Preserving

Saturday, July 30, 2011

The SVB's have arrived

It looks like the SVB's have invaded the Spaghetti Squash plants at the home garden. When the weather was "normal", I was doing a good job of inspecting them every couple of days for eggs and removing anything that I thought was an egg. However, once the oppressive heat set in and the plants got really big, I stopped inspecting the plants. So, I have no one to blame except for myself and of course that menopausal "Mother Nature"!

SVB damage.
I have only found damage in a few spots so far. I'm sure that they will take over the vines in a short period of time.

Not all is lost!!! I have three really nice size squash on the vines that are starting to turn!

One

Two

Three.

Although I was shooting for 6....I'm in no way complaing at all! Last year I didn't get a single one!

19 comments:

  1. I got two little mini butternuts that I don't think are edible :o( but at least I saw them grow, maybe next year will better.

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  2. Oh dear--I was hoping you'd escape the damage. That heat was just too much, though, to be out there all the time. So sorry.

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  3. I only grow C. moschata so I don't have vine borer issues (except with my zucchini). Spaghetti squash would be nice though. As would pumpkins. I've tried so many years growing pumpkins for my daughter, but rarely ever succeeded.

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  4. Oh drat! Sorry about the damage, I have suffered a lot too, hope you get a rogue vine that escapes those dreaded bugs. I'm going to join Daphne's ranks next year and grow the Moschata variety next year, I've heard they are very resilient.

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  5. Is the SVB (whatever that is) a new world pest? I haven't heard of it, not that that means a lot!

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  6. Ginny, I certainly hope that you have a much much much better year next year. I am grateful for the 3 that I am getting!

    Sue, I am going to get some spaghetti squash...so, I'm not complaining. All of the squash at the plots are doing well so far.

    Daphne, I'm a little confused about the C.Moschata. I just looked it up as I didn't know what variety it is. It seems that a lot of different varieties of squash, including a true pumpkin fall under this category. Please explain...inquiring gardening minds want to know!

    Erin, I'm happy with the three Spaghetti Squash I'm getting this year. So far....so good at the plots with all the squash there!

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  7. IG, I had never heard about them either until we got them here last year.

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  8. oh no sorry to hear about that. The bugs this year are just nasty! At least you have 3 nice squash to enjoy.

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  9. It sure is a take what you can year. Those 3 will taste all the better.

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  10. Sorry about those buggers getting your squash but yeah for you for getting 3 squash!!

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  11. So sorry to see this. We just lost a large spaghetti squash plant ourselves. That's three plants so far. I'm glad you were able to get some squash before the bugs took over.

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  12. I've never heard of SVBs either (I thought you must be writing about some sort of four wheeled drive! Hope they don't head our way!

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  13. The bugs are super hungry this year. All of them! Don't they know we are too? Sorry to hear they showed up. :(

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  14. Mrs.P, Those three squash are quite nice!

    Jane, It definitely is! I am preserving everything I can get my hands on. Who knows what Mother Nature has is store for us this year!

    Holly, I'm very grateful for those three!!!

    Jody, Last year was my first encounter with the SVB's. From what I've read, once you get them it's a tough time to get them under control.

    Sue, Ha...that's funny! I think SVB sounds like some kind of venereal disease!!

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  15. APGal, I had them last year, so I figured that they would show up sooner or later

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  16. Robin, I did not understand the life cycle of the dreaded squash vine bore. I thought it was a worm that came up through the soil and bored into the vineand eventually killed the squash plant. I planted my zucchini plants in containers thinking that would thwart the nasty little buggers but all succumbed to the vine bore. My gardener blog friends have now enlightened me that the bore comes from a fly that lays its eggs on the base of the squash plant. The eggs hatch and the nasty little buggers bore into the vine and eat their fill until the larvae transform into the fly and the life cycle starts all over again.

    I will have a better plan of attack the next time I grow zucchini.

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  17. So sorry to see the SVB damage. I am so lucky to have never encountered any here. I think that they just aren't very prevelent here in Oregon. I am so glad though that you got 3 good looking squash to mature before the SVB set in. I love how thay are all growing and hanging over the fencing.

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  18. David, Sorry to hear about your SVB problems. Those things are just horrible. I am definitely going to do a lot more research on their life cycle over the winter and try to come up with a better plan of attack!

    Lexa, I think you are correct in saying that they aren't as prevelent in your part of the country as they are here. I never new a thing about them until they turned up here last year.

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  19. Oh, I hope the squash get ripe enough before the vine succumbs!! This year has been such a disappointing winter squash year for us as well, for the same reason. I'm probably not even going to attempt to grow acorn squash again in the future...

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