Growing Squash Without Squash Bugs & Vine Borers!

We are growing squash in November! That's right, this has turned out to be a great idea for our Zone 8 garden. We planted direct sowed our squash seeds in mid-September, which was a great idea. We have a heavy presence of vine borer and squash bugs in our area and growing squash in spring and summer would be a hard pass. As of today, 11/12/2024 we have had zero damage from these pest. We are still seeing leaf-footed bugs, however, they are not causing any damage thus far.
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[@jennbama]

If i had known it was gonna stay this warm, this long in the south i would have planted some too!

[@CharlotteClark-fz4hh]

Depending on your location in Tennessee we don't see snow until January cold weather has been sporadic since October really cold in December and January

[@Preciousaccordingto977]

I picked tomatoes and jalapeño peppers today. We still have bell peppers. Who would’ve ever thought I could live in a place where I am picking the stuff in November! Got a love, SE KY!

[@kimberlyjennings1970]

Same for us in Oklahoma!!

[@kiyahisrael3989]

❤mr.and mrs.homestead you guys are so blessed with so much knowledge of farming,canning,raising,animals so much k knowledge your Blessed!❤

[@GrammyYah7]

Shalom Homestead Heart, I honestly thought about planting some squash in September but now I wish I had! Your squash harvest is looking good! Next year for sure if the Most High is willing.

[@pamscruggs9558]

I found a zucchini variety Raven that matured in 45 days. So happy not to have those dang squash bugs. They were hiding in my cucumber vines as well as my early spring squash.

[@kcsunshine6416]

I tried your idea of starting corn in pots rather than direct sowing. It worked GREAT! It grew faster and stronger because it was able to get ahead of the weeds. And when I cut down the stalks, I was able to cut them at ground level since they were growing deeper. I think that also made them more resistant to the drought we had this year. So a big thank you for that tip!

[@blaqfish]

Can you tell me what month you put the corn seed in the containers? I want to try this as well and I tried twice in the Georgia heat and got nothing. Thank you 😊

[@kcsunshine6416]

@@blaqfish I did serial plantings. A couple dozen each time in late April, then every two weeks through late August. I live in zone 7 so you could probably start earlier and end later. The first two dozen I planted in April didn't do well because the ground stayed saturated from a big rain till the end of May. But after that we had drought and the rest did fine with watering 2 x weekly.

[@Nenea1970]

A really old farmer told me that squash bugs hate pink petunias. Grow them near the squash and it should keep them at bay.

[@mollysmith6055]

We had a heavy infestation of squash bugs for the first time ever in '23 so this year I didn't plant any squash in the main garden this year. Hoping that will eliminate or severely reduce their numbers next summer since we can't grow squash as late as you. You've got a beautiful crop! I'm prepared for the fight next year, I miss fresh squash.

[@judyjudd7215]

@@mollysmith6055 I tried that a couple years ago and didn't work. Because people around you have gardens and you won't lesson the amount you have.

[@ellenclayton5955]

Thanks for the push I needed to start planting squash in late summer!

[@lindanizamoff7981]

Here in Ct I planted my zucchini the beginning of August and it worked out well.

[@rosesandrufflesboutique]

I drown squash bugs in water. I keep a plastic mayo jar with a bit of dish soap in the garden. When I see them, I drown them. I was surprised how much it cut down on them. Plus, I cut the leaves with their eggs.

[@monicahill750]

I'm 15 minutes away from Ohio in Kentucky. We call them stink bugs too.

[@kristahewett7080]

We call them stink bugs as well here in coastal NC.

[@kathygarner419]

Mrs. H.: My hubs and I prefer to plant our green beans for a fall crop in July and they do so much better and produce more than spring planted. There are almost no bugs attacking them. When you see those bugs on the side of the house in fall just put a couple of tablespoons of dawn dish soap in a gallon of water in your spraying and it will kill them dead. Works really good on box elder bugs. I hope you have some pecans this year as most of Georgia's pecan crop was wiped out by the hurricanes.

[@edwardmoresco9468]

Those brown bugs are called leaf leg bugs. They are in the same family as squash bugs. I live in S.C and they are a very annoying pest in the garden, along with stink bugs. We keep them under control by hunting for their eggs every few days. There eggs look just like squash bug eggs. By doing this we keep their numbers way down. For bigger areas we use dawn dish soap about about a couple tablespoons a gallon . We spray the bugs and they die pretty quickly, then we rinse the plant off within 5 minutes so the dawn won't hurt the plants. We also find watering at the base of the plants and a little bit further out forces the hiding bugs to come to the surface and we pick them off and kill them . One last thing the leaf leg bugs really love sunflowers. We plant them to attract them, then spray with the soapy solution rinse the plants off and kill them pretty quick in large numbers. Have a blessed day.

