We have had a terrible time this year with Squash Vine Borers. It seems to be the worst we have ever experienced here at High-Fence Farm. With seven yellow squash hills and three zucchini hills we have had plenty of squash for home use as well as sales—until recently. One by one the vines have succumbed to the borers, till we are down to about half the original hills and maybe only a quarter of the original production of squash. Those plants/hills that remain aren't long for this world.
The solution for us is to pull up the dead vines and replant. Squash plants begin to bear fruit from seed very quickly so we will be back up and harvesting plenty of both Zucchini and Yellow Squash in no time. During the heat of summer there are a few tricks to successful garden seed germination. Hand watering the newly seeded hill is a must since rain showers are few and far between after the end of June. Watering alone usually will not do the trick unless you just happen onto a stretch of cooler-than-normal or cloudy days. What we usually do is provide just a bit of shade for the seed bed until the seedlings are up. You must monitor the bed daily so you can remove the shade as soon as the seeds break the ground. This will keep them from stretching to find the sun.
We hope you are having a good gardening season this year. We sure have. Until lately the weather has been perfect. The last few weeks have been dry, but that is what soaker hoses and sprinklers are for. Happy gardening.
