Q&A: What happened to my squash?

I harvested a few beautiful squash in June, but the plant just went limp and died!

They are the bane of my Tennessee garden every July: Squash Vine Borers.

They are technically moths, but they look more menacing and wasplike. In the spring and early summer of every year, adult squash vine borers lay eggs at the base of the stems of zucchini and squash plants. When their larvae hatch, the wormy little gremlins bore into the succulent stems to feast for 4-6 weeks, leaving a saw-dust like poop called “frass” in their wake.

When I return from 4th of July vacation every year, I inevitably come home to dead or dying crooknecks and pattypans. The feasting of the SVB causes the plants to wilt; they are unable to carry water to their own leaves and developing fruit. My plants usually tucker out in a limp heap by mid July.

Now, if you Google “Squash Vine Borers,” gardeners around the world will offer myriad solutions. You can wrap the stems in foil, inject BT with a syringe, mulch the plant, grow it vertically, net it, perform surgery, plant companions and more…but personally, my favorite method is chalk it up to nature and plant another round. Most soft-skinned summer squash only need 50-60 days to mature, so if you plant more seeds, you’ll be grilling zucchini by late August. Besides, I love variety, and it’s fun to try these round zucchini, or these strange looking custard squash once you’ve had your fill of the traditional varieties. These veggies will be the talk of your late summer BBQ, I can assure you!