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Old December 17, 2009   #16
tjg911
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut
Posts: 2,570
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yeah it is strange how svb can be such a problem and in another area they are not.

every year that i would grow a hollow vine winter squash they never made it past 4th of july. butternuts were never bothered.

yellow squash and zucchini always were a problem by mid august but for some reason they seemed to tolerate being attacked. it would be common to have zucchini plants healthy and producing that had 90% of the vine eaten away and the whole vine just attached to the plant by a thread. they sometimes died but typically survived. come mid to later september i could break the vine off the plant with a gentle tug, like i said it was amazing how little of the plant was attached to the base yet it lived.

i have given away several different winter squash seed packets over the years. when i read, probably in johnny's catalog, the svb was the problem and why butternut was safe i just stopped trying to grow any other winter squash. i tried a couple of other solid vined winter squash but none produced as well or tasted as good as butternut, kinda like box car willie in the world of tomatoes which carolyn calls a workhorse!

i'll buy a packet try a couple of plants of the delicata just to see what happens. i can place them at the perimeter of the butternut area to see how they do. being a pepo i'll have to eat them 1st as they won't store past mid december. i like sweet potatoes but don't grow them so i'm curious how delicatas are.
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