[@Days_Sword]

Zucchini loves cool weather. Absolutely plant them as you approach fall.

[@dvorahbatzion6794]

Great video as always, Mrs. H. & I came to the same conclusion about planting my squash & zucchini in fall rather than spring/summer. My plants are much happier & so am I without those doggone vine borers & squash bugs! Thanks for sharing & keep on growing!🥬

[@lindaholmes6411]

❤❤❤Nice

[@BrendaBodwin]

We were excited to hit the 40s today, since its been in tje 20s lately. Love your beautiful squashes.

[@rebeccaharp3254]

Pie pumpkins are so much fun, and winter squash too, because one is always surprised to see what one didn't know was there until one harvests.

[@lenitabruno5736]

Hello Mrs. H. What an amazing squash and pumpkin patch and harvest for late planting! The plants are nice and healthy. Happy Harvesting!❤️💚💛🙏🏽🫂

[@blaqfish]

Thank you for that solution I’m in zone 8 Lawrenceville and I can use my time and effort on my fruit trees and muscadine bushes. I don’t have a lot of space around my apartment and I’ve been putting myself down in my retirement because I was trying to do all things at the same time. Once again you showed up and told me a better way. God bless you and Mr H 😊❤😊

[@lilblackduc7312]

I'm happy we're having a mild November in Georgia. Thank you for sharing...🇺🇸 👍☕

[@LittleGirlBlu]

Squash bugs hate water. I spray my plants with water in the afternoons and five minutes later, they come crawling out to the top of the plants. Then, I squash those pesky squash bugs! I planted bush butternut in late August and harvested alot of them in central NC. Will try summer squash next year.

[@jaytoney3007]

This has been an odd year. The first frost came early on Oct, 17th, but it was mild (Sylacauga AL). My pepper plants weren't phased by it in the least bit, and are still producing crazy fast. I'll get at least one more harvest from them, maybe two before they are finished. Unseasonable heat has been a problem though. I lost all of my dutch cabbage to fosarium wilt. One of my Napa Cabbage and Pak Choi bolted. The bolted cabbage was also infested with some type of small bug-hundreds of them. I pulled it and fed it, bugs and all, to my chickens. "Vengeance is a dish best served to chickens." The Pak Choi, I'll harvest in a day, or two. That it bolted doesn't matter. The flowers are eddible too. I have a lot of garden goodies ready to harvest, Pak Choi, Swiss Chard, Komatsuna, Tatsoi, and Yellow Heart Winter Choy. Still coming along, and doing great are a second planting of Pak Choi, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, beets, and turnips. My herbs are still doing great as well, Chickory, parsley, comfrey, rosemary, spearmint, peppermint, oregano, and basil. I am also still picking strawberries and eating them. I'm caught up with making salsa and tomato sauce, and canning them, so next on my to do list is making strawberry kiwi jelly, and pineapple preserves. I am debating planting radishes, but don't know how well they can take a hard freeze, so probably won't until February 20th. I'm hoping for snow this year. I have faith my garden can take it. It has survived far worse.

[@maryanngibson3690]

That's a great idea, glad you were successful in those late plants.

[@fredrick755able]

Didn’t know it was possible to grow squash in September. I’ve been having a lot of squash bug and vine boarer problems also but thanks for the solution.

[@vetgirl71]

I am a new gardener and this is the first time I started a Fall garden in late August. I sowed 3 honey nut squash in three containers. They were growing wonderfully during the month of September (vertically), I even wrapped aluminum foil on the base of the vine, sprayed the leaves with organic matter. Squash fruit was growing and suddenly the leaves started drooping in late September. All three plants were eventually destroyed by the Squash Vine Bore after all the time & energy I put into growing these plants 🥲. I checked the leaves everyday too. I do have a few honey nut squash that I am ripening. 😃🙌🏾 Next time I will inject BT into the vines and spray the leaves too. The weather was very warm and is still warm during the day in New York which is unusual for October and November zone 7B.

[@joyevefarmandforge]

I did the same thing this year and still got a decent squash harvest!

[@dorothymontgomery7424]

Great info. I will do the same next year. Yes. The weather has been warmer. The growing season has been extended. My tomatoes are still growing. I have so many tomatoes. I am doing everything to preserve them. And last week..I kid you not, I harvested two watermelons. They were delicious. I couldn't believe it. Love your channel. Keep up the good work. 😀

[@blaqfish]

When do you plant your watermelon? So good to learn this now… thank you 😊

[@dorothymontgomery7424]

I planted them late July or early August.

[@sandramoultrie2794]

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. H, for sharing your wisdom, homestead, and love with us. You bring the truth, be it good, bad, or ugly. Be blessed!

