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Learning about the vine borers and how important the rooting of the vines is has really improved my squash. You are a wonderful teacher Gary!

I always love watching your videos even from years ago. When i need help finding answers i come to your videos you have it all! Thank you

Let non-venomous spiders live inside the cone of the leaf. They help keep pests off your pumpkins and they help get rid of mosquitoes

I was today years old when I learned.... That squashes and melons will pop roots a junctions if they have ground access. That Zucchini plants will send out secondary stems.

Gary (I really hope you see this message, my friend. You are amazing!! ), I had to come back today and meantion how well your tips have improved my pumpkin/Zucchini plants. Each year, I'd have a few Zucchini plants get "rotten" at the vine and some would not (I couldn't figure out why the vine was always dying/getting rotten 🤔). I noticed the leaves on our watermelon and Zucchini plants would "wither" (just like you said) even when I would watered each day. Come to find out, "VINE BORES" was the issue 😵. I NEVER knew what a Vine Bore was until I came across your video, my friend. I pulled out 10 (yes, TEN) Vine Bores out of 3 of the 6 plants. Both of my pumpkin plants had 4 Vine Bores in EACH plant!!! I dug them all out (stab stab stab 😉) and re-covered the damaged vine with a soil/compost mix. My pumpkin and Zucchini plants are strong and I believe they will "bounce back" now that the Vine Bores are not bothering them 😁. You are a MASTER Gary, and I will never forget what you have taught me in this video. Amazing technique, but just one thing....... I wish you would have meantioned what a Vine Bore actually "is" (grub/worm??). Before watching, I was not sure if a Vine Bore was an actual insect, beatle, worm, etc. I did learned that a Vine Bore looks like a "white grub/worm". Anyways, thanks again my friend and I will subscribe and follow! Take care and Happy Growing!

What a lush garden you have and soooo many varieties! And so many tips for vine boarers! Thank you so much!

Your videos are so informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Just pre-ordered the book! Can’t wait until it comes out & I’m glad I can support after all the things I’ve learned from you.

Got this video a week too late. Ripped out 80% of my squash due to vine borer attacks. 🤦🏻‍♂️ I loathe that bug. Now I know. Thanks for all your work Gary. Your videos are immensely helpful.

Always reliable info, Gary. Thank you.

You must feel so wonderful gardening in this new space , plants are lush . And as always an excellent video 🙏. I watch regularly but leave a comment once in a while . Have a great season ahead Gary

One of my new favorite garden channels🥒🌻🌄❤Thank you for sharing! Hello from Kansas 🚜🌻🌅🌽

Thank you for the info! I have learned so much from your posts, and that has helped to save the few veggies (especially squash and melons) that I plant. The vine rooting and the mounding is so logical and super helpful. Again, thank you!

Great info on rooting, so glad you showed us those little tiny protrusions that are actually the plant rooting! I didn't know about borers either. All this might explain why my container grown zucchini and yellow squash didn't do well this year (odd though, as in years past they did very well). I have no choice but to grow in containers, though. Your watermelons look great! Wish I had ground space to grow melons and pumpkins and other squash better. But I still love learning about them. Great news about your book, I'll be checking that out. Thanks for another great video!

Another just in time video! Thanks!

Great tips! I just planted some small sugar pumpkins in my back yard garden so I'm sure I will put this to good use.

As usual, another fantastic video filled with lots of fantastic tips, tfs👩🏼‍🌾

Thank you for this video I was having this problem and did not know why!

So beautiful.

I had a nice pumpkin patch going last year until the squash bugs invaded. I learned my lesson and know how to deal with them now.

Gary, i hope you know how much of a gem you are, i feel blessed to be receiving all of your treasure trove of knowledge. With the current state of this country and all affairs in general, its now more than ever (imo) the most critical time to become more self sufficient and prepared for whatever. Thank you so very much. I wish I could support you monetarily, but due to the gov. Shutting what they deemed not essential, were on a very tight budget. Praying for abundant blessing, so we can in turn bless others. 🙂🤗 thank you so much!

