Cucurbits! It's a fancy way of talking about cucumbers, squash! This week you’ll learn how to protect your zucchini from insects, how you know if your cucumber and watermelon are ready to pick, and what time of year you can plant your winter squash.
Cucurbits! It's a fancy way of talking about cucumbers, squash! This week you’ll learn how to protect your zucchini from insects, how you know if your cucumber and watermelon are ready to pick, and what time of year you can plant your winter squash.
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Find episode transcript here: https://dig-it.simplecast.com/episodes/how-to-grow-zucchini-cucumbers-watermelons-squash
[MUSIC PLAYING] KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE: Hi, this is Dig It! I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble. I'm a master gardener and the author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom. I'm also the senior editorial director at HGTV.com. Did you know that cucumbers, squash, melons, and gourds are all related? They're members of the plant family called Cucurbit. In this episode, we're starting off with a family favorite, zucchini.
Lee asked, why does my zucchini plant die every year? It just starts producing, and suddenly, it turns brown and dies. It happens every year. I'm with you, Lee. I have a lot of trouble growing zucchini and summer squash in my garden. And it's because of squash vine borers. They're very common in the Eastern US. And they overwinter in the soil, and then lay eggs around your zucchini and summer squash plants, that burrow into the stems. If you've seen your plant, just the stem looks like it's disintegrating, and then the plant dies, that's because of squash vine borers.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of cures for squash vine borers. Some steps you can take are to grow resistant varieties. And butternut squash is one variety. But that's really not the same as a zucchini or a summer squash that you're looking for. So I'm going to show you one technique that I'm trying this summer in my garden. Because I don't want to give up.
I'm using row cover cloth to cover my zucchini plants. Row cover is really handy for lots of things in the garden, for keeping plants warm during cold snaps, keeping them cool during hot days, and protecting them from insect pests, like squash vine borers. Sunlight can still get through the cloth. But in theory, the squash vine borers can't land on or around the plants and lay their eggs that burrow into the stems. I'll still need to remove it when I water and when the plants are flowering so they can be pollinated. But I hope it will help.
Missy asked, when is the best point to pick a cucumber, size, color, et cetera. Cucumbers can get oversized really quickly. And they'll get watery and even bitter. So it's best to pick your cucumbers early and often. It depends on the variety, though. So if you're growing a pickling cucumber, you might pick it at four or five inches long. If you're growing a slicing cucumber, it'll be a little longer, like six or seven inches. And you want to pick when the skin is dark green. You can tell that the cucumber's getting watery if it starts getting light in color. So it's important to pick your cucumbers often because that will make the plant produce more.
Heather asks, I have never had squash bugs before last year. How do you get rid of them, and will I have them again this year? I live in Vermont. But we did not have much below zero weather to kill insect eggs. So, squash bugs too, you want to attract their natural predator. And that includes spiders and also a particular fly. And that fly loves plants in the dill family, which includes dill, cilantro, and parsley. You can also use an organic product called neem oil. And that is really good for a lot of things in your garden, for growing organically.
So Elizabeth says, I live in North Carolina, in Zone 7B. Do you have recommendations on how and where to plant watermelons? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. So, watermelons like really hot weather. So you should wait a couple more weeks before you plant them outside. They also grow really long and vigorous. They need a lot of space to grow. So you should plant them about three to five feet apart. I've never actually had a ton of space to grow watermelons. I've grown small ones. But to grow a big watermelon, you need a lot of space.
I also recommend putting mulch down when you plant them. After they start growing, you won't really be able to put a lot of mulch down. But they need mulch so that they don't have competition from weeds. They also take a long time to grow. It takes about three months, depending on the variety, to get a watermelon. So just be patient. And it'll be worth the wait
OG asked, any tips on how much heat and sun exposure squash and eggplant should get? Squash and eggplant both need a lot of sunlight, about six or more hours of full sun a day. Eggplant especially likes hot weather. And it grows, really grows best in really warm climates. If you live in a milder climate, but you want to grow eggplant, one trick is to try growing it in a large black container. The black will absorb heat during the day. And it'll raise the soil temperature, by up to 10 degrees, which eggplant will love.
