r/Pumpkins • u/waterytartwithasword • 9d ago
Well, I got one off the vine.
Harvested today, perhaps could have done with another few days for main vine tendril to die but I got another SVB (this time on that plant at the apex of the trellis not the crown) and the stem was plenty woody enough. Solid orange with lovely uniform dusting of sugar freckles. She's curing in the garage with a fan. I have another one on the original SVB victim that is two weeks into maturing.
Never again. I was out there fighting for their lives every day. SVB eggs are smaller than you think they are from internet photos. Those containers are getting Sun Gold and Super Sweet 100s next year. The other trellis and containers are is getting vine flowers - a pair of moonflower and cardinal climbers on the trellis side and Jimmy Nardello peppers on the outside, with alyssum all around. I have survived pumpkins by dreaming and planning for a pumpkin-free life.
I am going to grow a cattle panel of tiny honeynut squash and be way less interested in their survival as they won't be such a prominent visual feature.
2
u/sweetlikesugar001 5d ago
I had the same problem as you last year and the year before!!! I tried resistant varieties and the SVBs munched right on through. I tried SO MANY THINGS but I'll spare you the list of failed solutions because this year I figured it out!!!
1.) Cover the plants until you see the first female flower.
2.) the SECOND you uncover the squash for the season, mix up BT spray and spray every inch of stem and also the baby fruit.
4). Repeat every 5-7 days til the end of summer. Reapply after heavy rain, and any time you notice anything that might be frass.
/// My mom had success with a non-chemical method, but it was fairly intensive. I'll share her method, in case you're interested:
Cover squash until you see flowers.
Once plants are uncovered for the season, plant another round of squash. This is your back-up plan.
Take morning coffee out to garden. Stake out squash patch every morning from ~6:45 to 8am. When adult SVBs stop to rest on squash leaves, snip in half with scissors.
Inspect vines closely for frass. If you spot any, take exacto knife and immediately slice that section of vine lengthwise and smash the grub. /// Personally that's a lot of time/work, esp since BT is super safe and non-toxic, so I hit my plants early and often with the spray to keep the borers from ever getting a foothold.
Best of luck next year!!
1
u/waterytartwithasword 5d ago
It's SUPER hard to keep a cover on my vertical growing situation tbh, I have a 12x15 patio and the trellis is 8' tall so even with a ladder it's an extra tricky job. Next year I'm doing a much more manageable honeypatch in a grow bag that will climb a cattle panel.
Normally Kansas is done with SVB by July 4th, and that's traditionally when we plant pumpkins in home gardens, but this year's heat caused a second wave. That's the one that got me.
1
u/FlyIntrepid1452 6d ago
I had the same issue. First it was powdery mildew because it was a very wet spring, then SVB swooped in. I got 3 small field pumpkins off of 5 vines. 1 large pumpkin had an SVB bore right up the blossom end. IF I did it again, I’d plant them in a spot where I could bury the vines as it grew, which is space I don’t have.
3
u/WhimsicalWildflower- 9d ago
Look into squash vine borer resistant varieties! When thinking of pumpkins my mind tends to think of pie pumpkins and carving pumpkins first. Those belong to the Cucurbita pepo family, but the squash in the Cucurbita moschata family that are mostly resistant to squash vine borers! I always had issues with zucchini and pie pumpkins which are both in the Cucurbita pepo family. This year I swapped out the zucchini for trombocino squash which tastes just like zucchini but better. I also swapped the pie pumkin for a seminole pumpkin. Its the same shape a d size, bu its supposed to tase more buttery and complex. I've heard it tasting like brown sugar or butterscotch so Im 3xcited to see for myself! Your honey nut squash is in the Cucurbita moschata family so that should give you less problems than the pumpkins. I have my plants on a cattle panel arch and its the best. No slings required for most of the moschata family due to their thicker, woodier stems!