I’ve Been Squashed

There is this day in the life of my garden that I dread.
 
I am going along fine with all of my squash plants growing, blooming, and producing.  There are bees everywhere and I feel like a gardening success.

It’s so beautiful, I could weep.

Then, this happens.  Literally, overnight.  I walk outside and my (formerly) perky little squash plants look like I didn’t water them for a week. What gives?

I know what did this and it has nothing to do with water.  The despicable, evil, downright nasty Squash Vine Borer is the culprit.
 
The insect that breaks my gardening heart year after year.

He’s such a sneaky little devil because you don’t know he’s there until your squash is done in.

Through cover of night, a moth flies over and notices this healthy squash plant.  It then swoops down and plants one of its eggs on the stem of MY squash plant.  And, the egg looks like a piece of dirt so I never even notice.

The egg matures and a slimy little worm emerges that now makes its life mission the destruction of my zucchini.


Once it hatches, the little devil begins burrowing down the stem, prematurely ending my hopes for zucchini bread.

There are dusts and sprays that will prevent squash homicide, but my garden is organic and that stuff will never come near it.

I know other organic gardeners that watch their squash like a hawk.  They will slice open the stem and remove the creature.  Gross.  Not.happening.here.

I’ve hidden a few plants in another part of the yard to see if I can prolong my squash agony.
 

In the meantime, I’ve read about people who get so much squash every year that they secretly leave it on their neighbor's front porches at night.
 

A girl can dream.