I’m loving your channel so much! Learning a ton. Thank you!

I love your channel!! So informative ❤️

Thank you I love your garden 🏡💚☀️

Awesome tips! Wow. I been watering my pumpkins every other day here in CT. Lots of 90s happened past 2 weeks. I have to inspect better though. Got some mildew and dying leaves. Got some pumpkins growing through

Vine borer,I wrapped the aluminum foil and remove the flowers and lower stems powder with seven dust just at the top of the foil and inside the foil Thank you for your teaching Sir

I like the point you make about letting them sprawl to protect from vine borer. I really struggle with vine borers… but I also grow vertically due to space. I’m going to try and adjust where I can. Thanks for the tip!

Good to know info. I started my first pumpkin patch and just wanted to know the things to look for. Glad there the type of plant that can grow new roots from runners.

I appreciate the tips! Thank you!

Thank you so much for all these information

Another great video Gary.

This is VERY helpful! I was blessed with an unexpected pumpkin plant(assuming it's from a dropped seed from when I carved one a year or so ago lol). It has 3 healthy little pumpkins so far, but had no clue how to take care of one and wanted to do what I could to help it stay healthy, so thank you so much for this!

Thanks for this good information

I have such a tough time with P. Mildew on my pumpkins! Thank you the tips!

Thanks Gary! Just got in from finding squash bug eggs in a few places and finding another dead sweet dumpling squash plant. I hope I get to at least try one this year! Will take your advice!

Hi Gary, Just wanted to ket you know that your video today really heloed me out with my squash plants (what's left of them) including one succesful pumpkin plant and a watermelon plant. Thanks so much for yourtips about vine borers and keeping the vines on the ground to root. I am a new/old gardener back with 4 more 4x8 raised beds and my original 16x20. I have made so many mistakes this year but this beautiful garden is producing in spite of me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. All the best, Mary Lou in Ct. (zone 6b)

Very informative/ Thank you for sharing!

Great info, Thanks!

Thank you so much. I learned a bunch.

Great video Gary! I'm trying to improve my "punkin growin"

Very helpful. Thank you 💚

I love your videos!!!

Great points :) I love roots along the stems :)

Great information

Thanks l! Great video!

That was very interesting. I figured out a different way planting plants, which works for me. Dig a hole add water, mix up dirt an water making a Mud hole. Why it takes longer for a partial grown plant create a great root system in hard dirt, reason for mud hole, add more dirt an water, plant the plant add more water. Also works at smaller scale for seeds. I don't have compost.

You're training is working for me.

Really great information! Last year was my first year gardening and I had no clue that vine borers, squash bugs, and powdery mildew existed. I figured it out about three months into this southwestern NC climate threw at me. I was much better prepared this year. So far I've been able to evade the pests. Time will tell with the powdery mildew... But even after hundreds of videos and articles, this video contained much more new information. Thanks!

I love your videos, Gary!! This is my first year growing squash & watermelon. I've learned a lot from you just in this one video 👍

Thanx ! I learned alot . 🇨🇦

Thank you

Excelente vídeo 👏👏👏

Your video was right on time! My squash were killed by the squash bugs. First time ever I had squash bugs so bad. I broke down and bought some spray today! 🤦🏽‍♀️ Verses trying to keep spraying with homemade bug killer. They were eating that, even the DE. I cut the leaves like you mentioned in another video. The birds didn’t eat the bugs or perhaps I had more bugs than they could eat. I even transplanted some garden spiders.🤦🏽‍♀️. Great info.😊

We've got our pumpkins and squash going and the heat is really helping them get started. Hoping for another huge harvest this season. Cheers from Minnesota!

Last year I let my mini pumpkin sprawl out . Epic lol

Talk about thorough!

