Lazy gardening tip: If you get behind on weeding to the point where your weeds are growing taller than your squash or pumpkins, go through your vines, lightly lift them up, and set them on top of the weeds (I have even done this on top of spiny pigweed which is a horrid intrusive plant with thorns). They will grow on top of the weeds for the rest of the growing season ensuring your leaves get all the sunlight they need while giving some protection to the squash and pumpkins themselves. I have done this for the past two years (bad procrastinator here) and have gotten around 200 pumpkins each year in a 40 x 40ft area.
This year I’m growing zucchini, crockneck, acorn, and butternut in NW WA state. I did get powdery mildew on my zucc’s and yellow squash and so I sprayed the leaves with the milk/water mix and it works great!!
I dream about having my squash and melons living long enough to get mildew. Vine borers aren't just destroyers of squash. They also take out zuccs and melons.
I live in WA too! I grow spaghetti squash, butternut, acorn, zucchini and my favorite summer squash, scallop squash. Powdery mildew eventually hits them, but I get a good harvest anyway. I'll have to try the milk trick.
@@Honojane12 I wish that were all I had to worry about. My plants are nearly always wiped out by squash borers. Squash beetles are annoying but have never done more than minor damage. Squash borers devastate.
We grew crockneck, pumpkins, spaghetti and blue Hubbard squash this year. 70 so far (not counting the crockneck!) And more are coming. Our biggest spaghetti squash was 4 lbs!! We've got a blue Hubbard coming along that's so big, he might not pass through the back door! It's been a wonderfully blessed garden harvest and your videos, Ben, make it more fun ❤🤓. We love your mug!!
Thanks for the suggestion Melissa. Blossom end rot is often caused by inconsistent watering, which means plants struggle to circulate nutrients properly, causing deficiency. Often what looks like blossom end rot in squashes, is simply a result of the fruit not having been properly pollinated. This causes it to rot at the end.
I live in Australia. I'm growing Spaghetti squash and jap/kent (1st time this year) and butternut (my 2nd time). I planted lots of seeds this time. Last year i had 2 plants and only got 3 butternuts. I'm hoping to get a good harvest this year. Thank you for all your information. I love your channel, i learn so much
I’ve grown Butternut squash “Hercules” this year, first time I’ve tried. I might add I’m not a gardener I just like gardening. I’ve planted two plants in two big 30l plastic buckets. I’m in Norfolk UK. They have produced a few fruit. Some have just dropped off when quite small, however some are looking healthy and are hanging on. I’ve counted 5 squashes each about 8” long so far and it’s only mid August. Keeping the pots moist is quite a challenge, they are thirsty plants! I feed them once a week with tomato feed. Here’s hoping. I don’t quite know when to harvest them. I’m just going to wait and see, unless someone tells me otherwise. Great videos. Thank you.
What a coincidence, I'm also growing butternut squash for the first time this year! I'm from Kansas. I planted mine beneath a tree that is dying and in an area with plenty of pollinators and whatnot so they're growing quite well. My only problem is that they've expanded so crazily that it's hard to tend to them - the foliage is everywhere.
If you like gardening, you are a gardener :) I'm having the same problem with the tiny, baby squash turning yellow and dying off. I've had a few healthy butternuts grow but I'm losing a lot of babies. Not sure if it's a pollination problem or something else.
First time growing squash for me here just outside of Toronto. Honey Baby butternut and so far I count about 14. Thanks for the tips Ben; you always have great advice and I love your enthusiasm 🙂
This was the most informative video on squash I've watched. Thank you on the tip for hardening winter squash off the vine. We are getting a ton of rain and my honeynut butternut squash are splitting.
Growing climbing miniature butternut squash up a cattle panel arch here in NW Missouri. We do get vine borers, so they have been wrapped in tulle up about 4 feet. They are just starting to turn color!
So many fabulous Tips! Can’t wait until next season to use them! Butternut squash is a favorite here. Roasted and mixed with coconut milk and some spices, it makes a divine soup. Thank you!
I’m growing butternut squash for the first time and my one plant has lots of fruit! Thanks for the tips - I was worried how to take the way care of them.
I always do the crooknecks and this year I got a bumper crop with plenty to give away but mildew always gets them in the end. I tore them out and planted some new for fall in a different part of the garden. and 2 cucumber plants gave me more than I could give away!
Very glad to have seen this, but I'll have to use the tips next year as it's too late for most of my squash. Our biggest issue are the vine borers. I'll try the row cover AND foil next year!!
We have a vine borer problem. So much so that those techniques don’t work for me. They lay eggs all down the vine and even got to my sunflowers this year. I love butternut squash, but the borers here do too. I’m not sure where you are located, but I’m in eastern Virginia, US. Next year I’m going to see if I can come up with an enclosure for my squashes that I can keep on all year and see if that works. If not, I’m resorting to flame thrower, haha. Good luck!
5:33 I had one particularly disorganized autumn/winter a few years back. By May the following year, I stumbled across a pumpkin in my bedroom closet. No idea how it got there but it was perfect and unspoiled.
We planted a dark Zucchini, Alexandria summer Squash, Early Yellow Crookneck and a winter squash Green Kabocha. We are having the best squash year thus far. Now the zucchini has succumbed to disease (I did not wrap this year), the Alexandria looks great, the Crookneck is battling the bugs well. The fall Kabocha is wonderful. We have had about 40-50 summer squash so far. Our cucumbers lasted much longer also and we have had about 60 cucumbers but now it is done, almost to September which is a record. I did milk spray the cukes for a while. We have also used Neem oil spray to kill squash bug young with success. Also kills the eggs. But the adults half way killed.
I love delicata squash, and this year we are growing a variety of delicata called, Candystick. I can't wait to try it this fall. It is a winter squash with a skin that it thin enough that you can eat it if you like. Thanks for the squash growing tips!
Fantastic video blog! I have 2 types- straight neck and butternut, both provide so much delicious fruit. Very important to erect support structures because they vine rather vigorously. Thanks for the tips and tricks.
This year I only grew "crooked neck squash", cuz I couldn't find any zucchini plants in May/June in my area of the country. I didn't count on having such prolific plants. I have a ton of squash coming at me & 2 tons of tomatoes. I LOVE to garden 😍 and yes it's a lot of work but it's worth it. I just need to find a bunch of good recipes for using squash. It's beautiful & I don't want it to go to waste. Enjoy all the yummy produce coming from your gardens. It's all worth the effort you put into it.
Google "squash recipes ". I have about 100 or so squash recipes, both sweet and savory. Unfortunately, my squash have stalled in the draught, blooming and healthy, but not producing 😪 I've gotten 2 zucchini out of 6 plants and 1 crook neck squash ("prolific ") out of 6 plants and cucumber vines are under 12 inches, with no fruits. So frustrating and disappointing so near the end of the growing season 😪
You can always slice, blanch and freeze excess squash. My first year was super productive (before squash bugs found us). We froze a lot and enjoyed for a couple of seasons afterwards when we didn't get any because of pests.
I have planted butter nut squash 1st time in the greenhouse. Now going to transfer in the pot outside. Keep finger cross hope will get some fruit later.
Have been growing yellow and green courgettes and made some great courgette cakes. Am also growing two pumpkins, one is ‘Becky’ and I currently have one perfect pumpkin on the vine. The other is ‘Mammoth’ and unsurprisingly it is taking over the garden!
I've got sugar pie pumpkin, two types of acorn, and two types of butter nut....and some mini pumpkins for my daughter's.....and they are completely taking over my garden. Fingers crossed for a decent harvest this fall!
First time trying butternut squash this year. I've got 5 growing at about a foot tall so far (a bit late in sewing) going to get them all into a bigger pot with a tripod of cane for them to climb and a gauze sheet for protection. In Scotland but it's been 25 degrees this week so hopefully they'll be ok once outside 👌😁
I am so glad I came across this video. I am growing Cinderella pumpkin in Western Washington and have been dealing with a mild case of mildew and will try the milk water solution. Happy gardening!
