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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] cucurbits

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  • From: Richard Robinson <rrobinson AT nasw.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] cucurbits
  • Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 09:50:25 -0500

I grow a lot of buttercup squash, which is a maxima. They are attractive to cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and vine borers, each of which will kill individual plants every year, and if left uncontrolled, can wipe out many of them. I do daily hand control for beetles until the canopy spreads too far, clipping most of the male flowers in the morning (they like to congregate there over night) and at the same time hand pollinating the female flowers. It's a bit of work, but also a pleasant morning ritual. I do deep surgery at the first sign of borers; there are often 3-4 larvae in the stem. I then bury the stem with soil and compost. Safer soap, scrupulously applied, can control bugs. We grow without mulch (too attractive to voles, which will ruin most fruits) and with a side dressing of linseed or soy meal just as the plants start to run. Powdery mildew remains a late-season problem, but not as much as the threat of an early frost. I occasionally clip off immature fruit in early September, but never feel I am finding enough of them to make a difference.  I should probably be more tenacious on this, as even the riper of the small fruits are pretty worthless eating, compared to the truly mature larger ones.

 Richard Robinson
 www.nasw.org/users/rrobinson/
 Hopestill Farm
 www.hopestill.com


On 1/31/2016 at 9:39:51 AM, Burke Farm wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> For several years, I've noticed that I can grow any cucurbit I want.. as long
> as it's not a c. maxima.
>
> Any ideas what could be going on? Do they have higher / different fertility
> needs, some kind of virus sensitivity, are first on the menu for cucumber
> beetles / squash borers, or what?  Other growers in my region seem to be able
> to grow at least some of them.
>
> When I try to grow them, they do form a few fruit, but they are small, rot on
> the vine before sizing up or ripening fully, and the vines die early.  It's
> been several years since I've even given them a chance.
>
> Lisa Burke
> Farming Engineers
> central IN z 5
> clay loam soil
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