[@mpedals]

Planting in 5a does the same, love it, also good time for brassica also, I can taste a zucchini boat in your future,

[@leahharbison4932]

Beautiful fruit

[@karenl7786]

Smart strategy! In my region, I am struggling with growing Brussel sprouts and collard greens. which I love. There's not enough time in the spring, so I've been trying to gauge the right time for a late summer planting. So far so good! 👍🏽

[@lindaclough9234]

Thank you it was a great video. We live in zone 8 north east Texas.

[@Amber-mv8wz]

Great minds! I too had decided to skip planting squash this year because of the insects but as summer rolled on, I really started craving fresh squash, so I decided to plant a few with little hope that they'd grow & produce anything. They did GREAT! I only planted 4 seeds & got a bumper crop. Planting them out of season really threw the bugs off their game & we had no insect damage on the plants when I had to pull them up a couple of weeks ago to make way for my winter soil improvement plan. We still have a few nasty stink bugs trying to work their way indoors to ride out the winter but already there's a huge drop from the numbers we've seen in previous years. I'm hopeful!

[@wadedavis4437]

I love the hum of the bees in the garden on a sunny morning. It is music to the ears. Have blessed day.

[@carriejones9890]

Beautiful squash patch!Delicata squash is my absolute favorite.

[@PatienceLove]

I don’t grow squash, but I’ve had problems growing my bush beans in the spring, due to flea beetles. I did the same, and planted them in late summer . I don’t have to deal with the flea beetles, but I do have a black butterfly that loves to lay her eggs on my bush beans leaves . 😂

[@AmberWattson-k7l]

Great video as always! Mrs H, you are your husband are always giving excellent advice!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@brinatouchette9798]

Looks beautiful! My garden froze off already...

[@jst2708]

You can plant potatoes as late as the 4th of July & miss the potato bug all together. Your crop will be just as good. We've done this for years & have had great success.

[@taylormclain4017]

I live in northern Oklahoma & the fight with the squash bugs was just terrible! I'm going to try this...why fight Mother Nature, huh? lol

[@NDgoRzbrry]

Same! Been scrolling thru all these comments looking for an Okie or state close to us (I’m N of Tulsa, in the Osage) on advice for planting squash late - We usually get a hard cold snap at least by Halloween, so I don’t know if we’d have time to plant squash late. But, this year - I’m actually still picking tomatoes. In November!

[@shaysurbanedibles]

I’m in Texas and I struggle to grow squash during the spring because of the squash vine borer. I planted some I. Fall and they are thriving

[@authorannbaker]

I had a really good experience with milkweed i planted for butterflies this year. They were covered with aphids, but not one on my vegetables.

[@amberkuehn9115]

I like pumpkin later for the bug releaf but I feed them to my chickens for boredom busters in the winter.

[@deboraheversole1303]

I planted my loophas late also. Hardly had the squash bugs. So I am going to plant the squash late also. I live in zone 9a/b. It doesn't get cool till Feb. here.

[@LeeLynn-vq8yq]

I have thought about this so many times! The squash beetles are terrible here, and there's no way to save every plant from those dang borers!! I'm going to try late squash next season and see how it goes!

[@jah2315]

Looking good ❤

[@freyakind]

Thank you much for this video...I appreciate that you share your ups and downs...this is a great info sharing... perhaps you are tuning into subtle shifts in Earths geomagnetic and resultant seasonal changes which have enabled you to have a less problematic harvest of some species...this sensing to experiment at the right time is always a blessing for those close to their land ...enjoy🌳🛀🌳⚖️

[@freeatlast1423]

Even if there are some light frosts the squash will be fine- i am in zone 7b and start my winter squash in August to harvest mid December. The cool temps sweeten the fruit. Also start brassica this way.

[@joyhobbs5431]

Dehydrate dandelion leaves and grind into a powder . good for bone health, can make it into a tea

[@anneyday3493]

I had squash bugs all over my corn and other crops too, but also did not plant squash this year. I didn't even plant any late squash as I usually do to miss the bugs, good thing too as we had severe drought and one early frost in late Sept. Glad you were able to sneak in some squash. The tomato I covered from the frost is still producing!

[@josephg.3370]

I gotta watch this one!!!

[@judyjudd7215]

This is what I did to get rid of the squash bugs. I sprinkled wood ash on all the leaves of the squash. The squash bugs hate wood ash. No more squash bugs.

[@Chicago.SouthShore]

Any advice fot those EVIL Harlequin bugs ?

[@judyjudd7215]

@Chicago.SouthShore sorry, but no.

[@sn232]

Where do you get wood ash?

[@lagoya]

@@sn232burn some wood

[@smas3256]

@@sn232 Burn twigs, branches and leaves. Let it cool a week because of hot embers. We have a covered tin can to store it.

