BS: What happened to the squash harvest?

Subject: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 05:26 PM

There was some squash in the produce stands here in New Jersey and Penssylvania for a while, but not much. The grocery stores had a slightly better stock, but in either case, the stuff is gone. No butternuts, acorns, spaghetti squash, or those oblong white ones with the green stripes, which are the best. So how far will I have to travel to find any? Or is the entire US squash harvest bad this year?

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Cluin
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 06:12 PM

They've all been herded to the polls to vote Republican.




Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Rustic Rebel
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 06:22 PM

Hi Steve, I don't know about anywhere else, (well except Florida and no tomatos this year due to hurricanes) but up here in MN we had an early August frost and it wiped out many gardens and crops including mine. No squash, tomatoes, cukes, corn, peppers. It was pretty bad for a lot of us who worked so hard for nothing.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Rapparee
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 07:02 PM

No problems apparent in the Pacific NW. Idaho seems to have had a pretty good crop, in fact.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 08:33 PM

I commend you on your good fortune. The only thing in the world that smells as bad as tripe is yellow squash. Congratulations!

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Rapparee
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 09:23 PM

We had a good tripe harvest, too.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Bobert
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 09:31 PM

Man, we had like no yellow squash this year. Couldn't figure it it out. Blooms, no squash... Butternut did real well, though??? Eggpant did fine, too.... But no yellow squash to speak of...

Wierd....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Padre
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 10:16 PM

No problem here in the Alleghany Highlands - lots of squash of several varieties. Now rutabagas....

Padre

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 10:20 PM

Mine were wiped out as usual by the caterpillers (boring into the vine). We got a few, then the plants just evaporated into the grass.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Bobert
Date: 02 Nov 04 - 10:33 PM

I hate them bores... Ya can dig 'um out with a knife and wrap the bad area and sometimes get the plant to produce but them critters is bad. An' ya' gotta look everyday fir 'um 'cause if ya' miss a day, they'll burrow right into yer stem... Grrrrrrrrrrr... Hate them bores...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: Davetnova
Date: 03 Nov 04 - 10:01 AM

Hasn't it been delivered to the Road Kill Cafe?

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Nov 04 - 01:07 PM

Lots of squash in the southern Midwest. We had delicious acorn squash last night which I baked whole in the oven next to the spareribs. Take it out, let it cool some, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and butter generously.

Pay no attention to misophist. His olfactory factory must be defective.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: JenEllen
Date: 03 Nov 04 - 05:46 PM

Mine grew just fine in the Pacific NW, but then got a rash of bugs, little silvery beetle creatures. Couldn't bring myself to kill the bugs, and I figured if I let them eat zucchini, then they would leave my tomatoes alone. It worked.

Sister in Utah had a tremendous crop this year. Vines crawling all the way to the house from the garden (15ft pumpkin vine) and I happened to be on the phone with her one day while she was out weeding and she kept finding enormous acorns, butternuts, spaghettis and bananas. I figure, if you want squash, move to Utah. :)

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: dianavan
Date: 03 Nov 04 - 09:44 PM

JanEllen - My uncle's "organic" philosophy is that you plant enough for the bugs and you too. Usually works quite well.

I have also found that some years are blackberry years, some years are apple years, some years are plum years and so forth. Seems like Nature gives you plenty of one thing and not so much of another.

d

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: JenEllen
Date: 04 Nov 04 - 11:27 AM

Yeah, dianavan, where I used to live, it was "Plant enough for the deer and yourself". I always thought it funny the operative was that the deer were listed first...:)

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: MMario
Date: 04 Nov 04 - 11:32 AM

seem to have plenty of squash in upstate NY this year. In fact - finding varieties in the stores that do not normally find.

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 05 Nov 04 - 10:51 AM

Where I live, the squash-vine borers are completely destructive. There is no such thing as planting enough for them and for us. However many eggs the female lays, that's how many borers attack the stems, killing the plant overnight and probably themselves, too. So far I have found no method, either chemical or "organic" which copes with them.

Some areas of the world simply don't have these borers. Not having them is the only answer, as far as I can tell.

(They never attack my tomatoes. Tomato vines are not food to them.)

Subject: RE: BS: What happened to the squash harvest?
From: GUEST,Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Nov 04 - 01:00 PM

BT (bacillus thuringensis) is usually pretty good on those borers, if you get them very early, just as the blossoms start to appear. Someone (was it here? I've been reading a couple of garden sites this week) said to try injecting it. This year is when I heard about the blossom timing, so will give it a try next year. I don't want to use even BT unless I have a target in mind, or it will kill beneficial stuff also. Trichagrama wasps didn't seem to make much difference this year. I probably needed to put them out more than once in the spring.

Mechanical removal is best for some of these pests. Too bad I don't have any ducks to feed the worms to. I have done the surgery Bobert describes, and gotten a few more before the plant finally shut down.

SRS