I have yellow star fruit squashes - they seem to be prolific again this year. Uses - soup with harissa paste is one recipe, decorating the church at Harvest time is another use - other recipes would be grand! Thanks for explaining how to harvest - never thought of the T shape before
Very good info and wish I'd done a little more research.. I'm in North America and having problems with everything you spoke about and whiteflies this year. Thanks for sharing!
lucky me I live in mid south USA Tennessee. The vine borer gets me every time. The netting does not always work, the vine borer will tunnel in the ground and sleep there all winter and surprise you next spring. I found one they are quite big. This time I am using freshly bought soil and then netting, that should work. I am not going to let some little bugs beat me. :) Another fine video. Thank you This year I will be growing, Tatume, Cucuzza, several kinds of zucchini (round, long green and yellow) Tromboncino, Red Kuri, Luffa (harvested early they taste a bit like zucchini, left late the are sponges, and are not bothered by vine borer, very prolific)
Love all your video posts. Learn so many garden hacks and look forward to more. (Also, being from the moist Pacific NW I am so happy to see I am not the only one who gardens in the rain!
Yes, not ideal to film in the rain but I was off on vacation late that afternoon. Trust me to leave it to the last minute - it literally rained all day!
First year I've tried growing marrows. Plants took off vigorously but then contracted powdery mildew, despite regular watering. It happened so quickly too. The marrows we've been able to harvest (woodlice appear to thrive on them in our garden, attacking the young fruits very early on) have been delicious. Picking up more and more knowledge this year, so next year I'll hope to do better.
I grow Crown Prince squash. They have a great texture and taste and store very well. I used my last one from last year just this week. This means it stored from October to August.
Trombocino squash are brilliant. The seeds are concentrated in the bulb at the end & the neck is just the flesh. They also can be stored all the way through to March.
I was tucking a handful of hay under each butternut squash, not I’ll look for a tile or something similar. It’s still getting more moist than I’d like with the hay
I am growing acorn and kobocha squash in Montana where the growing season is quite short and it is sometimes difficult to get the fruit ripe. I have been told that the appearance of the squash does not necessarily indicate when it is ready to pick. It takes time to develop adequate flesh with a good taste and the best indicator is to determine when the fruit sets; i.e. when the female plant is pollinated which I do with a small paint brush. the fruit is ready to pick about 50-55 days. I noticed the fruit sets over a period of a few weeks so that gives me an idea when they will be ready if the temperature cooperates. This is true for all varieties of winter squash. This from research and work at Johnny's Seed company.
I shred my crooked neck and zucchini and freeze and use it for soups, pasta sauces, they just melt and be un noticed but add nutrient dense goodness to just about any meal
Thank you for your videos. very helpful. This year, I will try to can sugar pumpkins - just like jams. First baked them, then pureed, added apple and spices and some sugar over stovetop and poured into disinfected jars and let them cool very slowly (over 2 days). Not sure if this will work, but if so, I have super easy soup or pie base ready all winter. Fingers crossed.
My garden is very far from perfect, but I still enjoy all the pottering and time outside. It's most important to just enjoy your garden, which I'm sure you do.
I grow seminole pumpkin which is a native to the US type. These will keep a year nicely. I just throw out last years stock to my chickens. This year's is coming in now.
I am growing my favourite, sweet dumpling. First time growing it but ate it all last winter. In my opinion, it is much tastier than other squashes. Plus it is scalloped so pretty when cut and small, good for individual portions or 2 people so nothing gets wasted. Mine are growing over an arch and I have 3 that are a good size and getting some colour. More are still being created. How will I store them? Not sure. I think squash like warmer conditions than other root cellar produce so gotta figure that out. What a great topic for another video! I'm in Toronto, Canada.
Really great information here. Though my summer varieties never fruited this year, my Waltham Butternut squash is growing great and looking like I will be able to have lots of butternut squash soup this winter.
First time planting squash.... First 4 weeks beautiful growth until all the pests moved in. Vine borer, inch worm and powdery mildew. Next year I better be prepared.
Lots of problems with our squash this year. How about a video on who pollinates squash and how to attract ( needs of pollinators). Also, slow growth this year?? Heat, sun? I dunno???
You're in luck: we already produced a video on just this topic here: @ Hope that helps! (If the link doesn't work, just search for GrowVeg Hand Pollinating Squash and you should get it)
I’m in northeast USA and the squash bugs and vine borers have been out of control this year! I took 50-100 eggs off my plants every single day, and I only have 5 squash plants! At least I’ve found an easy way to do it… duct tape! Press the tape against the leaf or stem where the eggs are and the eggs come right off. Fold up the tape and discard. Also, when checking the squash plants I wear sleeves and gloves as those leaves are prickly and easily scratch and irritate the skin.
I'm playing around & see if I can get a second harvest of Sugar Pie Pumpkins, they should be ready by Thanksgiving or 15 of Dec. Next year I'm trying Lakota Squash & Boston Marrow Squash
I'm growing 4 kinds of squashes this year. In containers & vertically for the first time, they've been getting irregular waterings and now all have very pale green leaves. I think my butternut squash stopped taking up water/nutrients for a few weeks and it's suffering from saturated roots- it has the black-edged leaves and the fruit is deforming. I may stick to just 1 variety next year.
Arkansas USA, we have a lot of (bug) problems, this year I am using Cedar chips to deter the wretched bugs!, along with lining the stems of my squash with aluminun foil.
Hi! I'm Dutch. I will be trying your milksolution on my holyhocks next year. Thank you! Any effective tips for slugs and snails? I have given up on anything related to squash, cucumber and sunflowers, because the slimeys always eat the flowers or the young plants. 😥
Goedendag! The best way to avoid slug problems is to start your squash and other susceptible plants off away from the garden - in a greenhouse, on the patio or wherever. Then only plant them out once they are a bit bigger and able to fend for themselves a bit better. I find slug traps filled with beer to help. The slugs are attracted to the beer and you can dispose of them every now and then. Some of these tips may also help: th-cam.com/video/KQh7mX1tWHw/w-d-xo.html
The stink bugs and the borers are so bad in our area (SEastern US). Wrapping the stems with foil and keeping them covered until they bloom has made a huge difference.
This is so incredibly helpful and I really appreciate it. Our squash, butternut waltham, Looks very very dry but The leaves are yellowing. I think we are watering it too much. Opinion? Northern New England
It can be quite hard to overwater them. Check the soil - dig a finger down an inch or so deep and if it's moist, hold off watering until it's dry. Sometimes the leaves can be a bit yellow after planting while the plants find their feet and settle in. Keep the soil moist and hopefully things should pick up.
Thankyou for the useful tips, it is my first year of growing Squash; butternut and Cheeky Prince which is a hybrid. Initially I got lots of fruit growing but over the past month the babies have been rotting once they get to golfball size, I think it is because it has been so cool and wet in North Yorkshire...
The cooler, wetter weather we've been having recently will certainly affect fruit production. They can be a lot less predictable in these conditions, and there will be fewer pollinators on the wing to pollinate.
Winter squash does beautifully here in NE Georgia, at the foot of the Appalachias. We do fight squash bugs and now marmorated stink bugs, it worth the effort. I still have a few butternut, spaghetti and Cherokee Tan pumpkins (an amazing native American cultivar) from August 2019 in our basement! The North Georgia Candy Roaster is amazing but not as long on the shelf given its huge size. Summer squash does well too, and our season is long enough we can start late to avoid some of the pests. Favorites are bennings green tint (pattypan), lemon, and ronde de nice. Our plants were beautiful and full of fruit when I pruned some leaves for airflow and space, but this may have been an error as they quickly looked diseased when rainfall picked up :( any advice on that? I did 4 plants in a 1.5 meter square box and they were flowing over all sides. Love the tip about using a tile under larger fruits especially and will try the milk solution next time I am faced with powdery mildew!
A lovely variety of plants there! Generally, if the leaves are green and healthy I would leave them be. They are the powerhouse behind the plant, helping to swell the fruits to maturity. Your planting density sounds fine, particularly as they are growing over the sides too.
