Never has an SVB attack a cucumber. Do a number on squashes tho. There are many cultivars that are parthenocarpic and also many that are mildew tolerant. Diva is one that has both characteristics. There are also parthenocarpic zucchini, Surething, Parthenon, Cavili, Whitaker and Elite come to mind.

Same here - never had SVB go after any cuke in 40+ years of gardening. If there is squash planted they'll go for it any time but mildews are more of a threat to cukes than SVB is.

But no, you do not have to grow only the so-called self- pollinating varieties - they are really parthenocarpic- if using row covers. There are many other ways to control SVB but if row covers is your choice then early morning open to air/insects or hand pollination are options that allow you to grow any variety you wish.

Dave

There are Parthenocarpic pickling cucs too. I grew these in a small hightunnel. They were awesome! My Diva's were a flop. The Zucchini was another slam dunk this year. I grew Perfect Pick and Cavili. The Cavili are very productive!

Farmerdilla: Do you know of a yellow Parthenocarpic Zucchini?
If there is one, I would like to grow it next year.

I have not encountered a yellow parthnenocarpic zucchini, But does not mean that there is not one out there. Lots of research going on, especially in Europe. The parthenocarpic cultivars are driven by greenhouse growers and as the market increases for yellow zukes, demand will make new cultivars available.

Might Donna be thinking of cucumber beetles and the bacterial wilt they spread. I have an awful time with beetles and wilt.

Covering the plants helps and using a variety like Diva that can be kept covered makes a lot of sense.

Well, you know, upon further reflection, I guess it was the squash that were attacked by Borers and not the cucumbers. I had both planted in one bed together. The cucumbers were ravaged by mildew. So, mildew resistance is the ticket, right? Is there some advantage to the self pollinating cucumbers?

I cannot realistically see me removing and replacing row covers daily over squash plants, or, for that matter, hand pollinating them. So what (organic thing) do you do to protect them from SVB? Are there varieties that are resistant to attack? Naturally, my favorite is the yellow crookneck.

The hard vine species C. moschata (butternut group) have good resistance to SVB. Unfortunately for summer squash, that normally means Trombocino which is used as a zucchini. Crooknecks are quite susceptible as are all C. pepo types. Sometimes timing to avoid the flight of moths works. Here an early crop will sometimes make because an infestation arrives. Less often a fall crop will make afetr the summer invasion has passed.

This is a great thread! I have all these problems too.

Are SVB worse on the Fall plantings than in Spring? or is it the same. I ask because I had no SVB issues last spring, but it was my first garden in this location, and they just might not have found me in time. They sure found me this Fall!

My Zucchini were also very sensitive to mildew, so I'm happy to hear of resistant varieties. However, I was growing Sure Thing... guess its resistance is weak.

What about pickleworms? They finished my cukes - BT couldn't stop them. I was growing Sugar Crunch, which, btw, was pretty resistant to molds, and was wonderfully productive until the PW found them.

Thanks for all the good advice!

What I wanna know is WHERE the heck is MY Park's catalog??

Pickle worms are a whole other problem. Here they start arriving around the Fourth of July, I can get a good crop of summer squash and cucumbers before they arrive. I have also had some luck with squash in fall for October-November harvest.When both pickle worms and SVB seem to have diminished. July- August seem to be peak months for both insects.

Boy do I ever feel like a beginner! I never had trouble growing any kind of vegetables in Indiana: put seed in ground, pick veggies: simple. After a few years of miserable failures here in Mississippi, I gave up on vegetables and turned to flowers, which I have great success with. Now, I am back to veggies and rememberig why I gave up. But, of course, I won't, at least not for a few years. (And, thankfully, I am having some success too. I am loving having winter greens, lettuces, and onions to pick fresh in DECEMBER!)

Anyway, it's too wet to work outside today, so I have been googling all day long. Best I can tell, there's not very much that can be done about SVB on summer squash except to rotate them to a different place each year, get rid of all vines and mulches from their spots each fall, turn their soil in the fall to expose any eggs to the weather and birds, and hope for the best. Evidently, late planting up north works since the moths don't lay eggs later in the season, but no such luck in the south, since they have time to have TWO families per year. There are, however, varieties that have mildew resistance for both cucumbers and squash.

Does this about cover it? If anyone wants to recommend a good book on vegetable growing in the south, I'd sure love to read it.

I surely do appreciate all the input here. You folks are amazing with your scope of knowledge!