Crooked Neck Squash - zone 9 - whats wrong?

Hello,
Help - I am definitely a beginner.
We just moved into a house that has raised garden beds in the backyard. Of course we spent our first few weekends, filling them with fresh dirt and planting, planting, planting. Zone - shmone - we want to see something GROW! :)

We recently purchased and planted two different groups of yellow crooked necked squash plants.

One group is stunted in growth, the leaves are yellowing - but they are flowering like nuts.

The second group is very green, growing like nuts, but no flowers. And as green as can be.

I have attached a photo - Why are they so different? What should I do if anything? Any and all advise would be helpful - thanks for reading!

Oh - and one more thing - when I see those brown leaves - should I remove them? By instincts tell me that I should - but I am not sure.

Squash dosnt like having its roots jarred, chances are those plants went into some transplant shock when being put into the garden, give them a few weeks and they should get going. The plants are so young that all of the flowers you are seeing are more than likley male flowers. females flowers will have a small bump at the base that will turn into the squash, if they turn yellow and fall off they are not getting pollinated and you should hand polinate.

Andrew

Hi Andrew, thanks for the reply.
We have a million bees out there - so I have to assume they are getting pollinated.
I will keep an eye on them - thanks again.

Thumbz, hope ya'll like squash!! We have only two and are getting waaaayyy more than we want. Your squash plants are realllllly close to each other. If they grow like our's do, there will be a jungle. Also, a good idea to place newspaper or something under the leaves to they don't get in the dirt. Just another safety measure to keep out the critters.

I agree. your squah plants will probably take over that entire bed. on the plus side you will have no shortage of squash bread!

Bugme - thanks for the newspaper tip - will do, and yes they are close - I think we got a little carried away. DH is going to built some sort of trellis - I've got some ideas. so they can grow vertically instead of 'jungley'. :)

linux_guile - I love squash - But I think you are right - we are going to have ALOT! Squash bread? Is that like Zuchinni bread? wonder what else I can do with it?

PS ya should see the radishes- OH - tons we will have I tell you! :)

yep you can make zucchini bread with other summer squash too

black, your yellow crookneck won't need a trellis. They stay bush shaped. I agree with the above. Sometimes they are all stunted in those plant containers and they will take off eventually. Watch closely for stinkbugs or other critters on your squash.

You can always give excess to your closest "needy pantry"........they welcome freebies.

lavender4ever - so the squash won't use a trellis... hmm I guess it's gonna be a jungle out there. Stinkbugs? I wouldn't know what to look for. I just noticed around the one plant that is flowering like crazy - a small group of mushrooms. we're assuming that ame from the soil/manure. Thanks for the info

bugme - yes I will definitely share and give to a good cause if we have excess.

Crooknecks, in fact most modern summer squash, set the fruit just above ground level at the base of the plant. There is not much to the main stem but the plants have huge leaves that will fill a three foot circle. I have over 500 plants( crooknecks and several types of zucchini) rarely have much trouble getting rid of them.

Stinkbugs are a pain, but don't do an awful lot of damage to squash. Our nemesis is the Squash Vine Borer which you are fortunate not to have. Stinkbugs (squash bugs) are sheild shaped bugs that vary in their life span from white to green to brown. Aptly named if you squash one , they stink.

Farmerdill, I know there is a super compact variety of zuch, do you grow it? I really need that variety and would like the name for next year. Mine this year are eating my garden.

No, I have not tried them. Most plants don't take up anymore room than a determinate tomato. The only one that I have grown that is designated compact is Terminator. It is a bit smaller simply because it has smaller leaves. Raven is touted as the smallest plant. Condor is its major competitor. Sungreen is also compact, but again due to size and shape of leaves. I grow One Ball, Cue Ball, Eight Ball and Blackball, which are round zukes, but take up average space. Some of the older OP zukes are almost semi vining and do take a lot of space.

Terminator

On uses for extra squash - have you ever dried them? Slice at about a 1/4 inch thick and dry on a tarp, in a dehydrator, out in the sun, etc. They keep great in jars or baggies. I throw mine in winter stews or soak 'em in water then sautee (this is trad'l Korean - sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, minced green onion) I really developed a taste for these right before I started killing off all my squash (go figure!). They'll be big and beautiful, produce one or two, turn yellow, wilt and die. Thought it was squash bugs, but I have them under control this year and still having the same problems. I envy you your extras!!