I just bought your book at Amazon

This is the info I needed! Thank you!!! I’m trying to grow a pumpkin patch and I’ve been hit with it all lol. It’s been 110 everyday so I need to figure out what spray works the best. I ordered the neem oil but I heard it needs to be cooler temps so I haven’t applied it yet. Thanks again!

I wrap a thin piece of aluminum foil around my squash main stems now and stake them. It works very well.

"The eye of the master fattens the stock". In the same sense the eye of the gardener defeats the vine borer. Many years ago I observed the phenomenon in which the first stems of pumpkins would split apart longitudinally between two nodes (for reasons still unknown to me) to the extent that the vine was more or less flattened, that is, it was no longer a hollow cylinder. Next, later in the season, I observed that those stems did not get vine borers in them. A little bit of internet sleuthing revealed the explanation for their absence: the clearwing moth which lays the eggs, which later become the vine borers, does so at the base of the young pumpkin plant. Upon hatching, the larvae burrow into the main stem of the plant and from there essentially live out the rest of their larval stage happily eating their way up one or the other of the first main vines that form on the plant, moving in one direction up that chosen vine, toward the growing tip of it or any of its laterals, or toward a maturing fruit located somewhere on the vine. As they move, they are feeding on the pith of the vine, leaving 'to their behind from their behind' the chewed material known as 'frass'. Their fat bodies basically fill up the pith area of the vine, and they essentially block most of the normal movement of water and nutrients along the vine, which causes the vine to wilt and brown out, and ultimately, to succumb. So, when the vine naturally splits apart, and thus no longer has a 'moist, protective, nutrient-filled tunnel' for the vine borer to live in or crawl through, the borer can move no further down the vine. It's a dead end for the borer, but the pumpkin plant is still able to send water and nutrients down past the split area perfectly fine. So, the secret to defeating vine borers requires no chemicals, no mounding of soil/compost around the vines, no aluminum foil, etc. One just needs to duplicate what sometimes naturally happens, by purposefully slitting the earliest vines of the young pumpkin plant at the opportune time, specifically just as the plant 'starts to run', that is, the vines really start to take off. So, that's usually when the vines are under two feet in length. Use a narrow-bladed sharp instrument like a scalpel or an Exacto blade, and sterilize it in between cuts by dipping the blade in rubbing alcohol (I usually pour a little bit of alcohol from a bottle into the cap thereof, and just have the cap nearby). Choose a given vine, and start as close to its base as you can, and make a slit by inserting the blade into the outer skin of the vine and pushing inward only until you feel the hollow interior (you'll develop a feel for the technique), that is, do not cut all the way through to the other side of the cylinder. Make the slit as long as you can, in a direction more or less parallel to the long axis of the vine, until you come to a node, which is usually a leaf node. Do not cut into the node. The slit usually ends up being at least one inch long, and upwards to 2 inches. If sufficient vine exists, make one or more slits further down the vine, again only putting them in between nodes. Repeat this procedure for all the vines. In a matter of a week or less, the slit will "open up" in an outward curling action, and the vine will become roughly flat in cross section. Seemingly, if a vine borer did exist on the portion of the vine prior to the slit it would not be able to survive the 'crossing' of the now dry and exposed flat area of the vine. Don't wait too long to do this preventative treatment for vine borers, both because you want to nip the problem in the bud as early as possible, prior to any damage at all, and maybe even before the larvae have hatched, but also because it becomes quite the game of Twister trying to keep track of what's what if you allow the vines to get excessively long and intertwined. Also, since the adult clearwing moth can lay eggs over an extended period in the early part of the growing season, you may find it necessary to repeat this slitting process later in the season, further down the vine. I myself am usually content to have prevented the first big flush of the borer crop, and that usually means that I am going to get the number of mature pumpkins that I am aiming for, but if you really want to maximize your production you can do more later season slitting. But, as I already mentioned, it becomes increasingly more difficult to physically maneuver through the pumpkin patch while doing the stem slitting as the vines lengthen.

