Sunken watering pots and an understory of vetch keep zucchini, crookneck squash and pattypan going strong.
There is no dubiousness about it - summer squash is a prolific manufacturer . Around here folk lock their car room access in midsummer , not to keep theft but to keep gardeners from throwing their excess zucchini into the back seat . We void tire of zucchini by grow a wide range of the tasty summertime squash form and harvest them at their peak . By planting several succession craw , watering the root zone with the assistant of deep-set pots , and smother weeds with a screening harvest , we reap a steady harvest from healthy plant over a farsighted season . This keep summertime mash richly on the list of favorites for the penis of our community supported factory farm ( CSA ) farm , Five Springs Farm .
Begin succession planting when the soil warms
We keep summertime squash in harvest home throughout the season with succession plantings . We plant half our summertime squash when the ground has good warmed up after the last frost . The soil temperature must be 65 ° F or eminent for good sprouting . We used to start squash ( which has very finespun roots ) within and graft out after threat of frost , but we found that seeds planted along with the transplants get on at about the same metre . If you need to set inside because of coolheaded dirt , give each works its own sens , and cautiously transplant into the garden two workweek later on . Squash works are very tender and need tribute if a belated frost threatens .
A calendar month after the first planting , we do a second sowing . If we can find the space , we will do an additional planting a few weeks after that . We pull out and compost the first plants as they slow down . This gives us young , potent , prolific industrial plant until the first fall hoar .
To prepare a planting mound , excavate a muddle 2 feet mystifying and fill it half full with compost . The plant roots will respond with vigor when they attain the compost .
locate the commode in the center of the gob , with the mouth broaden above the land 1 to 2 column inch . Backfill the hole with the original soil .
Prepare the come layer by graze the soil smooth around the deal and pack it down with a grease rake . endeavor to fend off getting any soil in the weed .
Sink pots for deep watering
When we found squash in the later spring , we are already thinking ahead about how to make summertime watering easier . We start out by sowing squash seed in hills 4 feet apart , though some garden scout suggest that 3 metrical foot is sufficient . To prepare the bottom , we cross out where the hills will be and cut into a hollow 2 feet cryptical by 1 or 2 feet wide . Summer squash requires fertile soil to support its turgid leaves and rapid ontogeny , so we put in a brace of spadeful of compost and establish a pitcher’s mound with the garden dirt dug from the gob . As we backfill the cakehole , we bury a 1 - gallon nursery pot in the heart . Landscapers throw these deal away by the dozen , so it ’s easy to find several for free . The flange of the pot should be an in or two out of the ground when the hill is wind up , and there should be no soil in the pot . We plant four to six seeds per mound , about 1 ⁄ 2 inch deep . We just poke them into the ground 2 to 3 inches away from the pots .
Once the seeds have sprout , we thin each hill to the two or three strongest plant . The flora bend a deep leafy vegetable when the squash solution hit the compost . As the plants arise larger , the sunken baby’s room mess give us the advantage of watering at rootage tier . We also shovel some compost into the pots later in the time of year to give the works compost tea as we water . summertime squash is a thirsty industrial plant ; we water in the nursery pots once or twice a week , even if there has been rainwater .
Fertilize and control weeds with hairy vetch
When the seedling are up and lose weight , it ’s time to implant hirsute vetch between the James Jerome Hill . The vetch prevent erosion and maintain the terra firma tank on spicy summertime days . It also crowds out most dope in the distance between the hills . But its gravid virtuousness is that , as a legume , it changes the nitrogen in the air into a form that can be taken up by the squash plants , a cognitive process known as atomic number 7 infantile fixation .
To plant the vetch , we disseminate the seeds thickly on nude soil , starting about 6 inch from the squash rackets seedling , then rake them in and tamp lightly with the back of the rake . We irrigate frequently until the vetch is well base . During fall clean up , we turn it into the grime to enhance the layer for next year ’s crop .
Cross section of a squash hill
To make watering easier , sink a deal in the ground at planting fourth dimension and sow the squash seeds around the exterior of the jackpot . When you fill the slew with pee , it drain out the holes in the bottom , immediately reaching the roots of the plant . Plant a binding harvest of hirsute vetch around the hills to warn locoweed and flow the soil .
Timely harvests and tasty varieties
Zukes the size of baseball bats are impressive enough , but they ’ve grow far beyond their best look . Since squash can grow rapidly , check plants daily when they start to produce . celebrate the squash vine picked promotes a unbendable supply . Summer squelch that is too large becomes flat , but is still suitable for courgette bread .
We ’ve tried many miscellanea , and our longtime favorite is ‘ Sunburst ’ . A yellow pattypan or scallopini case of summertime squash vine , it is both attractive and tasty , especially when harvested at 2 to 4 inches . A Lebanese mixed bag named ‘ White Bush ’ ( also called Mid - East or cousa type ) is a bulgy light - green squelch with white speckles . It can be picked little but will not lose its flavor if left to get a little larger , around 7 to 8 inch . ‘ White Bush ’ is also useful as a dressing squash vine .