Farmerdill, how do I recognize the vine borer?

The one I have is from a nursery and was not marked any more than zuch. It is a monster and is much larger than my tomatoes. lol gonna look for something more compact next year.

Grownut, The SVB is usually noticed when it is too late to do much about it. You will notice frass ( sawdust like plant material) at the base of the plant. When the plant wilts and you pick it up, it appears to have rotted off at ground level or just above. These things burrow into the plant ( C. pepo and C. maxima) and eat from the inside out.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef314.asp http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/squash_pest.html http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2153.html http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Vegetables/veg20.html

Farmerdill- Thanks! I found an info page from UKy right after asking you and went out to check (Doesn't it just figure after looking for it for weeks!!). No such evidence! The Kentucky page says that many squash bugs are infected with a bacteria which will infect the plant as soon as the larval critters start feeding and this appears to be exactly what I have. The remedy? Pull the plant before any others are infected and pray real hard that you don't lose the rest. It went on to say that hot composting will kill overwintering bugs and this should be done in the old location as well as next year's to prevent recurrence. I have 10 hills and had been hand checking and killing anything I saw but missed about 4 days to rain and dental work. Wham-dying squash plants! Culled and cleaned today then sprayed with a mixture of Dawn and water which usually at least slows them down 'cuz it tastes so nasty. I also pinched off any leaves where I found anything newly hatched. Hoping this will stave off further infection.

Long post here but it has taken me 3 years of dying squash to maybe get a handle on this and I'm hoping sharing will help somewhere down the line...

Hi All! Im definitely not a beginner squash farmer, but I've run into a problem that has me knocking my head against the wall! LOL!
I bought plants this year from A well known Plant and Garden dept store. They were very healthy and so I decided to just not use seeds this year. To My horror these plants (Crook neck Yellow Squash) grew up into fine looking specimens but failed to give anything but male flowers, then tiny white flies started covering the plants! I have dusted and gotten rid of the bugs twice now. everytime the plants start to recover and tiny squash appear the darned bugs come back and infest. What am I to do? The bugs are not on any other of my vegetables , just these squash!

hose em really good. if they are whiteflies you can hang yellow sticky traps near there. they sell those online dont know if you can get them locally. Try neem oil spray they sell it at walmart in a container called fungicide 3 in one. it is just neem oil but controls bugs and fungus and is considered an organic approved insecticide.

Thanks Lavender, I need all the help I can get with these critters . An organic approved insecticde is just what I need! Hi ho Hi Ho , its off to Wal-Mart I go.... again!

First time with a veggie garden and it was a last minute thought. Even though I planted late - June 1 - my squash plants are huge. Admittedly, I planted them too close then did not thin them. I'm cutting squash daily and do need to take some to the senior center. Planned to use the Iroquois "3 Sisters" way of planting with corn on a flat topped mound and squash below to act as mulch, then there is supposed to be a bean plant between the corn to vine up the corn. Well, there was no room left for the bean plant in the center and my seeds were bush plants anyway. The squash grew fast and even though it was in the "valley" grew taller than the corn, so the corn doesn't get enough sun, I think. My cukes are are tight to each other and producing, but need a support system. Neighbor thinned the beans by moving some of the 4" plants to an empty row. Beets doing well, wished I had more of those. Radishes too close and too hot. Watermelons and beans planted 3 weeks ago. Started another plot yesterday with winter-squash, tomato and peppers (seeds), cantalope, carrots (3rd attempt) and more beets and radishes. Can't wait till Sept for sweet peas, broccoli, spinach and cabbage. It would be cheaper to BUY veggies, but where is the fun in that!

Ok - so as predicted - I am going to have an explosion of squash here..
Not onyl did we plant them to close to each other (and to many for the two of us)
I also planted them to close to other veggies, like lettuce and eggplants.

A friend suggested we cut them back, and allow only one or two vines per plant.

Do I just start whacking them?

Can I transplant what I whack off?

This veggie gardening is fun, there is stuff growing everywhere.

We inherited this garden, by moving into this house mid June 2008. We have 6 or 7 tomato plants, we only planted 3 !

It seems like over night things are exploding with growth.