Oh! This video came a few days too late for me! I had vine borers in two plants and I panicked and ripped them out. The next day I had two more in one plant and another in a fourth plant. I got them out, but really mangled the stem, I had been growing them vertically and put down Sevin dust. So stupid of me accidentally got it on the unopened flowers. I hosed it all off and then I cried. I mean I really cried. I would have been able to keep my head if I had seen this earlier. 😢 Well, now I'll go see if I can hill up the soil around them and try to save them. ( Maybe it didn't come too late after all?). Thank goodness for these videos! And I pre-ordered your book yesterday!

I planted orange and pink pumpkins last year in my flower bed and it took over my whole front yard. We loved it. My husband not so much because he had to mow. I did get powdery mildew it did not seem to hurt the crop. But I didn't quite catch what you said to use for that and I didn't see it below.

Last year I got only 5 pumpkins from my garden. Usually I get enough to get me through a whole year. But I found out when the temperature is extreme only male flowers develope. Our temperatures here in Australia last year were in excess of 45C (113F) for over 4 months. Hoping for better this year!

This is very encouraging and I just learned about the squashes re rooting in the soil last year, almost every plant had borers, I got as many as I could remove but im sure I didnt get them all, is it really necessary to remove all the borers for them to keep producing as long as it keeps rooting out and growing?

Hi Gary! Will you please advise how to plant my pumpkins in clay soil? Zone 9b here in Ca no rain whatsoever. Should I mound with compost and potting soil over my till plot? Very hard and compacted soil.

Pruning: Zucchini (cut close to main stem) Pumpkin (snap leave off at the top of stem) Watermelon and squash.....can you snap the leave off as you do for pumpkins? Thank you for sharing your gardening knowledge. GREATLY appreciated! Stay safe!! 🇨🇦

My pumpkin has tooken over my back yard and water melon to

Thanks for the info my zucchini has vine borer eggs. Worried I would loose my plant.

Wish I had seen this a couple of weeks ago. I lost all my squash and zucchini to the vine borers. I've started a new patch of squash because we still have a long time until our frost.

a safe alternative is self rising flower. the bugs eat it and it expands, you have to apply after water like seven but you can make it yourself and its cheap.

Thanks for all the helpful tips!! So I’m growing watermelon vertically too… I saw some vines were running away from the trellis and thought maybe I could let them run around my 4 x 8 raised bed instead of training them all. However I have peppers planted in the rest of it. I wasn’t going to allow them to root into the ground just let them crawl on top of my straw mulch. Should I let them root in in certain places as per your video suggests? Or are they going take a lot of nutrients away from my peppers?

Thanks very much Gary, Powdery Mildew is the bane of my existence for pinkins here in Queensland Australia, we live in the sub-tropics and it doesn’t seem to matter what we do, powdery mildew wipes out everything within weeks of growing.. Tried neem oil mixed with a few drops of liquid soap, and bi carb soda, sprayed twice weekly does the trick, only it’s impossible to spray under the melon leaves, noticed you use small sprinkler systems to water, maybe it would be worth trying a cheap fertiliser injection system to spray water and other beneficial elements at ground level rather than spraying water from above.. Only just bought fertiliser injectors for my mango plantation, $9Au from Amazon or eBay, easy to set up and very convenient way to avoid mildews when used at ground level.. Really like your hints mate..

Thanks for the info...I’m in SE Texas and it’s very hot and getting tropical disturbances with lots of water...question..do I have to feed more often especially container grown squash???

Thanks for video. Ordered you book. Can’t wait to read it

My pumkins are sorely behind schedule this season because it took so long to warm up in my area. I've been using fish fertilizer that's helping them catch up, but it's still questionable whether I'll have good carving pumpkins for Halloween this year. I'm still babying them along in hopes I get something. For the powdery mildew, have you used the milk/water spray on mix with good results? The mildew was too heavy last season by the time I discovered the milk mix, so I couldn't get a good indicator of success, but I plan to hit it as soon as I see ANY sign of mildew this year.

