Sunday, July 10, 2011

Summer Squash Bites the Dust

Well, it happens nearly every year...the squash vine borers destroyed my squash plants :-(  But this year the bugs got them a little earlier than usual.  I managed to pick some scallopini squash before they petered out, but not as much as I would have liked.  Look at the damage those little buggers (no pun intended) inflicted on my plants.  Just awful...






I'm very disappointed that I had to pull all these diseased plants.  But this experience is very much an integral part of every gardener's life and we must accept it as it comes.  I know I could have injected the vines with BT, but I don't know a lot about that product and to be honest, I really didn't have the time.  So I pulled the plants and in the process I discovered 2 little toads living deep within this garden bed.  Pretty neat little critters who are most beneficial to have.


A lovely little lizard was also scampering about.  These guys are so fast and I was lucky to catch this shot.


One good thing came out of this experience.  By pulling all the diseased squash plants, I made lots of room for my green and yellow beans to spread out and have more room to grow.  Not a bad trade off I guess :)

4 comments:

  1. Looks like your Squash plants also got the powdery mildew. I get that a lot on cucurbits. I think you did the right thing in digging up the plants to try something else. Sometimes there's no sense in presevering with something that is clearly doomed.

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  2. I remember having that problem when I had a sunny garden with lots of vegetables. So frustrating--but as you say part of the gardening experience. Looks like you'll have a lot of healthy beans!

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  3. Nice that you are choosing to see the bright side of things Diane. Toads are always such a welcome addition to my garden too. The two that call my place home have become part of the family!

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  4. Hi Mark...you're right. When one knows a plant is diseased, there is an obligation to remove it so it doesn't damage any of the other plants. But still...GRRR!

    Hi Beth...yes indeed, my beans are thriving! I picked the first bunch for dinner last night and they were delicious!

    Good morning Cat! As optimistic gardeners, that is the only way to look at things, right?! I checked yesterday and the toads were still living in that bed. It's dark and moist deep inside the foliage...a great escape from this oppressive heat!

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