Katie asked, tips for white cucumbers. I've read it means there needs to be more nutrients in my soil. Really light colored or white color on your cucumbers could be a few things. But most likely, it's too much water. So if you've been watering a lot, just hold back and see if that helps. It could also be that you're leaving the cucumbers on the plants too long, and they're getting overgrown. So be sure to pick your cucumbers when they're about five or seven inches long, depending on the variety, and when they're still really crisp. That may help.
Leslie has a question about zucchini. She says, zucchini help needed. None of my female blossoms are opening to pollinate. The fruit under the blossom shrivels before the blossom opens. I'm getting lots of large male blossoms, but few females. And all of them have shriveled before the blossom opens. This is most likely poor pollination. You can have plants that get some pollination, but not complete pollination. And that can happen a lot during really hot, humid weather, when bees are less active.
You can try hand pollinating, using a cotton swab or a paintbrush. You take pollen from a male flower and transfer it to a female flower. It's usually best to do that in the morning, when the female flower is open. And you can tell the difference between a male flower and a female flower because the female will have kind of a bulbous part at the base of the flower. And that is what develops into fruit.
Sarah has a question about watermelons. She says, I'm growing watermelon for the first time. I planted a small plant last month. Four of them looked ready. But when I cut into them, they were white. How do you know when to pick watermelons? Watermelons take a long time to mature. So it sounds like you've cut into yours a little too early. They usually take about three months to maturity, when you're growing from seed. So there's a few ways that you can know if your watermelon is ready.
First is that the part of the vine nearest the fruit will start to die back. Second, the part of the watermelon that's touching the ground will start to turn yellow. And third, some people swear by the sound a ripe watermelon makes when you thump it. But that's pretty subjective. I'm also weighing my watermelon. Because I know that the mature size of the variety that I'm growing is five pounds. So this watermelon is only at 1 and 1/2 pounds. It's not ready yet.
We've talked a lot about summer squashes and cucumbers. But what about winter squashes, like acorns and butternuts? Winter squash grows in summer and can be harvested in the fall. It's called winter squash because you can store it and then eat it in the winter. And you know that your winter squash is ready when the vine starts to die back, when the stem above the fruit, just right above the fruit, gets a little bit woody, and when the skin of the squash is hard enough that it can't be pierced with your fingernail.
I'm growing an heirloom variety of winter squash, called candy roaster squash. And mine is ready to harvest. I'm going to cut the fruit off, with a couple inches of stem, and store it in a cool, dry, dark place. It depends on the variety, but some winter squash can be stored for several months. They get sweeter during storage
Missy asked, what are your thoughts on growing cucumbers in containers? You can definitely grow cucumbers in containers. It's a good option. There's just a few things to consider. First is that you want to choose a bush or compact variety. It's just a shorter vine. And then, you also want to make sure that you include a trellis in your container, for the cucumber to grow up. You also need to choose a large enough pot. And what's recommended is about a five gallon pot, which is about 14 inches wide.
Our last topic is something that's not always fun. And that's fungus on your squash plants, especially the leaves. And it can spread. Let's dig into it. Francis asked, why do my cucumbers and squash get a fungus on the leaves and quit producing? What you're seeing is called powdery mildew. And it's very common. It's especially common on cucumbers and squash and melons, which are all related plants. As it spreads, it can damage your plants. You can prevent powdery mildew by planting resistant varieties, by not crowding your plants too closely together, and also by not watering from above.
When you water from above, you're just watering the leaves, rather than watering the roots of the plant. So water at the base of the plant. And that can help prevent powdery mildew. You can also treat powdery mildew with an organic fungicide. The neem oil that we talked about last week is a good option. I've also heard of gardeners using a diluted solution of baking soda and water. And that could help. For more gardening info, tips, and hacks, check out hgtv.com/dig-it. I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble, happy gardening.
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