We've had rain here in the mountains of western NC almost every day! Been pouring 2", 3" and 5" out of the gauge way too often. We got two consecutive no-rain days this week, a record for months. So yeah, we got powdery mildew! Grew a lot of squash. My favorite is Trombetta Di Albenga, an amazing climbing, Italian summer squash that produces long neck fruits that are dry and sweet, never watery or mushy. One squash is a meal. Still producing from a July transplanting. Second favorite, Clarimore, a Middle Eastern, pale green Zucchini that shares qualities with the previous. Yellow Crockneck is the old southern standard that I've eaten since childhood, grown it for 42 years. Black Beauty and Golden were the Zucchini choices also. Then I went wild with winter squash. From Row 7, a delicious, super sweet, tiny butternut bred from Honey Nut that is only called 898, from Cornel University trials. Robin's Koginut is a cross between a Kobacha and a Butternut. Transplanted them out in early June and they've matured, bypassed disease and insects for most of their life. I Also grew: Honey Nut, Honey Boat Delicata, Candy Stick Delicata, Sweet Dumpling. Tetra, also from Row 7, is a Delicata bred for edible stems, flowers, immature fruit and winter squash. I blew it and didn't keep it separate to experiment so it'll just be a winter squash. For heirlooms I grew Dutch Fork, a local Cherokee variety, and North Georgia Candy Roaster. I also grew Lady Godiva, a naked seeded pumpkin. Watermelons, canteloups and cucumbers also. Just transplanted out my last blast of summer squash, yellow Crockneck and Black beauty. Started them inside because of the rain. Seeded out the 40 days to maturity Ortolana di Faenza a few days ago also. Only one Golden Zuke, a couple of YCN and the Trombetta are still producing from my first plantings. The giant winter squash that went out late July have powdery mildew but they're still throwing out fruit and growing vigorously. The plants that went out late June aren't very productive and will only mature a few fruit each. And, as I said, the early June plantings prospered. BTW, I can quarts of summer squash with basil, oregano and over abundant herbs and blend it creamy to add to canned tomatoes for a low acid pasta sauce in the winter. Great for soup base also. So easy to pressure can.
Wow - want aren't you growing! What a fantastic list of squash delights! I love the tip of a squash sauce - a nice alternative/addition to tomato sauces.
Would love to share an image of our Cucuzza squash trellis but don't know where to attach it! Its a prolific fruiting vine that makes a great point of interest in our therapeutic Garden of Hope at Good Samaritan Hospital (Suffern, NY)
Patty pans are my favourite, I’ve just put some seed to sprout. I harvest them small, no need to peel, just chopped up and fried in butter. I’ve heard that adding crushed eggshell can boost calcium for strong growth?
You could add crushed eggshell for this reason, yes. But usually there's enough calcium and any lack of calcium is usually down to irregular watering. :-)
I would like to grow my squash and pumpkins on an arched trellis. How do I know what weight the trellis needs to be able to support for different vegetables or at least heavier vegetables like pumkins? What material is best suited?
I’m not sure there’s a specific way of doing this, other than being sure to invest in a really sturdy, well-made arch, perhaps out of some sort of galvanised or coated metal.
Thanks so much for sharing. I'm in Kingston, Jamaica and sowed butternut squash seeds from Burpee Gardens (eventually thinned to 3 plants) for the 1st time on January 3rd. I followed the hand pollination method and was successful. The 1st squash is growing nicely but now the vine is shriveling and seems to be dying although the fruit still looks healthy. 1 other plant now has a pollinated squash and the other is still only showing male flowers...the vines and leaves look OK but not as lush as yours did....not having any issues with powdery mildew. Please tell me what can I do about the dying vine? They're all getting full sun and are being watered almost daily if there's no rain. Help!!
Not sure what might be going on with the dying vine Lisa. I wonder if they are getting eaten, for example by squash vine borers? I'm not sure if that's a pest in Jamaica though. I do hope you manage to get a decent crop one way or another. Sending you green fingered and thumbed thoughts!
@@GrowVeg thanks so much for responding Ben, and for the good wishes! Alas, I dug up all 3 plants this afternoon even tho the growing fruit, about the size of my hand, looked so healthy 😒. No sign of vine borders altho it seems I may have a mild case of bad nematodes - saw signs only on the roots of the plant with male flowers and none on the others 🤔. We had okra growing in the same spot last year so maybe that's the reason. My twin sister and I are learning a lot as 1st time backyard gardeners - converted our lawn to a veggie garden last year and despite the challenges, so satisfying to reap what you grow!
I grew zucchini this year. The plants did great at the beginning of the summer and I got about 10 gorgeous fruits! Then the squash vine borers hit... and that was the end of that. I'm too inexperienced to know how I could have saved my plants. I'm also a little hesitant to try zucchini again next year. I practice square foot gardening in a raised bed so if I do try zucchini again next year, I'm either going to plant them in a different part of my raised bed, give them their own space or treat my entire raised bed with diatomaceous earth before next spring. But this video helps a lot!
Question: I grew birdhouse gourds for the first time this year. I have many quite large gourds growing. The trellis fell over in a recent wind storm and now I’m worried they will all rot on the ground. Is it ok to just go ahead and cut them off the vine (late Aug in Vermont, USA) and start curing them or are they unlikely to be fully developed enough?
I suspect they may still have a little way to go. If you can, leave them on the plant if it's still growing okay. Perhaps support the gourds on slates/tiles to keep them off the ground. You can then harvest them in another month or so.
I've got my butternut squash growing beside my tomatoes in my side garden. From the sound of things, that's not a good combination. I take it tomatoes sound be in dryer soil and the squash should be in soil that stays moist all the time. I put one butternut squash plant in there and I has taken over the whole garden! It's growing up the stems of the tomatoes and is now stilling over into the neighbour's back lawn. I guess with all the rain here in winnipeg this summer it's been perfect for the butternut squash but I have to say the tomatoes are doing OK as well (although one has blight all over it). Do you think I should plant the squash in a different place next year?
Squash can get quite rambunctious, as you've discovered, so is often best growing on its own, or at least training away from other plants so they don't get smothered.
@@GrowVeg Rambunctious! This is the squash plant from hell! It's grown 30 feet down the garden. It's completely merged with the tomatoes. I have squash growing right beside tomatoes on the same plant. They both seem to be quite happy but it's going to be a bit strange at harvest time when I'm plucking a squash with one hand and a tomato with the other! Lol
Help! I have a wall garden with a raspberry plant, a tomato plant, 2 strawberry plants, 3 pepper plants, lots of orange beetroot, lambs lettuce, spinach and carrots.I am having to tear dark grey, pale green or browny sections off of my leaves. I noticed at the garden bed today a grey powdery mound in the soil at the bed of my beetroot. Randomly placed I might add as it was not attached to a root at all.... I carefully cleared any signs of this fungus yesterday from all my leaves to see if I could eradicate it. Back again today across approx 1/8 of my leaves again. O also noticed a leaf from my beetroot plant that I must have missed yesterday. Upon inspection, it appeared to have a thin translucent layer across the leaf face...Almost as though the substance was wearing down the surface of the leaf.... This feels to be all rather quick no? Definitely something I should treat I think but I don't know really what I'm doing as its may first time growing! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. xx
It sounds like you may have leaf miners. This is very common, especially in beetroots. The miners eat the leaves from the inside, burrowing about to create a translucent look to the leaves. It usually isn't that bad news. More details here: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/leaf-miner/
GrowVeg yes! I suspect you are correct! So I shall remove the leaves and crush…. Upon inspection today I noticed a couple of silvery grey spiders. I believe they may be the culprits. I will try and catch them too! Coverings may be difficult though as I have my plants in hanging baskets.
