Crooked Neck Squash - zone 9 - whats wrong?

Pretty funny video, but right on track!!

After yard helper made the chicken wire fences stiff, I learn wobble is better to keep gophers from climbing! Lordy, there are so many native plants they could eat unchallenged! My gopher like dusty millers (perennials here) the best and ate big ones this last week. The used kitty litter defense is not working well to keep gophers away, but it it drawing our dogs to dig in planter!!

very funny... the DH loves to quote from Caddy Shack.

"Excuse me, but if I kill all the golfers...", "Gophers, Kill the gophers, not the golfers..."

(or something like that) So Funny... I watched the movie recently to get a good laugh about the gophers... if not we're going to cry..
First garden and all.. But I take it as a learning experience and move forward...

The DH on the other hand is out there with a pick axe chasing him around the yard.. (Im not joking)

That little stinker is not taking the strawberry plants, Oh no... he is savvy enough to take ONLY the ripe strawberries.. I see one strawberry, almost ripe enough to grab , I think it needs another day, and sure as the sun rising that little bugger gets it before I do...
*sigh*...

we are having fun tho.. I guess thats what counts..

pickaxe! I laughed!

my nonviolent hippie heart goes on vacation when it comes to garden pest erradication. I was chasing the cabbage butterflies just an hour ago with a spray bottle of neem oil going die! die!

If this one isn't dead right now, it's feeling awfully sick.

LOL, I love that movie! Thank goodness we don't have gophers. We haven't had a problem with critters this year, just keeping Trouble the Kitty out of our 8' x 24' raised kitchen garden - she obviously thought it was an enormous litter box. A few squirts from a long distance water bottle took care of that.

something gets into my 5 foot fenced garden and digs my beautiful earthworms.seems not interested in the compost. Strange.. Does anyone have an idea what it could be. We live in southern Alabama. I am fairly new at gardening (organic) and try hard to build a decent soil . What to do?
Also squash borers destroy any squash, after they produce a few fruits...

GROW BUSH SQUASH VERTICALLY
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/html/body_Zucchini.html

LES

Hi Black Thumb,
Sounds like this subject has really gotten crazy. LOL. Anyhow, I seem to have a lot of the same issues you have with going crazy and planting a lot. I guess I am not too far off though as I did notice pretty quickly that your plants are really close together. Have you thought of moving a plant or two while they are still a small size?
I tend to get carried away with buying plants and seeds also. Just seems that my garden is bigger until I go and plant.
I am a chef by trade and wanted to make a suggestion for your squash. First with almost anything you have in excess, think soup. As long as you use a good chicken base it almost doesn't matter what you put in it. You won't go wrong.
Also, try grating the squash with a cheese grater add salt, pepper, flour and an egg just until it all can be made into a cake and fry in oil. They will make a really nice side dish. You could add a light white or cheese sauce over the top of them. Very easy. Give it a try.

Les,
thanks - I mentioned wanting to grow it vertically, a local friend thought I was nuts! I will try this in my next garden.

Truart -

actually - the gopher is doing a fine job of thinning out the garden. *sigh* He got one of the broccolis today, it was JUST bearing fruit. OY!

thanks for the squash suggestions. I love soup - so thats an easy one, Very interesting idea with the grating, I will definitely try that. I am not the best cook, I lack the imagination, it amazes me how people can take this and that and viola - they have a beautiful dish.