Start with resistant varieties to begin with.

Then start reading....

Here is a link that might be useful: Squash Vine Borer

Hi Carol,

Welcome to Gardenweb and welcome to gardening! Violet has a good point. Resistant varieties really help. Any squash from the c. moschata or c. mixta families will show some resistance to borers. It seems to depend on where a person lives, as to how much that resistance will help. IÂve grown an old variety of squash called Warsaw Buff Pie Pumpkin in some places where borers didnÂt take out a single plant and all others were wiped out. But Gonefishing (Bill), who also posts here, has had c. moschatas wiped out.

Another thing which can help is to use a shovel and pile soil over the vines every so many meters. The vines root and are therefore a bit more tolerant of borer attacks.

¡Argentina to the Netherlands! ¡Qué cambio!

George
Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA

Hi Carol - you are up against the most malevolent garden pest and we all suffer the ravages each season. They love your bush type squashes, but I have found some vining types that are highly resistant. One is tromboncino, the other is cucuzzi. I also still grow the susceptible bush types, but have them housed under a frame covered with lightweight remay this year (and I will be laboriously hand-pollinating them all season!). Don't give up - just learn and diversify. Some day we will conquer SVB as a community.

Hi Carol, welcome aboard! Your challenge, should you choose to accept it ~~ (The way the old T.V. series "Mission Ridiculous" used to start)! I second what raisemybeds posted, and George is right. I found that in my location in Texas, no matter how tough the stem or vine of the plants is, there is always a soft part where the growth is occuring on end of the plant and they do attack them at every vulnerable spot. Everywhere a leaf, bloom, or tendril branched off the main stem. I was growing Tahitian Squash which is by far the best squash that I ever tasted.
I hope that you will have better success and are able to get some crop.
Bill P.

George, I read about the resistance of the varieties you mention, but didnÂt imagine that would change so much per location. I have to have those seeds next year to try. Si, el cambio es muy grande, after the 6inches/14.8mm of rain yesterday, I had to wear my wooden shoes to go to see the vegetables LOL! ItÂs sooo strange to walk with them but they help in the mud, and you write so perfect Spanish. How come?

Raisemybeds, we covered the tomatoes with that lightweight fabric, although not pretty, till now (cross my fingers) the tomatoes and pepper seem to like that protection. IÂve been earlier shaking the stems and was wondering if the pumpkin pollination would be so simple not so, as per what I read.

Bill, yesterday I didnÂt turn the compost pile that I left to mature, since I saw there were some pumpkin seedlings showing up, and I thought, well, you never know maybe they grow nice. This morning guess what, they were gone, disappeared.
IÂd eat Butternut Squash every day, casually found a grocer that sells it. Back in Argentina my mother had a piece ready for my arrival from the office nearly everyday Now IÂve got some Butternut seeds popping up in a propagator.

Violet, I know thereÂs lots of info. However, last year while I was "researching" what happened that time to the tomatoes raised by me from seed, my husband convinced me to check a bit less ugly bugÂs pictures and diseased plants on the internet, and just try again, strengthening precautions. Pumpkin is not so popular here for eating, but for Halloween, therefore availability of seeds for consume (ie. to grow without chemicals) is just starting. I didnÂt plant resistant varieties, because I simply could not find any offered for sale.

Thank you all for such warm welcome!
Carol.

Hi Carol, I have never grown winter squash before but hope the bugs are not too bad! I am using fabric row covers as well.

For seeds, there must be some big Dutch companies that sell by mail. Try also Thompson & Morgan, a big UK seed company that ships to the Netherlands.

What do you think is eating your seedlings? It sounds like an animal rather than an insect. Tomatoes can be grown out in the open here without much difficulty.