have you tried using bumper crops? like marigolds, mint, nasturtium, basil, etc.? they attract and/or repel said insects, giving them something else tasty to munch on.

Eugene, It is true. Most summer squash has been developed to grow bushy plants or short vines that rarely grow more than 4-feet long. Which is why a large tomato cage is sufficient for growing summer squash vertically.

I too have searched over the years for summer squash varieties that would grow longer vines that could be tied up a tall trellis structure and haven’t found much. The only vining summer squash I have tried are Zucchetta Rampicante (AKA Tromboncino) and Italian Cucuzzi Summer Squash (which is actually a type of gourd). They didn’t produce very well in my garden. Hopefully, others will read your comment and chime in with their experiences.

At some point someone decided nobody wants or needs vining zucchinis. Can you imagine someone unilaterally deciding pole beans were no longer an option? Needless to say, I don’t get it.

I have a plot in the public garden, across the street. 20’X10′. And I have trellised my front and back balconies, 20′ long on the back and 10′ long on the front. Not a lot of space if I don’t trellis.

The public garden has been running for a few decades now. The cucumber beetles and vine borers have been running wild, with zero control, ever since. On my farthest trellis from these beasties (back balcony), I’ve been able to successfully grow melons and cucumbers (knock wood), to where I basically stop picking fruit because I’m overrun, especially with cucs. I get the occasional cucumber beetle (striped) flying on the plants, but never enough to lose more than a plant or two, if that.

I’ve never grown more than 5-10 cucumbers in the public garden, in any one season. The bugs are that bad. 90 garden plots, full infestation.

I tried Table Dainty, last season. A vining cucumber (marrow) that’s fat like a football (gridiron) when allowed to grow. At any early stage, the zucchini taste is pronounced and delicious. I got one withered zucchini on the vine last season. Couldn’t even eat it.

Long story short, I’ve been scouring the internet, trying to find a vining summer squash with resistance to vine borers and cucumber beetles. I’ve come up with a list, of sorts, in descending order of seeds I’ve just bought, and in the order I plan to plant them in future gardens:

Tatume: A round squash, best picked at baseball size for summer squash eating. Doubles as winter squash. Have read it’s resistant to pests. We’ll see.

Yuxi Jiang Bing Gua: Distorted Pumpkin shape. Also doubles as summer and winter squash, 3-8 lbs respectively. Huge sprawling vines. Cucurbita Moschata.

Lemon Squash: Puts out dozens of large lemon-sized summer squashes. Very popular and prolific.

Zucchino Rampicante: I grew this squash 5 years ago. Wowed everyone with 4 foot “snakes” with big heads at one end. Summer and winter squash. Cucurbit Moschata.

Table Dainty: I’ve grown this one the most. It seemed fairly impervious to pests, until a couple of seasons ago. Now I get one fruit or none. Period. One of the best vining zucchinis I’ve ever eaten. Grow it, if your pest situation will tolerate it. Highly recommended.

If anyone knows of any other varieties of vining summer squash, please make a list and tell me.

Thanks

Sue, if you are growing summer squash vertically using a stake or tomato cage, just grow one plant. There is only room for one plant to grow in a tomato cage. If you are planting zucchini in hills and letting the vines sprawl, a 2-foot mound can support 3 plants. Sow about 5 or 6 seeds per mound, and thin down to the strongest 3.

Jan, Alfalfa hay is fine as long as it was cut before it forms seeds. Otherwise the seeds will sprout in your garden. If you click on the green organic mulch link in, Step 3: Mulch the plants, it will bring you to another article that goes into more detail on how organic mulch helps your garden, and type of organic mulch you can use.