing one had some damage that must have started a while ago, and I didn’t notice. I’m not sure it was a borer as I didn’t find the larva, but I had to discard the seed portion of the squash. The neck looked good, though, but it’s awfully small for me to do anything with it. I’ll come up with something. There are still some healthy vines and at least one nice sized fruit still to ripen.

I cooked our little jack-o’-lantern the day after we carved it, and it yielded some nice pumpkin that I was able to use in a loaf of pumpkin bread. That was a big hit.

Right now I only have one more pumpkin in the garden, and the vine that has flourished and climbed up one tomato trellis and taken over the top of a cattle panel arch is showing borer damage in the middle. It’s absolutely loaded with flower buds, but I don’t think anything will mature since it’s already damaged, and since it’s over my head, there’s no soil for it to put down more roots. I’m thinking about fried pumpkin blossoms, but I’m still trying to give it a chance, even though it’s probably hopeless.

I’m impressed that two of my four zucchini are still hanging on. If they survive longer than my butternuts, I’ll be shocked. I have done lots of work on them removing borers and burying stems, though.

[heavyhitterokra]

OTCP are so sweet you can eat them right out of the oven without seasoning. They're sweeter than sweet potatoes.  In autumn, we make a pumpkin pie every week from the first cool weather until about Christmas.

[Deleted]

Best pie I've ever eaten.  It's so sweet, you don't need whipped cream.  Still, it's the only fresh pie i've eaten and the only variety I have cooked.  

[heavyhitterokra]

I've baked several varieties of pumpkin over the years. OTCP is hands down the best I've encountered.  It not only has the best flavor but also has the best texture (which is very important when baking pumpkin pies for extended family and guests around Thanksgiving or Christmas).

[Deleted]

The war with (ground) squash bugs has begun on my Seminole Pumpkin plant.  However, they are not on the OTCP which is surrounded by sunchokes.  Pretty sure they will eventually find it, but they are given an advantage in growth by the windbreaks.  Double bonus.  

[chrysanthemum]

I haven’t actually seen the squash vine borers flying this year, but I know they have arrived.  I’ve seen the frass from the larva on this pumpkin vine, and the vine has been wilting every day in the heat because of its compromised stem.  

This was a volunteer from my compost, and it has the hollow stems the borers favor.  I figure I’ll keep it going until it just gives up the ghost completely.  I don’t know how mature the one pumpkin will be at that point, but we’ll see.

[chrysanthemum]

That one vine with the squash vine borer damage has been hanging in there.  We’re due for a really hot week [multiple days forecast for the triple digits], so that may just do it in.  The pumpkin has been maturing quickly, though.  I was kind of amazed at how bright orange it was when I was checking the garden this morning.


Picture from Friday morning.


Picture from today, Sunday afternoon.


I’m still planning to let it stay on the vine till the vine is completely dried up.  Even then I’m not sure that I’ll be able to wiggle it free since it has grown between the edge of the garden bed and the utility panel trellis.  I’m not going to try till I’m sure it’s got some hard, hard rind on it.