I have two Butternut plants growing on a 6' tall teepee trellis. They are in a raised 4x4x3' bed filled with Mel's mix. They have been excellent and growing like, well, weeds. With all this insane rain, I've had to hand pollinate and hope things weren't too wet at the time. Right now I have two growing squash. The rain is wreaking havoc on the leaves - many are turning colors and I can only suspect mold. Is there anything that I can put on them during dry weather that will help keep the mold at bay?

AND - the other night, I noticed this weird white SQUISHY stuff that seemed to come out of one of the squash. There's no hole, and there's no soft area so I don't know where it is coming from! There's about 1/2 a cup of these small crystal - like clear/white squishy things. I don't think there's any way it can be an egg as it's clear, and there's nothing wrong with the squash. I wiped it away to check the squash, but I might go back out tonight to snap a picture. Have you guys heard or seen this?

Thank you thank you, I'm so glad there's a world of master gardeners that love to help!

Amy

Do you know what to do about the leaves and mold? Or am I just spinning my wheels because of the worms? I HATE caterpillars and worms!

I often harvest some of the immature fruits from my Winter squash & use like zuchinni - the flavour is sweeter & nuttier.

HTH

Oh, and I thought I was cutting off a severely yellowed leaf and it turns out it was the main vine.... I pulled over 6 feet off my precious squash plant!!

Thank you THANK you for all the advice... I wonder if I TRY to cover the baby flowers until they get larger if that would work? And what could I cover the flowers with, pantyhose?

I HATE WORMS.

Amy, success with squash has to do a lot with the timing of the plantings and how well we prepare the soil. In the summer with the bugs, heat, and rains very little survives. In my zone soon I will be planting fast maturing squash.

Pat, did you mean kabocha squash? I have some friends that are chefs and only plant squash to eat the flowers.:)

Silvia

You guys are hilarious! And no, I won't try to eat a tractor this year :) I am, however, applying to my local zoning commission to rezone my residential home. Apparently I am operating a high level caterpillar farm. I should get a tax break for that.

The thing about this area is that there's always pests around. You eliminate one thing, and something else will pop up. If you are thorough and give the plants exactly what they need, at exactly the right time, you'll be OK.

I have found that if you leave an area of your property natural, or plant a cover crop of some kind to encourage beneficial insects, that it really takes the "labor" out of it. A small outdoor water source will also attract beneficial predators such as dragonflies, lizards, frogs, etc.

Good luck and please keep us posted on what you're growing! :)

So, if I actually coax a squash out, should I put it in a nylon stocking? I buy them all the time for tying plants, so I have several. I'd planned on trellising anything that vines in my southern raised bed because it'll stop getting enough sun by Dec. I use the stockings as slings for any fruits that need them.

I love squash, but I'm the only one that eats them, so I'm only planting a few but would hate to lose the one's I do get. I'm in Central Fl, just north of Orlando...any suggestions as I undertake my first winter squash venture?

You can successfully grow any type of squash that you like, no need for pollination. In the few years that I am living here I grew a lot of varieties and they all did well.

The pickleworm usually arrives around June, this season because of the warm winter it arrived around April. If you had a harvest before it arrived like I did, then it is safe. If you planted later, then covering the small fruit it helps, not the flowers.

I plant 2 times in the year, early spring the big varieties and about now the small varieties.

Butternut and Table Queen are very productive! if you can keep the plant healthy to produce, when spraying for bugs make sure that you apply some at the base of the plant.

Good luck with your squash!

Past harvest including the table queen

Recent harvest in May

Silvia

Christine

Yes, the yellow tinted ones. The table queen is very productive but my least favorite because it does not keep long after harvest. Taste is personal and also depends on how well it is used in cooking, that goes for any food. I like a lot of squash and I cook them differently depending on the consistency.
Table queen is a very common variety and seeds are sold in a lot of places, even the big box stores.

Here is one of my favorites a kabocha delicata, the flesh is a little bit dry and is very good for savory recipes.

Silvia