Brilliant video, thank you. We had a single frost day early October in Uk so I harvested all 40 of my butternut squash straight away (56 kilos!) . All hardish skins and left long T stem. They have been drying on a window sill in my unheated bedroom for 2 weeks but they are all going Damp and rotting at the neck! Ive no freezer space left! This is the 2nd year this has happened! What can I do next year to avoid loosing so may so quickly, please?. The stems are hard as rock but I can still push a finger nail into the skins. How else can i stop the damp ? I have stored some upright and some with the stem hanging down.Help!
I would store them in the dryest part of the house. In general squashes are okay at slightly warmer temperatures, so you may be best prioritising lower humidity over coolness. The unheated room may be very humid, causing problems. You may be able to rescue the squashes by cutting away the rotten bit them peeling and cubing the squash into inch-sized cubes to then freeze - but that would rely on finding a bit more freezer space of course.
You know , I think you have a good point now that I have seen what you say about humidity.I hadn't thought that through! I was so worried about frost damage.There is a lot of wet condensation on the sunny window ledge where the squash are meant to be "drying off". Thankyou @@GrowVeg for your reply and suggestion for next year! I am not giving up!
We managed to ward off the squash bugs early in the season but it looks like the vine borers have moved in recently here in central Virginia. It's been a losing battle for me over the past few years but I love winter squash and I'm determined to keep trying.
We also have problems with Vine borers where I live. I have had great luck with squash in the moschata family. Their Vines are resistant to the borers. I really like the squash sold by row 7 seed company. Google them for more info. I've got a great harvest coming in this year for the first time. My favorite is their center cut squash because it is both a good summer squash and winter squash based on when you harvest it.
@@EmInMI80 I do grow a couple varieties of moschata but they aren't my favorite, which I why I keep trying others. My butternut are actually looking good so far. I need to get better at employing some of the tactics to ward them off -- row cover, aluminum foil around the stems, etc.
Didn't see the problem I was looking for - the leaves of some are completely covered on the back with hundreds of very dark orange ( more like a dark brown) thin small dash lines (not eggs, not squash beetle and no problem with soil) Can anyone help as I cannot find this answer anywhere as to what it is. Great video. All my best to you from Cyprus.
I'm not sure what that could be - I'm stumped! Do check out our pest and disease guides; www.growveg.co.uk/pests/uk-and-europe/ but hopefully someone else might be able to shed some light on this.
I am growing 5 variety of pumpkins, zucchini, butternut squash this year. For the first time ever, I planted birdhouse gourds. They are huge and so adorable! Garden is producing great. I see some sqash bugs now amongst my pumpkins🤨🤨🤨. Vines died because of a lack of water getting to them. I'm ready to be done with over 100 degree weather.
Nice video, I have a problem with my squash I have plenty of foliage and squashes growing but the squash rot when they are about 2” long what can I do please
That sounds like they haven’t been properly pollinated. And so the plant is supporting the fruit. This video might be helpful with that: th-cam.com/video/4Baj4vUXFMA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Jj45LktyR9ZxdvX1
We have a couple of beautiful butternuts on the vine here in suburban Pittsburgh! For the life of me I cannot get zucchini or summer squash to grow here. It's so sad! They have big beautiful plants that never fruit or the fruit rots when it's pinky size (and then the vine borers set in and destroy the beautiful plants. Sigh!) I'm going to try neem oil next summer as it worked this summer for keeping the japanese beetles off the rest of the garden, but I only started using it after the zucchini were doomed.
Well, I covered a bare patch of garden with home made compost. I now have a staggeringly vigorous pumpkin and squash patch with at least 30 healthy squash all from discarded squash innards I guess. Well worth trying...
I am in South Africa and struggle terribly with pumpkin fly with my butternut. It's not feasible to keep this sprawling plant covered by mesh. I have it growing from the ground up onto a chicken wire fence to keep it away from the soil and to utilise my space more effectively. I have put up pumpkin fly traps that contain water and pheromones in them, but these have made little difference. The 2nd problem I have is blossom rot. Any ideas on what may be causing it? Your advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Hi Monica. Blossom end rot is often caused be irregular watering, rather than a lack of calcium (though this can also be the cause). Keep the soil evenly moist but also consider applying a liquid tomato feed every few weeks to up nutrients, particularly if the soil hasn't been improved with plenty of organic matter at or before planting time.
I would so like to learn from you or someone out there, if upon starting my seeds of squash this early what can I possibly do to save them, as I was hopeful that I can continue to give them life, as they are growing on my kitchen window-ledge, after getting splashed on my small pot on the window close to sink tap. Is it possible to pot them on as they have started to sprout out, but am I to think that without enough sun they will not live or can they manage with the right amount of heat and small aount of light given in my kitchen and perhaps they can make it to the spring, if I continue to repot and accommodate, if they keep growing and these winter squash last to a time when they can get pollinated, I just do not know if it is possible to save them!
It depends on where you are. But if it is autumn where you are then, yes, it may be tricky to keep them going until it is time to plant them in spring. Squash are best sown in late spring, so they can take advantage of increasing light levels. You could continue to grow you squash under some type of grow lights, but I think you may be better off re-sowing later in spring.
First time planting squash & I planted a mixed seed pack. So I have no idea what I'm growing! Can I post a picture so you can help identify please? Thanks for video!
Lazy gardening tip: If you get behind on weeding to the point where your weeds are growing taller than your squash or pumpkins, go through your vines, lightly lift them up, and set them on top of the weeds (I have even done this on top of spiny pigweed which is a horrid intrusive plant with thorns). They will grow on top of the weeds for the rest of the growing season ensuring your leaves get all the sunlight they need while giving some protection to the squash and pumpkins themselves. I have done this for the past two years (bad procrastinator here) and have gotten around 200 pumpkins each year in a 40 x 40ft area.
What a brilliantly simple tip - thank you!
@@GrowVeg Can you use any type of milk in the milk solution spray?
This year I’m growing zucchini, crockneck, acorn, and butternut in NW WA state. I did get powdery mildew on my zucc’s and yellow squash and so I sprayed the leaves with the milk/water mix and it works great!!
Glad to hear that!
Glad to hear that works!
I dream about having my squash and melons living long enough to get mildew. Vine borers aren't just destroyers of squash. They also take out zuccs and melons.
I live in WA too! I grow spaghetti squash, butternut, acorn, zucchini and my favorite summer squash, scallop squash. Powdery mildew eventually hits them, but I get a good harvest anyway. I'll have to try the milk trick.
@@Honojane12 I wish that were all I had to worry about. My plants are nearly always wiped out by squash borers. Squash beetles are annoying but have never done more than minor damage. Squash borers devastate.
We grew crockneck, pumpkins, spaghetti and blue Hubbard squash this year. 70 so far (not counting the crockneck!) And more are coming. Our biggest spaghetti squash was 4 lbs!! We've got a blue Hubbard coming along that's so big, he might not pass through the back door! It's been a wonderfully blessed garden harvest and your videos, Ben, make it more fun ❤🤓. We love your mug!!
Ah, thank you so much for the kind comment. Glad you're having such a fantastic year - it's so rewarding when you get those bumper harvests!
As always these short videos are enthusiastic, informative and very watchable. Thank you
The biggest issue I'm experiencing is blossom end rot. It would be great if you could cover how to avoid that problem in a future update.
Thanks for the suggestion Melissa. Blossom end rot is often caused by inconsistent watering, which means plants struggle to circulate nutrients properly, causing deficiency. Often what looks like blossom end rot in squashes, is simply a result of the fruit not having been properly pollinated. This causes it to rot at the end.
I live in Australia. I'm growing Spaghetti squash and jap/kent (1st time this year) and butternut (my 2nd time). I planted lots of seeds this time. Last year i had 2 plants and only got 3 butternuts. I'm hoping to get a good harvest this year. Thank you for all your information. I love your channel, i learn so much
Wishing you a very bountiful harvest Charmaine. :-)
Milk solution also works well on Roses for Marsonia...black spot. Thank you so much for such interesting videos and info.
Thanks for the extra tip Gail.
