SSS = Summer Squash Satisfaction

13 years ago

I NEED SOME SATISFACTION ...
It feels like an eternity for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants to grow to a flowering size, then another millennium for the flowers to become a pea size fruit then a century for the fruits to get ripe(I am in the early days of the latter)

Can I get some kind of satisfaction for all my efforts ? The answer is yes. And I have found it by accident and that is in one word = SQUASHES.
Yes, yes, that is right. I planted my squashes from seed in late May. Four days ago, (in about 6 weeks from sowing ), I got the first female flower. I hand pollinated it. IN JUST 4 DAYS, IT HAS BECOME A FRUIT OF ABOUT AN APPLE SIZE(it is a round type). Is this great or what?!. The heck with them eggplants and tomatillos and the rest of the SLOW MOTION , TURTLES. Summer squash is way to success, satisfaction, way to go and what to grow. And I love them pan fried, in salads, deep fried(breaded), stuffed and might end up offering some for the neighbors too. I have 8 hills of them. Keep my toes cross, no disease , no bugs( I overcame the slugs). I can't sleep tonight. Tomorrow I have to pollinated two or three more(On top of 4 already done). This feels like a revolution in the garden, When I just couldn't take it no more.

I NEEDED SOME SATISTACTION AND GOT IT. How about you ?
In two months or more still those CHERRY tomatoes still are smaller than cherries and the Early Girl, which was supposed to be due 3 weeks ago, just showing the signs of craving for the pickle..hahaha. Hey girli !, take your time, No problems...

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Comments (9)

buford
13 years ago
I agree! If you can fight off the SVBs squash are almost instant gratification. Mine have produced some fruit already and even with fighting off our exceptionally cool and wet weather, there are two on there now. I have two plants and one has yet to produce a female flower, but it was able to pollinate the other one that had 2 females and no males!

This year I am doing romanesco which I do think is a bit more resistant to SVB. I did have one in a smaller newer stem, but not in the main stem. I did see where one tried to get into the main stem, but must have given up.
User
13 years ago
I've got romanesco, too, and not found SVB yet, but it's early here.

I also have a backup plant growing, just in case.
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insteng
13 years ago
Down here the squash are taking over the garden. They get huge here and we get more than we can eat. I can't imagine having to hand pollinate any of them. I usually see bumble bees everytime I go out to check my garden and they do a great job pollinating the garden.
User
13 years ago
Alas, the bees here are all over at the prairie garden on the echinacea, none pollinating the fruits and vegetables.
seysonn
Original Author
13 years ago
insteng:
I can't imagine having to hand pollinate any of them.

the bees here are all over at the prairie garden on the Echinacea.'
ititon

........................
Like itito says, bees (besides being so few) are not visiting the squash. The prefer some stuff that make them high. lol
glib
13 years ago
Last year my romanescos had 6-8 SVB larvae in their stem, when I finally cut them open. I am disconcerted by this year's SVB, I have yet to see one, I have yet to see an egg, and I see no frass anywhere. I painted insecticide on the stems only last night. Could it be that letting them come in and deposit eggs, then carefully kill all the larvae in all the plants, has an effect? There are other squash plants in the neighborhood, but hundreds of yards away.
Donna
13 years ago
Here, crowder peas are pretty close to as fast as squash when planted in hot weather.
squirrelwhispererpup
13 years ago
I too was amazed at how fast my early prolific straight neck yellow squash began to yield. I harvested my first squash 36 days after seeding. If you can keep the SVB at bay, they are wonderfully gratifying.
seysonn
Original Author
13 years ago
I have two kinds : (1) Straight neck yellow and Striped/mottled green globe.
They both have started growing male/female flowers. I am doing about 3 pollinations a day now, Luckily, I don't have to do it real early in the morning. They stay open well passed noon. Because, I think, the weather is not hot and they don't get much AM sun.

VIVA La Squash !!! hehe