Squash Nightmare

[vfem]

So I plant only 3 squash plants so I don't get over run with more squash then I could possibly handle. I don't want to be the person going door to door giving this stuff away anymore.

Well, each year by now they've been over run with squash bugs and completely ripped out of the garden before my head exploded from squishing them all morning long. This year, however, I've been squash bug free! NOT 1 BUG!!! (Totally gotta brag about that!) They've all migrated to my bolted swiss chard and that's all they seem to care for.

Now the nightmare... I've had 1 squash from those plants?! Tons of flowers, good size plants... but only MALE flowers?! Is there something I did where the squash were unhappy and the females gave up and the male flowers took over? It's like a "men are mars and women are from venus" 'gardening' series is needed here. Any advice would be appreciated, I'm already getting ready to plant a few more seeds to see what happens. This has never happened to me before.

 

[ninnymary]

Vfem, someone here posted that the male flowers appear first, followed by the female ones. Maybe your female flowers will show up soon?

Mary

 

[vfem]

Thanks Mary, I wish that was all it is. However, these puppies have been blooming since May! I got them in early hoping for an early picking, but that did me no good this year.

In fact, I think they're going to fizzle out soon anyways, most the bottom leaves are starting to yellow now. :/

 

[SuperChemicalGirl]

Thanks Mary, I wish that was all it is. However, these puppies have been blooming since May! I got them in early hoping for an early picking, but that did me no good this year.

In fact, I think they're going to fizzle out soon anyways, most the bottom leaves are starting to yellow now. :/

Too much fertilizer? They won't make fruit if there's a lot of fertilizer.

Bad weather? Too hot, too dry?


Wish I had known to plant chard to defect bugs, went outside and squished 11 squash bugs in about 3 minutes; and that's the 4th time I've been outside today to squish.

 

[Kassaundra]

Thanks Mary, I wish that was all it is. However, these puppies have been blooming since May! I got them in early hoping for an early picking, but that did me no good this year.

In fact, I think they're going to fizzle out soon anyways, most the bottom leaves are starting to yellow now. :/

Too much fertilizer? They won't make fruit if there's a lot of fertilizer.

Bad weather? Too hot, too dry?


Wish I had known to plant chard to defect bugs, went outside and squished 11 squash bugs in about 3 minutes; and that's the 4th time I've been outside today to squish.

I squished 60 yesterday (adults) plus hundreds of nymphs, and three days before that I squished 78 adults and many more hundreds of nymphs.

I tried radish going to seed to attract the squash bugs and cuke beetles. While I have been over run w/ squash bugs this year I haven't had nearly as many cuke beetles yet this year. I have noticed reinforcements helping me w/ my war though, preditory spiders, assasign bugs and damsel flies.

vfem, sorry I have not a clue about what is causing your issue.

 

[SuperChemicalGirl]

I have icicle radishes in with all of my cucurbits but they don't seem to be attracting anything. They're almost ready for picking, still waiting for them to bolt.

I need some assassin bugs!

 

[annageckos]

Last year I had 3 or 4 zucchini plants. Most my zucchini came from came from one plant, one other plant only gave me a few zuccs. Two plants only had male flowers all season, one plant had mostly male flowers with a few females. And the last plant gave me enough zuccs to make up for the other plants. My plants were big and healthy until the powdery mildew got them. I don't know what caused some plants to only have male flowers. I don't use ferts, only compost. And I also end up with big healthy plants with plenty of fruits/veggies. This year I only have three plants, two are producing well, one has only given a few zuccs this year. But both my pumpkins and cukes are loaded female flowers.

 

[the1honeycomb]

how do you know if the flowers are male or female? I have huge plants. ALOT of all the summer squash and give a lot away.
I just would like to learn this... i put young chicks in my gardens and they eat all the bugs!
:rose

:bee

 

[baymule]

The female flowers have a tiny squash behind them. The male flowers are on a skinny stem.

 

[lesa]

Isn't nature strange? I have never had a squash bug on my swiss chard. I have always planted both squash and chard. I was so discouraged about squash, I didn't even plant summer squash this year.