I’ve grown Butternut squash “Hercules” this year, first time I’ve tried. I might add I’m not a gardener I just like gardening. I’ve planted two plants in two big 30l plastic buckets. I’m in Norfolk UK. They have produced a few fruit. Some have just dropped off when quite small, however some are looking healthy and are hanging on. I’ve counted 5 squashes each about 8” long so far and it’s only mid August. Keeping the pots moist is quite a challenge, they are thirsty plants! I feed them once a week with tomato feed. Here’s hoping. I don’t quite know when to harvest them. I’m just going to wait and see, unless someone tells me otherwise. Great videos. Thank you.
Harvest when the skin is hard, dull beige in color and the stem is brown. There should be no green in the skin.
the little ones that drop off are ones that weren't pollinated.
What a coincidence, I'm also growing butternut squash for the first time this year! I'm from Kansas. I planted mine beneath a tree that is dying and in an area with plenty of pollinators and whatnot so they're growing quite well. My only problem is that they've expanded so crazily that it's hard to tend to them - the foliage is everywhere.
If you like gardening, you are a gardener :) I'm having the same problem with the tiny, baby squash turning yellow and dying off. I've had a few healthy butternuts grow but I'm losing a lot of babies. Not sure if it's a pollination problem or something else.
First time growing squash for me here just outside of Toronto. Honey Baby butternut and so far I count about 14. Thanks for the tips Ben; you always have great advice and I love your enthusiasm 🙂
That's a good haul of squash - nice work Anne!
Helpful all around! I had those bugs early on and didn't realize they were so damaging! Thanks so much for your great videos.
Thanks for responding with a video to my question. Much appreciated! ❤️
Always anticipating your needs!
This was the most informative video on squash I've watched. Thank you on the tip for hardening winter squash off the vine. We are getting a ton of rain and my honeynut butternut squash are splitting.
Growing climbing miniature butternut squash up a cattle panel arch here in NW Missouri. We do get vine borers, so they have been wrapped in tulle up about 4 feet. They are just starting to turn color!
So pleased they're starting to ripen up for you Cheryl.
So many fabulous Tips! Can’t wait until next season to use them! Butternut squash is a favorite here. Roasted and mixed with coconut milk and some spices, it makes a divine soup. Thank you!
Would you be willing to share the recipe? :)
I am so tempted. They take up so much space, though.
You could try a trailing variety of squash, which you can then train up onto supports such as trellis. This would save space.
The trellis in question:
Thanks for the tip of wrapping the vines in foil. I lost so many vines to borers this year.
I’m growing butternut squash for the first time and my one plant has lots of fruit! Thanks for the tips - I was worried how to take the way care of them.
I always do the crooknecks and this year I got a bumper crop with plenty to give away but mildew always gets them in the end. I tore them out and planted some new for fall in a different part of the garden. and 2 cucumber plants gave me more than I could give away!
Thankful for this video! Next year’s harvest will be much better in dealing with squash borer! They were disparaged this year.
Grey Ghost is a personal favorite. They have a phenomenal shelf - life. In fact I am still eating last fall's harvest. Greetings from Canada.
It's great to find a variety that stores so well like that.
Very glad to have seen this, but I'll have to use the tips next year as it's too late for most of my squash. Our biggest issue are the vine borers. I'll try the row cover AND foil next year!!
We have a vine borer problem. So much so that those techniques don’t work for me. They lay eggs all down the vine and even got to my sunflowers this year. I love butternut squash, but the borers here do too. I’m not sure where you are located, but I’m in eastern Virginia, US. Next year I’m going to see if I can come up with an enclosure for my squashes that I can keep on all year and see if that works. If not, I’m resorting to flame thrower, haha. Good luck!
5:33 I had one particularly disorganized autumn/winter a few years back. By May the following year, I stumbled across a pumpkin in my bedroom closet. No idea how it got there but it was perfect and unspoiled.
Oh wow! 😮
We planted a dark Zucchini, Alexandria summer Squash, Early Yellow Crookneck and a winter squash Green Kabocha. We are having the best squash year thus far. Now the zucchini has succumbed to disease (I did not wrap this year), the Alexandria looks great, the Crookneck is battling the bugs well. The fall Kabocha is wonderful. We have had about 40-50 summer squash so far. Our cucumbers lasted much longer also and we have had about 60 cucumbers but now it is done, almost to September which is a record. I did milk spray the cukes for a while. We have also used Neem oil spray to kill squash bug young with success. Also kills the eggs. But the adults half way killed.
I love delicata squash, and this year we are growing a variety of delicata called, Candystick. I can't wait to try it this fall. It is a winter squash with a skin that it thin enough that you can eat it if you like. Thanks for the squash growing tips!
I’m growing this for the first time this summer. We love it!
Fantastic video blog! I have 2 types- straight neck and butternut, both provide so much delicious fruit. Very important to erect support structures because they vine rather vigorously. Thanks for the tips and tricks.
You're very welcome, thanks for watching.
What a great video on squash! Thanks for all the tips and tricks. I just started my fall garden and already have so many decorative gourds growing.
You are such a joy to listen to, and I appreciate all of your tips!
Thank you so much. :-)
Thnk u!! I have struggled with both pests living in Kansas, US and ended up with powder mildew for first time too....
This year I only grew "crooked neck squash", cuz I couldn't find any zucchini plants in May/June in my area of the country. I didn't count on having such prolific plants. I have a ton of squash coming at me & 2 tons of tomatoes. I LOVE to garden 😍 and yes it's a lot of work but it's worth it. I just need to find a bunch of good recipes for using squash. It's beautiful & I don't want it to go to waste. Enjoy all the yummy produce coming from your gardens. It's all worth the effort you put into it.
Google "squash recipes ". I have about 100 or so squash recipes, both sweet and savory. Unfortunately, my squash have stalled in the draught, blooming and healthy, but not producing 😪 I've gotten 2 zucchini out of 6 plants and 1 crook neck squash ("prolific ") out of 6 plants and cucumber vines are under 12 inches, with no fruits. So frustrating and disappointing so near the end of the growing season 😪
You can always slice, blanch and freeze excess squash. My first year was super productive (before squash bugs found us). We froze a lot and enjoyed for a couple of seasons afterwards when we didn't get any because of pests.
I have planted butter nut squash 1st time in the greenhouse. Now going to transfer in the pot outside. Keep finger cross hope will get some fruit later.
Fingers crossed for you Jyotsna.
Butternut & Uchi Kuri are my must grow winter squashes. This year I‘m also growing Crown Prince as a trial to see if I like their taste
Crown Prince are absolutely delicious - I think you'll love them!
Very educational and I love your passion for growing
Have been growing yellow and green courgettes and made some great courgette cakes. Am also growing two pumpkins, one is ‘Becky’ and I currently have one perfect pumpkin on the vine. The other is ‘Mammoth’ and unsurprisingly it is taking over the garden!
Growing Black Futsu (a staple of mine). 2 plants - 25 squash. I got some Yokohama Squash seeds for next year. Can't wait to give them a try.
I've got sugar pie pumpkin, two types of acorn, and two types of butter nut....and some mini pumpkins for my daughter's.....and they are completely taking over my garden. Fingers crossed for a decent harvest this fall!
All the rampant growth bodes well for a good harvest!
First time trying butternut squash this year. I've got 5 growing at about a foot tall so far (a bit late in sewing) going to get them all into a bigger pot with a tripod of cane for them to climb and a gauze sheet for protection. In Scotland but it's been 25 degrees this week so hopefully they'll be ok once outside 👌😁
Think they should do fine in this weather Andy. Hope you get a good crop. :-)
I've had a few squash rot that are on the ground! It's been a hard year for growing them!
I am so glad I came across this video. I am growing Cinderella pumpkin in Western Washington and have been dealing with a mild case of mildew and will try the milk water solution. Happy gardening!
I have yellow star fruit squashes - they seem to be prolific again this year. Uses - soup with harissa paste is one recipe, decorating the church at Harvest time is another use - other recipes would be grand! Thanks for explaining how to harvest - never thought of the T shape before
Some great uses for your yellow star fruit squashes there Debbie, thanks for sharing.
