Growing summer squash in your Alabama garden
Story by Mallory Kelley
In Alabama, a summer garden would not be complete without your favorite summer squash plants. These vegetables are members of the cucurbit family and have many cousins in the vegetable garden. Now, you may be asking, “What plants are in the cucurbit family anyway?” These include all the different types of squash – crookneck, straightneck, scalloped, zucchini, and butternut. The cucurbit family also includes the melons, such as watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, and cucumber.
Many different pests can affect cucurbits. In all my years as a horticulturist helping the public with their vegetable gardens, for most gardeners, the first year growing cucurbits is a huge success. The grower harvests a prolific amount of produce from healthy, vigorous plants and not a pesky insect in sight. The gardener is now fired up and geared up for year two and decides to double, if not triple, the size of their garden. Within the first few months of this second season is when my phone rings. Suddenly their plants are drooping as though they have never been watered. The squash blooms look like gray mold. The squash fruits have pin-sized holes all over them, and to make matters worse, the foliage appears to have a white cast to it.
That being said, I want to give you a few pointers as well as management techniques that are part of a strategy known as integrated pest management (IPM). These will help lessen the threat of pests and increase your success, not only in the squash patch, but the vegetable garden as a whole.
Plant your cucurbits after any threat of frost has passed, whether you are transplanting or direct seeding. In southern Alabama, this is no earlier than March 10-30; April 1-15 in central Alabama; and April 15-May 10 in north Alabama. Make successive plantings of summer squash every 10 to 14 days throughout the summer and fall to ensure a steady supply of fruit. For plantings in the late fall, sow no later than 60 to 70 days before your ﬁrst frost date.
It is important to note that cucurbits do not have perfect flowers, which are those that have both male and female parts in the same bloom. Cucurbits have separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. This means pollination by insects has to play a role or no fruit will be produced. It’s easy to tell if a bloom is a male or female, just look for the pollen. If there is pollen present, then it is a male; if no pollen is present, it is a female. The blooms will only be open in the morning and then drop from the plant. Male blooms usually come on the squash plant first, so don’t get disappointed when no fruits set on your vine right away. The male blooms are just early and you will often have more male blooms than female blooms.
Always be careful when you apply insecticides to control problem insects such as squash vine borer, squash bug, and pickleworm. Never apply insecticides on a windy day. Avoid applying insecticides in the morning hours, as this is when pollinator insects are working the blooms. You do not want to kill the pollinators. It is always best to identify a pest before you buy a product to kill it. First of all, you never want to kill the beneficial insects in the garden that are helping control the problem insects or moving pollen. Some insecticides are very specific and only kill worms. Some products only kill by direct contact, such as oils and soaps that will suffocate soft-bodied insects. Other products are very broad in their effectiveness and will kill any insect they come in contact with – beneficial or not.
No matter what you are growing in your garden, it is always best to remove all plant debris as soon as the plant finishes production. It is just as important to rotate your crops. Crop rotation means not planting anything in the cucurbit family back in that spot for at least a year. Waiting two to three years to plant cucurbits back in that spot is even better. Keep a chart so you can remember what you planted where from year to year. Always mulch around your vegetable plants to moderate moisture levels. This will reduce stress on the plant, and also suppress weeds. The mulch also adds organic matter to your soil as it breaks down. In addition, try to keep the foliage of the plants as dry as possible. Drip irrigation is best. If you have to water with a hose, direct the water straight to the soil and avoid splashing water onto your plants. Scout for insects daily and remember a garden that is out of sight is also out of mind.
Boys vs. Girls
It is important to note that cucurbits do not have perfect flowers, which are those that have both male and female parts in the same bloom. Cucurbits have separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. This means pollination by insects has to play a role or no fruit will be produced. It’s easy to tell if a bloom is a male or female, just look for the pollen.