Kim

I have been very happy with Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin that I got from George, a prolific grower and producer. It rooted out everywhere along the vines. I had something else planted in the garden and the bugs exploded in population. Eventually, Squash bugs at every leaf of the Old Timey Pumpkins. The pumpkin vine? grew brand news leaves and kept on plugging. By then, the squash bugs had moved on to my gourd leaves as they had no where else to go.

negatives = it's a space hog. You can always go UP, tho.

Any c. Moschata variety is going to be a good alternative. Ima try Seminole next year as so many are happy with it, tho I don't know if it'd make a good pumpkin pie? I'd like to expand in cooking with winter squash, because they produce so much and keep well. Aaahh, looking forward to next year!!

bon

I mean the pumpkins are prolific growers and producers, not George. I'm pretty sure George has stopped growing and I wouldn't know about his production as I've never spent any time with him. LOL I know that his choice of variety of vegetables are very productive!

I always grow the C. moschata types of winter squash and have almost no SVB issues with them whatsoever. Seminole and/or Seminole Larger Fruited are my favorites. The Seminole pumpkin has been grown by Native American tribes in Florida since at least the 1500s, so we know it has a long, proven track record in hot climate areas.

Other C. moschatas I grow from time to time and like almost as much as Seminole include Musquee de Provence, Long Island Cheese, Tan Cheese, Dickinsen, Tahitian Melon, Long of Naples, Sucrine du Berry, Waltham Butternut, Upper Ground Sweet Potato, Yokohama, Black Futsu, Chirimen, and Rogosa Violina Butternut.

C. Argyrosperma types like Green-striped Cushaw, Orange-Striped Cushaw and Jonathan (aka White Cushaw) are almost as tolerant of SVB damage as the C. moschatas.

I don't even bother with C. pepo and C. maxima types any more because the SVBs get them every time.

The only drawback to grow C. moschata types is that they are tropical in origina and ramble and roam all over creation in their quest for world domination. I've had the vines of a single plant run 30-40' long in a great year with plentiful rainfall, and even 20-25' in a poor year when I am having to irrigate. I let them climb fences, trees, tomato cages, trellises, etc. If space is an issue, there are some compact named cultivars of C. moschatas with significantly shorter, space-saving vines. Burpee's Butterbush is a bush version of the popular butternut squash.

Dickinsen winter squash is what we get in cans when we buy canned pumpkin or canned pumpkin pie fillings at stores in the USA, and almost the entire US commercial crop is grown in the Great Lakes Region, mostly in Michigan, so when they have a crop failure or partial crop failure, a canned pumpkin shortage results.

There she goes again ... with that wonderful list. My greed kicks, I rub my hands together and think I must have them all.

Something about cross pollination? I think we only need to tape and hand pollinate one flower the entire season to save seed. George has a wonderful write-up on this. Yes, he's productive!

I grew c. Pepo gourds last year and the squash bugs started building condominiums. They organized, developed a community and held conferences. They started making DEMANDS.

I know, right?!!!!!! I was ...complaining....so loud last year, Hubs thought i was being acosted and came running with shot gun. I dont like to hate, but those guys? HATE THEM

Bon, Well, you should try them all, but maybe not all in the same year. I grew far too many (not just C. argyrosperma and C. moschata but also C. pepo and C. maxima as well) our first 6 or 7 years we lived here because the SVBs and even the squash bugs hadn't found us yet, so I was milking that pest-free period for all it was worth. I knew the pests would find us eventually, and now that they have, I grow fewer. Even with the C. moschatas being so tolerant of SVBs, they still can be harmed by squash bugs so I only grow as many plants as I am willing to check daily for squash bug eggs and squash bugs. By late June when the canning load is almost overwhelming, who has time to check the undersides of squash leaves for squash bug eggs? That's about the time I lose control and the squash bug population soars. By July? It is too hot to care. I just let the squash bugs take over the world and I harvest and can and then can and harvest. Eventually, the canning is done and then I go out into the garden wearing gloves and carrying a bucket of soapy water and try to find all the squash bugs and knock them into the soapy water to drown. Some years, even when I am seeing a lot of squash bugs, they aren't necessarily spreading enough disease to kill the plants. I don't know if C. moschata varieties are proven to be more disease-tolerant, but in my garden they seem to be. It might just be that the plants can grow faster than the disease can spread.

I grow gourds separately from the garden, often 25-50' away from it (and not even in a fenced plot because the deer generally don't eat the gourd plants) in an effort to draw the squash bugs away from the winter squash plants. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

With SVBs, if I ever attempt to grow anything that is not a C. moschata, I am going to use netting over hoops. I love zucchini but I'm hoping the Korean one that is C. moschata will be so tasty next year that it can be the only zuke I grow. I just get tired of the endless battle with the SVBs. Row over protects the plants, but when you have a large garden, removing it to pollinate and then replacing it is just one more chore to add to a list of daily chores.

luvabasil, We all hate them. I know every living creature has a role to play in the ecosystem, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out what good role the SVBs or squash bugs possibly could play. There's not even that many animals or birds that will eat them. I think that both the major squash pests are about as useless as they can be.

I do clean up and burn squash plant debris at the end of the year so that I am not accidentally harboring any SVBs or squash bugs that might happen to overwinter.

Dawn

You all should be proud of me. I found this link without calling upon my "personal secretary" ;)

This was a really rough year for me and my squash. I actually got them started a bit earlier than usual. And... some of my chickens got in there and scratched them up. Then, when I could plant... it rained. Then, again, when I could plant, it was late. And they never really got rolling. I grew Seminole for the first time this year. It produced 3 tiny, stunted little fruit and died. But at least I hand pollinated two of them. I'm going to grow it again. I know it's a good one. But everyone has a bad year now and then.

I shared some of my Seminole seed with a friend in town. He planted it on a trellis, on the side of his home. Later he made comments about "the pumpkin which would eat the world." I think he was quite pleased. Last he mentioned it, he was contemplating the idea of planting it to cover his whole house and cut down on cooling costs.

Hand Pollination of Squash

George
Tahlequah, OK

I got such a giggle out of your neighbor's story. All the while I was thinking what a cool idea! But, then ... the squash bugs. And I wonder if they'd jiggle like christmas globes when the quakes hit?

I bought this at Worley's the other day. Squash bugs is one of the things it is supposed to "kill or repell". I got it because I thought I saw tarnished plant bugs the other day. I haven't used it yet, but it is made in OK of things like clove oil, so I thought I would give it a try.

George, Your know, your personal secretary is always right here. (grin)

I've also contemplated letting Seminole climb all over my house and cut down on our summer cooling costs. We have a 2-story house and there's no doubt in my mind that the Seminole would climb right to the top and keep on climbing.

I'm sorry to hear y'all had a bad winter squash year there. We had one here too. Our garden was just under water for too long. Next year surely will be better.

Bon, Well, let some climb up your house next year and let us know if they jiggle when the quakes hit. And, if they do jiggle, you should video it so we all can watch. Wouldn't that be an incredible sight? Your house could become locally famous as the house of the dancing pumpkins.

Amy, It can't hurt to try it. I have used some clove oil insecticide/repellant in the past and it didn't seem to repel or kill much in my garden. You might have better luck. You never know.

Dawn

my birdhouse gourds were the only things that survived. acorn squash fruited then rotted. pumpkins all had flowers but never made anything. Bizzare. Had SVB on my watermelons but it didn't seem to harm them.