Very good info and wish I'd done a little more research.. I'm in North America and having problems with everything you spoke about and whiteflies this year. Thanks for sharing!
lucky me I live in mid south USA Tennessee. The vine borer gets me every time. The netting does not always work, the vine borer will tunnel in the ground and sleep there all winter and surprise you next spring. I found one they are quite big. This time I am using freshly bought soil and then netting, that should work. I am not going to let some little bugs beat me. :) Another fine video. Thank you This year I will be growing, Tatume, Cucuzza, several kinds of zucchini (round, long green and yellow) Tromboncino, Red Kuri, Luffa (harvested early they taste a bit like zucchini, left late the are sponges, and are not bothered by vine borer, very prolific)
Wow - they seem determined blighters! Hope you manage a borer free season this summer.
Love all your video posts. Learn so many garden hacks and look forward to more. (Also, being from the moist Pacific NW I am so happy to see I am not the only one who gardens in the rain!
Yes, not ideal to film in the rain but I was off on vacation late that afternoon. Trust me to leave it to the last minute - it literally rained all day!
First year I've tried growing marrows. Plants took off vigorously but then contracted powdery mildew, despite regular watering. It happened so quickly too. The marrows we've been able to harvest (woodlice appear to thrive on them in our garden, attacking the young fruits very early on) have been delicious. Picking up more and more knowledge this year, so next year I'll hope to do better.
Gardening is very much a journey - we're always learning!
I grow Crown Prince squash. They have a great texture and taste and store very well. I used my last one from last year just this week. This means it stored from October to August.
That is incredible!
Trombocino squash are brilliant. The seeds are concentrated in the bulb at the end & the neck is just the flesh. They also can be stored all the way through to March.
Thanks for the recommendation Caroline.
I was tucking a handful of hay under each butternut squash, not I’ll look for a tile or something similar. It’s still getting more moist than I’d like with the hay
I am growing acorn and kobocha squash in Montana where the growing season is quite short and it is sometimes difficult to get the fruit ripe. I have been told that the appearance of the squash does not necessarily indicate when it is ready to pick. It takes time to develop adequate flesh with a good taste and the best indicator is to determine when the fruit sets; i.e. when the female plant is pollinated which I do with a small paint brush. the fruit is ready to pick about 50-55 days. I noticed the fruit sets over a period of a few weeks so that gives me an idea when they will be ready if the temperature cooperates. This is true for all varieties of winter squash. This from research and work at Johnny's Seed company.
Great advice, thanks for sharing this Pete.
Your garden look beautiful , growing a lot plant in the garden , thanks for sharing
I shred my crooked neck and zucchini and freeze and use it for soups, pasta sauces, they just melt and be un noticed but add nutrient dense goodness to just about any meal
What a great idea. :-)
Thank you for your videos. very helpful. This year, I will try to can sugar pumpkins - just like jams. First baked them, then pureed, added apple and spices and some sugar over stovetop and poured into disinfected jars and let them cool very slowly (over 2 days). Not sure if this will work, but if so, I have super easy soup or pie base ready all winter. Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed for you, it seems like a great idea.
Like always..... super informative . Wish I could have a garden like yours, beautiful ,peaceful and yumi one ☺☺
My garden is very far from perfect, but I still enjoy all the pottering and time outside. It's most important to just enjoy your garden, which I'm sure you do.
I grow seminole pumpkin which is a native to the US type. These will keep a year nicely. I just throw out last years stock to my chickens. This year's is coming in now.
I am growing my favourite, sweet dumpling. First time growing it but ate it all last winter. In my opinion, it is much tastier than other squashes. Plus it is scalloped so pretty when cut and small, good for individual portions or 2 people so nothing gets wasted. Mine are growing over an arch and I have 3 that are a good size and getting some colour. More are still being created. How will I store them? Not sure. I think squash like warmer conditions than other root cellar produce so gotta figure that out. What a great topic for another video! I'm in Toronto, Canada.
My understanding is they like it cool but not cold in storage. But a root cellar should be fine if there aren't other options available to you.
@@GrowVeg Great, good to know! Thanks.
Really great information here. Though my summer varieties never fruited this year, my Waltham Butternut squash is growing great and looking like I will be able to have lots of butternut squash soup this winter.
Butternut squash soup is super-tasty!
First time planting squash.... First 4 weeks beautiful growth until all the pests moved in. Vine borer, inch worm and powdery mildew. Next year I better be prepared.
Lots of problems with our squash this year. How about a video on who pollinates squash and how to attract ( needs of pollinators). Also, slow growth this year?? Heat, sun? I dunno???
You're in luck: we already produced a video on just this topic here: @ Hope that helps! (If the link doesn't work, just search for GrowVeg Hand Pollinating Squash and you should get it)
the bees have all but disappeared around here. I've seen some other insects trying to pick up the slack
I had the same problem here in Tennessee. I watched and followed video but still no fruit so no clue what happened this year.
Great video! I love butternut squash, putting my first two raised beds in soon and looking forward to trying🤘🙏🙏
I wish I'd had this video back in May. XP
You have, this year! 😜😁
I’m in northeast USA and the squash bugs and vine borers have been out of control this year! I took 50-100 eggs off my plants every single day, and I only have 5 squash plants! At least I’ve found an easy way to do it… duct tape! Press the tape against the leaf or stem where the eggs are and the eggs come right off. Fold up the tape and discard. Also, when checking the squash plants I wear sleeves and gloves as those leaves are prickly and easily scratch and irritate the skin.
Really fab tips there Lynn - thanks for sharing.
I'm playing around & see if I can get a second harvest of Sugar Pie Pumpkins, they should be ready by Thanksgiving or 15 of Dec. Next year I'm trying Lakota Squash & Boston Marrow Squash
I grew honey butternut and WOW! The flavour was amazing in a soup!
I'm growing butternut. I love the flavor and it stores very well
It does store fantastically doesn't it. :-)
Perfect timing! I needed this!
I'm growing 4 kinds of squashes this year. In containers & vertically for the first time, they've been getting irregular waterings and now all have very pale green leaves. I think my butternut squash stopped taking up water/nutrients for a few weeks and it's suffering from saturated roots- it has the black-edged leaves and the fruit is deforming. I may stick to just 1 variety next year.
Arkansas USA, we have a lot of (bug) problems, this year I am using Cedar chips to deter the wretched bugs!, along with lining the stems of my squash with aluminun foil.
Hi! I'm Dutch. I will be trying your milksolution on my holyhocks next year. Thank you! Any effective tips for slugs and snails? I have given up on anything related to squash, cucumber and sunflowers, because the slimeys always eat the flowers or the young plants. 😥
Goedendag! The best way to avoid slug problems is to start your squash and other susceptible plants off away from the garden - in a greenhouse, on the patio or wherever. Then only plant them out once they are a bit bigger and able to fend for themselves a bit better. I find slug traps filled with beer to help. The slugs are attracted to the beer and you can dispose of them every now and then. Some of these tips may also help: th-cam.com/video/KQh7mX1tWHw/w-d-xo.html
The stink bugs and the borers are so bad in our area (SEastern US). Wrapping the stems with foil and keeping them covered until they bloom has made a huge difference.
That's great to hear. We don't have these pests in the UK, so it's great to hear that these techniques really do work.
I’ve got a blue Hubbard from almost a year ago. No rot no mold. Planning on campfire roasting it this fall.
That will be a delicious way to enjoy it - yum!
This is so incredibly helpful and I really appreciate it. Our squash, butternut waltham, Looks very very dry but The leaves are yellowing. I think we are watering it too much. Opinion? Northern New England
It can be quite hard to overwater them. Check the soil - dig a finger down an inch or so deep and if it's moist, hold off watering until it's dry. Sometimes the leaves can be a bit yellow after planting while the plants find their feet and settle in. Keep the soil moist and hopefully things should pick up.
Thankyou for the useful tips, it is my first year of growing Squash; butternut and Cheeky Prince which is a hybrid. Initially I got lots of fruit growing but over the past month the babies have been rotting once they get to golfball size, I think it is because it has been so cool and wet in North Yorkshire...
