Video Below:
I have been trying to grow pumpkins in self-watering containers for several years with limited results. (For other posts on container gardening search for "container" on any of my pages). Pumpkins are really in the squash family and are curcubits like cucumbers and other winter squashes.
But, growing these colorful pumpkins pose many problems and take some real attention. These plants are heavy feeders, are prone to wilt and mildew, water dependent, and plagued with insects hungry to feed. Many varieties also need up to 100 days to mature and here in New Hampshire we don't always have enough time. So, this year I wanted to try a smaller cooking variety called Small Baby Bear from Johnny's seeds in Winslow Maine. These are cultivars designed for the Northeast and at least have a chance to make maturity. They are in the range of 1 and1/2 pounds to about 3 pounds. And, as the cover photo shows, I have about 10 fully ripe fruits ready for cooking and seed roasting. But wait; there were problems along the way! My first mistake was planting too many seeds for the amount of fertilizer which was two cups in the center of the container. The 4 vines that germinated really needed about twice that amount. Mildew and wilt began after the leaves were full size. But the biggest problem is that I failed to see the eggs from squash bugs that were laid on the underside of the leaves. I am very much against using insecticides and chemicals so I do have to pay a price for natural plant growth.
And that leads me to the creepy crawlies mentioned in the title. All of the squash bug eggs hatched and I found hundreds of the critters all over the fruit. So, the video below was the result of this observation and I also found newly laid eggs. I was fortunate to harvest as many pumpkins as I did, but the lesson has been learned; check for eggs! For squash bug remediation there is a link to the Colorado State University here. I have not seen another video of these squash bugs so hopefully it will be informative. Enjoy! Ken...
I have been trying to grow pumpkins in self-watering containers for several years with limited results. (For other posts on container gardening search for "container" on any of my pages). Pumpkins are really in the squash family and are curcubits like cucumbers and other winter squashes.
But, growing these colorful pumpkins pose many problems and take some real attention. These plants are heavy feeders, are prone to wilt and mildew, water dependent, and plagued with insects hungry to feed. Many varieties also need up to 100 days to mature and here in New Hampshire we don't always have enough time. So, this year I wanted to try a smaller cooking variety called Small Baby Bear from Johnny's seeds in Winslow Maine. These are cultivars designed for the Northeast and at least have a chance to make maturity. They are in the range of 1 and1/2 pounds to about 3 pounds. And, as the cover photo shows, I have about 10 fully ripe fruits ready for cooking and seed roasting. But wait; there were problems along the way! My first mistake was planting too many seeds for the amount of fertilizer which was two cups in the center of the container. The 4 vines that germinated really needed about twice that amount. Mildew and wilt began after the leaves were full size. But the biggest problem is that I failed to see the eggs from squash bugs that were laid on the underside of the leaves. I am very much against using insecticides and chemicals so I do have to pay a price for natural plant growth.
And that leads me to the creepy crawlies mentioned in the title. All of the squash bug eggs hatched and I found hundreds of the critters all over the fruit. So, the video below was the result of this observation and I also found newly laid eggs. I was fortunate to harvest as many pumpkins as I did, but the lesson has been learned; check for eggs! For squash bug remediation there is a link to the Colorado State University here. I have not seen another video of these squash bugs so hopefully it will be informative. Enjoy! Ken...
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