[@brendahoffer5534]

I bought several Long Italian Pumpkins this year and I’m never going back to the round ones! I can all of my pumpkin so we need to peel and cut everything. These long pumpkins are more like a butternut squash shape but well over 35 pounds! So easy to cut and peel and so orange! They are also mostly flesh not hollow with seeds! Thank you for the video!❤❤❤

[@bbrhody831]

I have never heard of these! Pls share where i cld purchase seeds?

[@brendahoffer5534]

@ I bought the actual pumpkins but I’ve seen the seeds for sale online. Gonna have to Google honey, 😢 sorry I can’t help you more than that. But they are worth it! I have about 20 quarts from one pumpkin!

[@bbrhody831]

@brendahoffer5534 ty! I'm on a mission now! 😎

[@Teri6419]

Marie, I love to see how you braid your hair. I'm happy you don't always cover it up.

[@CynthiaBabcock]

my problem is slugs cause where so rainy and wet in the pnw. Love your channel

[@bartsexton1652]

Hey you two ever tried the yellow zucchini squash, y’all they beat the green hands down. To us they taste more like a yellow squash than a zucchini. I got my seeds from hoss tools and now I will have my seeds I saved for 2025. Love them .

[@TgWags69]

There's some bugs, called something like army bugs, that are beneficial. They look similar to the bad bugs like stink bugs and such. I never could learn to tell the difference. But ya the beneficial ones actually eat and prey on the others, so it'd be good to know the difference

[@newdayfarm9463]

Great idea. I wonder if you save those seeds for future plantings they will eventually adapt to later planting as well. I think I will wait on squash this year and plant in Sept also.

[@BrokeFarmer]

Good info, gonna get some pumpkin seeds from you

[@Days_Sword]

Here in western mass we have 20 degrees at night so we can grow beyond halloween and some years our frost comes 3rd wk of oct.

[@dianedazzle241]

I grew squash in the spring/summer and again in the summer/fall. The squash bugs were terrible the first time around. For some reason, I haven't been ale to grow pumpkin lady year or this year!!!

[@wildrosetreasuresva1837]

Hi Mrs H! Thank you for sharing! 😊

[@HOMESTEADHEART]

You are so welcome

[@thinkwy13]

I’m gonna try squash in the fall next year. Squash in the spring has been unreasonably a failure because of squash bugs.

[@embassysweets8607]

Stink bugs and ladybugs have invaded my house. Last night I flicked 2 stink bugs off my bed. Ugh! Last year was even worse with the stink bugs.

[@lms3847]

I did this with spaghetti squash and they did great !! I am in Louisiana

[@lorismith2484]

We're in northern Missouri (zone 6a). I tried squash in September too but we got a hard freeze in October so I lost them. I got 3 squash and no squash bugs. I may try this next year in August to see what happens.

[@Lovetogarden63]

Nide 😊

[@LQQKUOVER]

God Bless love this video ❤

[@Nazer1962]

They called stink bugs in Texas😊

[@terriyoungblood4565]

I had no luck this year with Zucchini or Squash grew 2 on 4 plants. Containers

[@EmbracethechaosPortugal]

We dont seem to have either of those bugs in abundance,we have various rots and mildew instead, very frustrating!

[@metaphysicallymehopi]

I had same issue this spring and fall with powdery mildew taking it and vine boer too❤better luck next year

[@tpen891]

We do the same. Not worth trying to growing them in the spring. We do a lot better growing from the end of August.

[@burksaurus9410]

I'm planning to grow cushaw, but I wonder if they won't get eaten by squash bugs or vine borers

[@lynndietz490]

1st time I had those bugs this yr. They destroyed my melon patch.

[@subsistence73]

When will your site have seeds again

[@MrsEyes512]

How long before the 1st predicted frost? 🤔 Even if the harvest in the video is all you get, it was still worth planting. Enjoy and I hope for no frost until at least December. 😊

[@barbaramccune9383]

Mrs H how can I grow and keep my yellow squash for eating for later without canning or freezing it my family only wants fresh

[@samanthasurovec4639]

The bugs you say you're squashing are assassin bugs. They'll eat pests in the garden. And the bumble bees too. They resemble the stink bugs or squash bugs but they have a mean looking proboscus they use to suck the insides from their victims.

[@dianewebb738]

Just a question...why don't you put straw under the squash to protect them from being in the moist dirt ?

[@ericadavis5164]

😮

[@NiijiGoddessWellness]

🌷💚💚💚

[@fearlesslivemore222]

✨💚😋💚✨🪽

[@pamhunt392]

Ms h somethings esting my cabage what can i use

[@joycemclean3894]

Some farmers say if you put your ashes in your soil it will get rid of squash bore worms

[@LeeLynn-vq8yq]

I ash my garden every year, and it hasn't helped.

[@HDHQDIRECT]

We call them stink bugs in Ohio

[@pamp5797]

The squash bug looks like stink bugs. Hate both.

[@hedykarim3614]

You can eat young pumpkin vine tips and leaves