Question
QUESTION: I just discovered that all of my butternut squash, pumpkin, mini pumpkin, and cantaloupe plants are infested with squash vine borers. All of the large pumpkins are green and starting to turn orange; the mini ones are yellow (I planted the seeds mid-April). My butternut squash (all 14 of them) are cream colored with faint green streaks at the top. And my cantloupe are a peach color. I also planted these 2 seeds mid-April The vines are starting to die so I tried to slit the stems and remove the vine borers (I must have removed over 30 of them). And I'm not even sure I got them all. My question is, if these plants don't survive, can I ripen any or all of these fruits, so they're edible? And are any or all of them edible when they're not fully ripe (at the stage they're at now)? I'm trying to save the plant but need to know my options in case they die and hope that all my hard work isn't down the drain. Thanks!

ANSWER: I'm sorry to tell you that the fruits will not ripen off the vine. The squash and pumpkin may still be edible by the time you harvest them, but they will not be sweet. Try to keep them on the vine as long as possible.

There's a couple of things you  can do next year to hopefully avoid a repeat of the problem. One is to plant seeds two or three times every couple of weeks. Of course, you may end up with an overload, but you can also remove the later plants if you don't have any problems with the first ones.

The other thing you can do is to cover the seedlings with row cover. Leave them in place until the plants flower.

Elyse

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QUESTION: Thanks Elyse! I've been searching online and have found that I can plant pumpkins and winter squash until July 1st and cantaloupes until June 20th here in GA. At this point, should I dig up the infested ones and replace them with new seeds? If so, what should I do with the fruit I have? Also in regards to the row cover, is that the black fabric or clear plastic sheets I've seen? I'll definitely do that next year!

Answer
Kimberly:
It's up to you, and how much space you have, if you want to dig up your current plants. Also, in the south you can have a second generation of vine borers, so you might want to leave the old plants if you can, or at least cover the new ones. You can lay the cover as soon as you put in the seed.

As for the row cover, no, it is not plastic - that would be too hot. It is spun-bond polyester, one brand you will see is Remay. It should completely cover the plant (directions should be on the package)with the edges secured so the moths cannot get in and lay their eggs.