I am SO excited.
(now tell me - what am I going to do with 6 dozen yellow squash?)
There's only 2 of us and DH is not that bug a squash eater. (what was I thinking?)

Thats ok - he planted an entire pack of red radishes - he doesnt like red radishes???
Did I mention we're beginners?

You've had good luck as beginners. As to what to do with it all..........a local food bank; you can dry it in a food dehydrator, or freeze it. Frozen I doubt would be much good except in soup since it would probably be soggy. You could cut the plants back but even better would be to pull some of them up & discard. They would not transplant once they are so big.

Thumbz, your other plants might not appreciate being squished and shaded. Squash plants can really get big. Here's one that I got the first week of June in one of those six pack things. I knew they'd get crazy so I planted only two of the six.

I just put them in the ground and kept them weeded and watered. Didn't add any fertilizer.



This message was edited Jul 25, 2008 8:41 PM

Hi bugme, we have been lucky beginners. I will definitely take any overage to the food bank. Thanks!

indy I agree, and even tho we hate to do it. I think we are going to have to sacrifice at least half of the 8 plants we have planted. egads.
Your squash look fabulous! The stalks on these things are huge and strong, *sigh* it's a beautiful thing.

I am excited about next summers garden - by then we will be in our first house and planning the garden will be with the knowledge that we'll be there for some years.

Hi, blackThumbz. Beginner veggie gardener here, too. Been watching your thread (and learning from it) though I only have ONE crookneck squash plant =). I grow it for the blooms though since it's very rarely sold in supermarkets.

Start a Squash Blossom Stand? =)

Moonglow, im curious. what do you use the blooms for ?

linux last night i made squash blooms frittata. sometimes, stuffed with cheese. lightly battered and fried like tempura works, too. or sautéed in garlic and onions served with pasta.

if local chefs find out blackThumbz is expecting a big blossoms harvest, i bet they'll make friends with bT.

mmmm, sounds yummy

Hi Moonglow - Hi neighbor,

hmmm.. sauteed in garlic and onions served over pasta.. thats sounds very good.
How do I know when to pick the blossoms? I see my plants are starting to go a little crazy out there. In a very short time I will be up to my knnes is squash.

Are the blossom in your picture - prepared to eat?

I would expect the blossoms to taste like the squash eh?

hello, neighbor. gee, i don't know the right time, really. i just pick them either before they wilt or before they open. we should google or wait for an expert. first year growing veggies for me, too.

those blossoms in the photos became dinner. i made frittata. your idea sounds fantastic. with ONE plant, i can't keep up with the blooms. they magically grow overnight so it seems! and you have so many!

i will have about 20 kinds of basil soon. let me know if you will be in the area.

20 different kinds of basil? Wow... I didn't know there was 20 different kinds.
Thats ok - I have tomato plants out the ears as well. We purchased and planted three, but 4 other plants have grown in some of the beds throughout the yard.

Of course as things start to take off, wouldn't you know that we are battling the dreaded gopher. We've lost several eggplants, and broccoli plants. They start going for the tomatoes and I will be sleeping in the garden overnight :)

I keep a radio playing in the garden overnight.

The one night I forgot so far this year, the raccoons got two of my corn plants.

Radio?? Does it work against gophers too? I got one in the veggie garden even after using chicken wire underneath and up the sides of the hole, then fenced with it.

Dunno about gophers, we don't have them.

hmmm radio? What sort of music do they not like?
the rap?
the hip hop?
the country music?
have you tried different flavors of music?

I think thats an interesting idea.

quiltygirl - gophers are the worst I am learning. we did not know about the chicken wire before we planted. Next year we will do things differently.

You will never know you planted anything when they are done with ya.
they've stolen 4 egg plants, 2 broccoli plants and every sunflower we planted.
grrr...

we need the gopher-nator to intervene
:)

Moonglow - do you have gophers?

no gophers...i think. and the little veggies and herbs i grow are in containers.

(basil because they are easy to start...remember, "beginner" veggie/herb gardener here).

Gophers like to dance, so prolly if you play their favorite music, they'll get so carried away with their gopher dance party that they'll cease with the destruction. ;o) maybe.

This message was edited Aug 12, 2008 8:02 AM

But whatever you do, don't play Kenny Loggins! Just makes it worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etpHKueh6S0