Remedy for Squash Vine Borers and Garden Updates

squash vine borers

burying the stem afterwards

One of my favorite activity is to walk by the garden and admire how well the plants are doing.  I also decide then what I can pick to serve the guests for lunch for that day. Today, I noticed that a couple of the squash plants looked wilted and made a note to myself to give them more water.  Luckily, Judy Fallows of Healthy Waltham ( http://www.healthy-waltham.org/)  came by and knew the plants didn't lack water, but had squash vine borers.  She showed me the telltale signs - little piles of yellow material (see the first photo) on the stem.  Judy took a sharp knife and slit the stem lengthwise to dig out the worm.  There were three worms in each of those two plants! On closer inspection, all the yellow squashes and zucchini plants were infected.  After I served lunch, I went to the garden and  I carefully cut into the stem like Judy instructed me.  Later, I buried the vines (see second photo) and  deeply watered each plant.  I don't know if this intervention will be successful, but I hope so because the plants were very productive.

red lettuce

kohlrabi

Next,  I pulled all the arugula plants because they were flowering and the leaves were very bitter.  Some people, like my staff Karen, love the taste of bitter arugula in her salad, but after I tasted a leaf, I thought it might be too harsh for the guests' palates.  At the same time I also pulled out all the red lettuce for our salad tomorrow. This allows for more sunlight for our cabbage and kohlrabi plants.  The tomato plants towered over the other plants heavy with their fruits.  After staking them, they were better neighbors.

Check out the Swiss chard, collard, kale, tomatoes, beans, beets and carrots!