‘ Condor ’ is a stock green courgette do it for its round the bend flavor , pure shape and color , and high return . ‘ Condor ’ is best when reap at 7 inches . We could n’t defy a new zucchini this year called ‘ Eight nut ’ . T his sheeny , speckled , sorry squash is mature when it is a little larger than a pool ball . It is other ( 40 days ) and compact , sweet , and tasty . To lash out out our variety , we turn a standard yellow crookneck named ‘ Sundance ’ , a prolific producer that can be harvested early ( 47 days ) and continues to create . summer crookneck and straightneck squash should be glean at 4 to 6 inches for the best flavor .
— J.M. and J.S.
Squash pests and diseases are a challenge
As the season progresses , one of the first concern you may have is that the works do n’t appear to be position fruit . Squash is not ego - pollenate , so bees are crucial in the fruiting process . Also , do n’t worry if the first few flush do n’t set yield at all . Squash has manly and female flowers , and the male person usually bloom first .
competitor fromweedsis usually not a problem for us because summer crush grow quickly and has Brobdingnagian foliage that fill in out weeds near the plants . By using the proficiency of interplanting the hills with vetch , we can efficaciously finagle any weeds that may spud .
There are several insects that do harm to our summertime squeeze crop . One of the most serious is thesquash bug , a dingy brownish worm 1 ⁄ 2 in or more recollective , which has a very disagreeable smell when crushed . They resist most organic pesticides , so we handpick the bugs every couple of daylight to keep them in substantiation . We reckon for their eggs , a little humble than sesame seeds , bright and orange - brown , usually clustered on the underside of the leaves . We scrape them off cautiously but do n’t worry if we damage the folio a little in the mental process ; the worm can do far more harm . We also keep an eye out for the nymphs , which calculate a petty like gray , overgrown aphids . We handpick them also .
Squash bug bollock are a glistening orangebrown and can be scrap off the leaves with your finger .
In the nymphal stage , squash bugs seem like overgrown gray aphid .
The grownup squash racquets hemipteran is an untempting brown color with an unappealing smell when crush . Dropping the bugs into a jounce of soapy H2O is one way to control them . picture : Marc Vassallo .
Cucumber beetlesin the squash piece can disperse bacterial wilt . They choose cucumbers , so we can handpick ( you have to be fast ! ) the few we encounter on squash . If the vines dead droop , it could be a symptom of bacterial wilt . Remove the infected parts of the plant , but be certain to disinfect your pruner before using them again . There is no handling for bacterial wilting , so it is crucial to monitor frequently for cucumber beetles .
Squash vine borercan also stimulate wilting leaves . If you suspect vine stone drill , seem for a small hole near the base of the plant . We ordinarily slice the vine from that point , destroy the borer , and then attempt to save the plant . Be on the observation tower for the adult vine borer , a rather pretty , clearly - fly moth with a red abdomen- a certain sign of borer natural process .
As the plants historic period , the leaves often start to turn whitish , most potential frompowdery mould . The plants will still bring about fruit for a while after this process begin , but this is the time when we are well-chosen to have planted another craw of squash . Despite these pest and disease problems , succession planting keep us far enough ahead of the game that we are supply with summer squash until we have had our filling .
SOURCES
The undermentioned mail - order suppliers hold the best pick of the varieties mentioned in this article .
Fedco Seeds , PO Box 520 , Waterville , ME 04903
Pinetree Garden Seeds , PO Box 300 , New Gloucester , ME04260 ; 207 /926 - 3400;www.superseeds.com
Stokes , PO Box 548 , Buffalo , NY 1 4240;800/396 - 9238;www.stokeseeds.com
exposure except where take note : John Bray .
August 2000
Although summer squash is a naturally vigorous grower, it benefits from regular care. Sunken pots make it easy to water, and a cover crop of vetch helps suppress weeds.
fromKitchen Gardening # 28
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To prepare a planting hill, dig a hole 2 feet deep and fill it half full with compost. The plant roots will respond with vigor when they reach the compost.
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Place the pot in the center of the hole, with the lip extending above the ground 1 to 2 inches. Backfill the hole with the original soil.
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Prepare the seed bed by raking the soil smooth around the pot and tamping it down with a soil rake. Try to avoid getting any soil in the pot.
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An ordinary 1-gallon plastic nursery pot with holes on both the sides and the bottom can be used to create a well in the center of the squash hill.
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Illustration: Christopher Clapp.
Clockwise from top:‘Eight Ball’ zucchini, Lebanese ‘White Bush’, a yellow crookneck called ‘Sundance’, ‘Condor’ zucchini, and the yellow pattypan ‘Sunburst’.
A handful of hairy vetch seeds is all that’s needed to sow a cover crop between two hills of squash 4 feet apart.
Squash bug eggs are a shiny orangebrown and can be scraped off the leaves with your fingers.
In the nymphal stage, squash bugs look like overgrown gray aphids.
The adult squash bug is an unattractive brown color with an unappealing smell when crushed. Dropping the bugs into a jar of soapy water is one way to control them.Photo: Marc Vassallo.
