I have bad news. I think the clear squishy stuff is the frass (poop) of probably a pickle worm. I so hate those things!

Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of pickleworm frass

AAAH!! IT IS!!!! Oh no! What do I do now? It looks like it punched a hole in the squash!

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!

Pickle worms and vine borers are why I have given up on most winter (and all summer) squash. Now I stick to calabasa and Seminole squash. They seem to be pretty much immune to those pests. I really would like to grow other winter squash though.

FWIW, I believe any Winter squash may be eaten when immature, you can try harvesting the infested squashes & trimming out the buggy parts, then using as you would Summer squashes.

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

HTH

By co-inkydink I am eating immature kubota as I type. Super-delish.

Well, I decided to cut off the goopy fruit, which leaves me ONE that has pollinated, I'm spraying BT daily and a milk / baking soda / water mix whenever we get some good strong sun. I seem to have powdery mildew, but I'm going to go full on war with these plants. The trellis itself was a beast to build. Thank you for all of your tips!

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!!

You can try covering the undamaged squash with something. I sometimes use nylon stockings, but last year they chewed through it! A physical protective barrier is best.

If you have your heart set on certain squash, the best thing to do is to cover it with a veil-type screen until the flowers appear. Then you remove it for pollination (or I guess you could hand pollinate and leave it on..). If you allow the plant to reach the flowering/fruiting stage, they're generally productive enough to give you plenty of squash before the bugs take over. I can't stand those fat green maggot things!! My chickens love them though :)

Welcome aboard! We have alot of fun here and we learn alot too. I live near Jax.

I have the dreaded pickle worm. In a bad way. Between the pickle worm and the caterpillars on my bean/pea plants, I am a pickin' machine. I am spraying BT daily, but the little pickle worms are getting to my flowers before I can even tell they are there. Between the deluge of worms and rain, I don't know if I will salvage one piece of fruit or a bean at all. Ugh.

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.

I meant to write 'kubocha', not 'kubota'. I don't eat tractors, immature or otherwise, much too rough on the teeth....

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

If you cover the flowers then remember you have to hand pollinate them because you'll block the bees too. I REALLY hate pickle worms.

Thank you all, for responding and giving me the tips. I thought I was planting at the right time, using the right pest control, and basically thought that the research done makes me a garden queen in year one.

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.

Gardening here in North Florida can be very rewarding, and a few pickle worms doesn't mean you have to hand over the crown! :)

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! :)

Here is my lone squash. I hope it makes it long enough to be harvested!

Since we're on the topic of squash, I'm going to (pardon me please) do a mini hijack. I'm growing pie pumpkins and Table Queen acorn squash. I've NEVER had one grow! I get tons of gorgeous, dish sized blooms, then nothing. SO, I'm assuming it's a pollination issue?? I've decided to hand pollinate in case that's the problem but I see that squash have worms..ugh. Well, figs have wasps, lol.

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?

Amysoup & Deannac

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

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Recent harvest in May

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Silvia

Silvia ~ Which ones are table queen? The acorn squash looking ones? Where do you buy your table queen seeds? Is that one still your favorite?

Christine

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.

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Silvia