It likely means they're not being pollinated. You could perhaps try hand pollinating them instead?
@@choose47 Thankyou for the suggestion, I will give it a go...
The cooler, wetter weather we've been having recently will certainly affect fruit production. They can be a lot less predictable in these conditions, and there will be fewer pollinators on the wing to pollinate.
Thank you for the great video. Could butternut squash be grown up a trellis with the sling supports?
Yes, absolutely.
Winter squash does beautifully here in NE Georgia, at the foot of the Appalachias. We do fight squash bugs and now marmorated stink bugs, it worth the effort. I still have a few butternut, spaghetti and Cherokee Tan pumpkins (an amazing native American cultivar) from August 2019 in our basement! The North Georgia Candy Roaster is amazing but not as long on the shelf given its huge size.
Summer squash does well too, and our season is long enough we can start late to avoid some of the pests. Favorites are bennings green tint (pattypan), lemon, and ronde de nice. Our plants were beautiful and full of fruit when I pruned some leaves for airflow and space, but this may have been an error as they quickly looked diseased when rainfall picked up :( any advice on that? I did 4 plants in a 1.5 meter square box and they were flowing over all sides.
Love the tip about using a tile under larger fruits especially and will try the milk solution next time I am faced with powdery mildew!
A lovely variety of plants there! Generally, if the leaves are green and healthy I would leave them be. They are the powerhouse behind the plant, helping to swell the fruits to maturity. Your planting density sounds fine, particularly as they are growing over the sides too.
We've had rain here in the mountains of western NC almost every day! Been pouring 2", 3" and 5" out of the gauge way too often. We got two consecutive no-rain days this week, a record for months. So yeah, we got powdery mildew! Grew a lot of squash. My favorite is Trombetta Di Albenga, an amazing climbing, Italian summer squash that produces long neck fruits that are dry and sweet, never watery or mushy. One squash is a meal. Still producing from a July transplanting. Second favorite, Clarimore, a Middle Eastern, pale green Zucchini that shares qualities with the previous. Yellow Crockneck is the old southern standard that I've eaten since childhood, grown it for 42 years. Black Beauty and Golden were the Zucchini choices also.
Then I went wild with winter squash. From Row 7, a delicious, super sweet, tiny butternut bred from Honey Nut that is only called 898, from Cornel University trials. Robin's Koginut is a cross between a Kobacha and a Butternut. Transplanted them out in early June and they've matured, bypassed disease and insects for most of their life. I Also grew: Honey Nut, Honey Boat Delicata, Candy Stick Delicata, Sweet Dumpling. Tetra, also from Row 7, is a Delicata bred for edible stems, flowers, immature fruit and winter squash. I blew it and didn't keep it separate to experiment so it'll just be a winter squash.
For heirlooms I grew Dutch Fork, a local Cherokee variety, and North Georgia Candy Roaster. I also grew Lady Godiva, a naked seeded pumpkin. Watermelons, canteloups and cucumbers also.
Just transplanted out my last blast of summer squash, yellow Crockneck and Black beauty. Started them inside because of the rain. Seeded out the 40 days to maturity Ortolana di Faenza a few days ago also.
Only one Golden Zuke, a couple of YCN and the Trombetta are still producing from my first plantings. The giant winter squash that went out late July have powdery mildew but they're still throwing out fruit and growing vigorously. The plants that went out late June aren't very productive and will only mature a few fruit each. And, as I said, the early June plantings prospered.
BTW, I can quarts of summer squash with basil, oregano and over abundant herbs and blend it creamy to add to canned tomatoes for a low acid pasta sauce in the winter. Great for soup base also. So easy to pressure can.
Wow - want aren't you growing! What a fantastic list of squash delights! I love the tip of a squash sauce - a nice alternative/addition to tomato sauces.
One zucchini goes for almost two dollars USD here in the Southeastern USA because it takes so much labor to grow any at all.
Would love to share an image of our Cucuzza squash trellis but don't know where to attach it! Its a prolific fruiting vine that makes a great point of interest in our therapeutic Garden of Hope at Good Samaritan Hospital (Suffern, NY)
I've looked them up online. They are stunners aren't they!
I'll be growing pumpkin and butternut this year.. I think I will skip soft squash this time around
Patty pans are my favourite, I’ve just put some seed to sprout. I harvest them small, no need to peel, just chopped up and fried in butter. I’ve heard that adding crushed eggshell can boost calcium for strong growth?
You could add crushed eggshell for this reason, yes. But usually there's enough calcium and any lack of calcium is usually down to irregular watering. :-)
Thank you so much….Central Florida, USA
Wonderful information, thank you!
I would like to grow my squash and pumpkins on an arched trellis. How do I know what weight the trellis needs to be able to support for different vegetables or at least heavier vegetables like pumkins? What material is best suited?
I’m not sure there’s a specific way of doing this, other than being sure to invest in a really sturdy, well-made arch, perhaps out of some sort of galvanised or coated metal.
Thanks so much for sharing. I'm in Kingston, Jamaica and sowed butternut squash seeds from Burpee Gardens (eventually thinned to 3 plants) for the 1st time on January 3rd. I followed the hand pollination method and was successful. The 1st squash is growing nicely but now the vine is shriveling and seems to be dying although the fruit still looks healthy. 1 other plant now has a pollinated squash and the other is still only showing male flowers...the vines and leaves look OK but not as lush as yours did....not having any issues with powdery mildew. Please tell me what can I do about the dying vine? They're all getting full sun and are being watered almost daily if there's no rain. Help!!
Not sure what might be going on with the dying vine Lisa. I wonder if they are getting eaten, for example by squash vine borers? I'm not sure if that's a pest in Jamaica though. I do hope you manage to get a decent crop one way or another. Sending you green fingered and thumbed thoughts!
@@GrowVeg thanks so much for responding Ben, and for the good wishes! Alas, I dug up all 3 plants this afternoon even tho the growing fruit, about the size of my hand, looked so healthy 😒. No sign of vine borders altho it seems I may have a mild case of bad nematodes - saw signs only on the roots of the plant with male flowers and none on the others 🤔. We had okra growing in the same spot last year so maybe that's the reason. My twin sister and I are learning a lot as 1st time backyard gardeners - converted our lawn to a veggie garden last year and despite the challenges, so satisfying to reap what you grow!
I grew zucchini this year. The plants did great at the beginning of the summer and I got about 10 gorgeous fruits! Then the squash vine borers hit... and that was the end of that. I'm too inexperienced to know how I could have saved my plants. I'm also a little hesitant to try zucchini again next year. I practice square foot gardening in a raised bed so if I do try zucchini again next year, I'm either going to plant them in a different part of my raised bed, give them their own space or treat my entire raised bed with diatomaceous earth before next spring. But this video helps a lot!
Glad the video was of use. Good luck for next growing season!
Question: I grew birdhouse gourds for the first time this year. I have many quite large gourds growing. The trellis fell over in a recent wind storm and now I’m worried they will all rot on the ground. Is it ok to just go ahead and cut them off the vine (late Aug in Vermont, USA) and start curing them or are they unlikely to be fully developed enough?
I suspect they may still have a little way to go. If you can, leave them on the plant if it's still growing okay. Perhaps support the gourds on slates/tiles to keep them off the ground. You can then harvest them in another month or so.
I've got my butternut squash growing beside my tomatoes in my side garden. From the sound of things, that's not a good combination. I take it tomatoes sound be in dryer soil and the squash should be in soil that stays moist all the time. I put one butternut squash plant in there and I has taken over the whole garden! It's growing up the stems of the tomatoes and is now stilling over into the neighbour's back lawn. I guess with all the rain here in winnipeg this summer it's been perfect for the butternut squash but I have to say the tomatoes are doing OK as well (although one has blight all over it). Do you think I should plant the squash in a different place next year?
Squash can get quite rambunctious, as you've discovered, so is often best growing on its own, or at least training away from other plants so they don't get smothered.
