8-31-12 Getting the most from yellow squash

Raised Bed Gardening In Arkansas

 Subject:  Getting The Most From Yellow Squash

     One of my most favorite vegetables from a late summer garden has got to be yellow squash.  It has such a mild flavor and delicate texture that it can be added to very many dishes.  It can be substituted for the pulp of fruit to be added in breads and cakes, it can be cooked down and mashed and used as a potato substitute, it can be heated in a microwave with a little butter, it can be sliced or chunked and breaded for frying … a pretty versatile addition to a summer garden that will yield some pretty big results.

                                   

     The squash plants can be put out or planted anytime the danger of frost is past in the spring and will produce all the way up to the first frost in the fall.  They will be the most active in the heat of the summer months though.  We had the hottest and driest summer on record here this year, and the temperatures stayed or hovered above 100 degrees for three months in a row.  Even this extreme temperature did not kill off the plants, but it did cut way back on the plants ability to make fruit.  When the temperature dropped back a couple weeks ago to the mid 90’s, our yield went from 2-3 squash per day, to 10-12 squash per day from two 3’ x 8’ beds. 
     The plants will tend to wilt in the extreme heat and sun, but if you can water in the evenings it will give the plants enough recovery time throughout the night to come right back all perky in the mornings.  If the temperature stays over 100 degrees, it may help to water in both the morning and in the evenings.

     Yellow squash is fairly easy to determine when it gets ripe in both the straight-neck and crook-neck varieties because the yellow will turn to orange at the stem end.  This orange color is a good sign that the seeds are developing to maturity and it’s time to pick it.  As the temperature rises above 100 degrees the fruit will tend to ripen sooner and will be smaller, but the small ones are just as tasty as the bigger ones (my wife thinks they are better).  As the fruit turns more orange, the skin becomes tougher and may have to be cut off before cooking.  But if you pick them when they are still yellow, then the skin is just as tasty and tender as the pulp.

 

     There are really only two main pests here in Arkansas that take a toll on the squash plants.  These two pests are the squash bug, and the blossom end fungus.
     The squash bug is a longer version of the stink bug and can be difficult to control.  We don’t use any chemicals here, so a daily check under the leaves is the best way to nip them before they become a problem.  The eggs of the squash bug are a white to golden color and are laid in flat clusters on the underside of the plants leaves.  You can pinch out the egg cluster and drop it in a can of water and the remaining leaf will survive.
     The squash bugs are pretty good at hiding and will go to the back side of a stem or leaf when movement is in their vicinity.  One of the best ways I’ve found to flush them out of hiding is to water the plant with a shower type spray.  The bugs really don’t like water and will crawl up the leaf stems and expose themselves to observation.  I just reach out and squash them between my finger and thumb … they are squash bugs after all.  If you are a little squeamish about squashing bugs between your fingers, then a can of water can be kept nearby to drop them in.
     The damage these little stinkers can do is catastrophic to the plant.  The young will eat the leaves and suck the juices from the leaf stems.  The adults suck moisture from the base of the plant itself and you can have a thriving plant one day and the next it can be a wilted dead thing with no chance of recovery, so it is always best to keep a watchful eye on your leaves.

     Where most of your garden plants will do better if you mulch the top of the soil, squash seems to do better if you have a well-drained and fertile soil that you allow the top of the soil to remain dry.  There is a constant threat of blossom end fungus if there is too much humidity at the base of the plant and having a mulch tends to keep more moisture at the plant base as well as giving squash bugs a place to hide.

     Another thing that can help lower the humidity around the plants is to string up the lower leaves of the plants to allow for a better air flow.  A better flow of air around the plant will dry out the blossoms better and assist in keeping the blossom end fungus from getting a start.  Sometimes it will also help to pinch off the wilted blossom from developing fruit before the fungus gets a start.

     All for now … I’ll try to do a little better job at keeping a constant flow of posts here.  I kind of get wrapped up in life.

     Next time … Duane