@@GrowVeg Rambunctious! This is the squash plant from hell! It's grown 30 feet down the garden. It's completely merged with the tomatoes. I have squash growing right beside tomatoes on the same plant. They both seem to be quite happy but it's going to be a bit strange at harvest time when I'm plucking a squash with one hand and a tomato with the other! Lol
Help! I have a wall garden with a raspberry plant, a tomato plant, 2 strawberry plants, 3 pepper plants, lots of orange beetroot, lambs lettuce, spinach and carrots.I am having to tear dark grey, pale green or browny sections off of my leaves. I noticed at the garden bed today a grey powdery mound in the soil at the bed of my beetroot. Randomly placed I might add as it was not attached to a root at all.... I carefully cleared any signs of this fungus yesterday from all my leaves to see if I could eradicate it. Back again today across approx 1/8 of my leaves again. O also noticed a leaf from my beetroot plant that I must have missed yesterday. Upon inspection, it appeared to have a thin translucent layer across the leaf face...Almost as though the substance was wearing down the surface of the leaf.... This feels to be all rather quick no? Definitely something I should treat I think but I don't know really what I'm doing as its may first time growing! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. xx
It sounds like you may have leaf miners. This is very common, especially in beetroots. The miners eat the leaves from the inside, burrowing about to create a translucent look to the leaves. It usually isn't that bad news. More details here: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/leaf-miner/
GrowVeg yes! I suspect you are correct! So I shall remove the leaves and crush…. Upon inspection today I noticed a couple of silvery grey spiders. I believe they may be the culprits. I will try and catch them too! Coverings may be difficult though as I have my plants in hanging baskets.
Hi... Could you plz advise on the treatment of zucchini mould? Thanks
Have a look at our disease guides, which should help: www.growveg.com/plant-diseases/us-and-canada/plant-problems/zucchini-diseases-identification/
Brilliant video, thank you. We had a single frost day early October in Uk so I harvested all 40 of my butternut squash straight away (56 kilos!) . All hardish skins and left long T stem. They have been drying on a window sill in my unheated bedroom for 2 weeks but they are all going Damp and rotting at the neck! Ive no freezer space left! This is the 2nd year this has happened! What can I do next year to avoid loosing so may so quickly, please?. The stems are hard as rock but I can still push a finger nail into the skins. How else can i stop the damp ? I have stored some upright and some with the stem hanging down.Help!
I would store them in the dryest part of the house. In general squashes are okay at slightly warmer temperatures, so you may be best prioritising lower humidity over coolness. The unheated room may be very humid, causing problems. You may be able to rescue the squashes by cutting away the rotten bit them peeling and cubing the squash into inch-sized cubes to then freeze - but that would rely on finding a bit more freezer space of course.
You know , I think you have a good point now that I have seen what you say about humidity.I hadn't thought that through! I was so worried about frost damage.There is a lot of wet condensation on the sunny window ledge where the squash are meant to be "drying off". Thankyou @@GrowVeg for your reply and suggestion for next year! I am not giving up!
Very helpful video! Thank you 😁👍
We managed to ward off the squash bugs early in the season but it looks like the vine borers have moved in recently here in central Virginia. It's been a losing battle for me over the past few years but I love winter squash and I'm determined to keep trying.
We also have problems with Vine borers where I live. I have had great luck with squash in the moschata family. Their Vines are resistant to the borers. I really like the squash sold by row 7 seed company. Google them for more info. I've got a great harvest coming in this year for the first time. My favorite is their center cut squash because it is both a good summer squash and winter squash based on when you harvest it.
@@EmInMI80 I do grow a couple varieties of moschata but they aren't my favorite, which I why I keep trying others. My butternut are actually looking good so far. I need to get better at employing some of the tactics to ward them off -- row cover, aluminum foil around the stems, etc.
Didn't see the problem I was looking for - the leaves of some are completely covered on the back with hundreds of very dark orange ( more like a dark brown) thin small dash lines (not eggs, not squash beetle and no problem with soil) Can anyone help as I cannot find this answer anywhere as to what it is. Great video. All my best to you from Cyprus.
I'm not sure what that could be - I'm stumped! Do check out our pest and disease guides; www.growveg.co.uk/pests/uk-and-europe/ but hopefully someone else might be able to shed some light on this.
@@GrowVeg Thanks for an honest reply. All my very best from rural Cyprus.
I am growing 5 variety of pumpkins, zucchini, butternut squash this year. For the first time ever, I planted birdhouse gourds. They are huge and so adorable! Garden is producing great.
I see some sqash bugs now amongst my pumpkins🤨🤨🤨. Vines died because of a lack of water getting to them. I'm ready to be done with over 100 degree weather.
I hope the weather cools down for you soon. We seem to be getting an early autumn over here in the UK!
Butternut squash, pumpkin, courgettes.
Butternut squash store fine in a cool area. Pumpkin and courgette go in the freezer.
Nice video, I have a problem with my squash I have plenty of foliage and squashes growing but the squash rot when they are about 2” long what can I do please
That sounds like they haven’t been properly pollinated. And so the plant is supporting the fruit. This video might be helpful with that: th-cam.com/video/4Baj4vUXFMA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Jj45LktyR9ZxdvX1
Here in Cape Town we have something called pumpkin fly and it destroys the fruit. I'm prepping for my war with them this summer
Hope you win the war!
Thank you for this video 🙏🌻
We have a couple of beautiful butternuts on the vine here in suburban Pittsburgh! For the life of me I cannot get zucchini or summer squash to grow here. It's so sad! They have big beautiful plants that never fruit or the fruit rots when it's pinky size (and then the vine borers set in and destroy the beautiful plants. Sigh!) I'm going to try neem oil next summer as it worked this summer for keeping the japanese beetles off the rest of the garden, but I only started using it after the zucchini were doomed.
That's a big shame Susan. I hope next summer brings better luck with the zucchini and summer squash.
Well, I covered a bare patch of garden with home made compost. I now have a staggeringly vigorous pumpkin and squash patch with at least 30 healthy squash all from discarded squash innards I guess. Well worth trying...
You do get a lot of volunteer seedlings that way. Will be worth seeing how it all goes.
I am in South Africa and struggle terribly with pumpkin fly with my butternut. It's not feasible to keep this sprawling plant covered by mesh. I have it growing from the ground up onto a chicken wire fence to keep it away from the soil and to utilise my space more effectively. I have put up pumpkin fly traps that contain water and pheromones in them, but these have made little difference. The 2nd problem I have is blossom rot. Any ideas on what may be causing it? Your advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Hi Monica. Blossom end rot is often caused be irregular watering, rather than a lack of calcium (though this can also be the cause). Keep the soil evenly moist but also consider applying a liquid tomato feed every few weeks to up nutrients, particularly if the soil hasn't been improved with plenty of organic matter at or before planting time.
@@GrowVeg Thank you for this info :) Any advice on the pumpkin fly issue?
I would so like to learn from you or someone out there, if upon starting my seeds of squash this early what can I possibly do to save them, as I was hopeful that I
can continue to give them life, as they are growing on my kitchen window-ledge, after getting splashed on my small pot on the window close to sink tap.
Is it possible to pot them on as they have started to sprout out, but am I to think that without enough sun they will not live or can they manage with the right
amount of heat and small aount of light given in my kitchen and perhaps they can make it to the spring, if I continue to repot and accommodate, if they keep growing and
these winter squash last to a time when they can get pollinated, I just do not know if it is possible to save them!
It depends on where you are. But if it is autumn where you are then, yes, it may be tricky to keep them going until it is time to plant them in spring. Squash are best sown in late spring, so they can take advantage of increasing light levels. You could continue to grow you squash under some type of grow lights, but I think you may be better off re-sowing later in spring.
First time planting squash & I planted a mixed seed pack. So I have no idea what I'm growing! Can I post a picture so you can help identify please? Thanks for video!
It's hard to tell just from the leaf shape, so you may have to wait till the fruits have started to form. It will be a welcome surprise I hope.