Can you grow the small decorative pumpkins in containers? I have the container beds and have planted pumpkin seeds a couple of days ago. I’m in N. Virginia where temps are in high 80s-90s. Also, I admire you for touching the bug eggs. Blecht! I hate bugs. Lol

I just planted melons recently Did not get to plant pumpkins this year hopefully next year

Another great educational video. Thanks. Gary, I have a question about your upcoming book. Will there be a Hardback version or just the paperback? ( Can't wait to read!!! )

Hi Gary! I finally found some watermelon with seeds and it was delicious. Do you think we have time (7b Philadelphia) to grow some this year? I have the seeds sprouting in paper towels now.

I watched many gardening videos and found it intresting that all the anti fungal meds for plants are mostly copper I been using copper wire cuttings mix a little bit of that into the soil and that helps keep the problems you having at bay Growing pumpkin in humid Florida is possible with some tweaks or what not this year Im growing some monsters

Great video! I have a question: my honeydew melons will produce female flowers, that then seem to be pollinated (they get the little green lines, seem to develop slightly) ..... and then do nothing, and eventually fall off. While the (I assume) unpollinated flowers seem to yellow and die off very quickly. Do you know what can cause this? My vines produce lots of flowers but are only developing three individual melons to full size. I fertilize and water consistently.

Question: my watermelons did so well! many, many vines, and melons on each one. Over a dozen per plant. Do i need to remove any? I'm not out to get a record weight melon, many smaller ones would be my preference. So can I leave them all? My melons and squash find the soil through 2 inches of wood chips too, to set down additional roots. Smart plants!

Great planting instructions, but now my watermelon vine is 20ft long x 5ft wide. So do I need to prune some of it back, remove some of the blossoms, etc to encourage bigger melon development? Thanks kindly

My dad made me an enclosed garden so the bugs wouldn’t get in it , I put good dirt in the raised beds and I hand pollinate some of my vegetables , I put a Mexican squash in there and wasn’t doing good , it was dying so I took it out and I just planted it next to my grill and i didn’t really take care of it just water . We already cut 4 and have like 10 more growing 😂

I wasn't aware of how gigantic pumpkin plants got 😂 I planted it in my raised bed with other things like cucumber and peppers and it is taking over 😩 Its now grown outside over the edge! Ive had lots of flowers but don't see pumpkins yet. I hope im not leaving it for no reason

I have pie pumpkins, honeynut squash and mini watermelons growing up arch trellises this year. Really hoping i can avoid harsh pest damage. Maybe I need to cover the bottom stems with something

Thanks for all the information you pack into your videos, Gary! I appreciate it! I have volunteer pumpkins all over the garden this year. I decided to let them have at it. It’s been dry here until this week. I didn’t realize they liked a lot of water. We’ll see who survives…

Hi Gary, if we use the woven weed fabric, will the pumpkins be able to root down through it to stay healthy and crawling? Thank you!

My landlord gave me a plot of ground for my pumpkin patch. He had kept hogs and cattle there for a few years and now it has been empty for a few years. I will till up rows, all I have is a front tine tiller do you think I will have to add any other fertilizer?

Question: in May, I planted zucchini in a wine barrel that had been cut in half. Do I need to remove the root ball(s) before replanting a different type of summer squash in the same barrel. I’m in Northern California so I believe I’ll have enough time for a harvest before our first frost🐝. Thank you♥️

Hello. I wonder if you can guide us on pruning watermelon plants. I heard someone said that they cut off the vines at the ends once a watermelon has develope on that particular vine. Is that true? Thank ypu

Hi Gary, do you water these plants at the base(ground) or spray the whole pant from above? Please advise since we’re getting ready to plant. I live inTexas. Thanks!

I am thinking, Epson salt, hydrated and sprayed it should work in a few ways along with bug prevention.

Nice camera quality

I am growing containers of Golden Midget Watermelons and New Queen Watermelons. All was fine, even though I’m having extreme weather transition cycles this year. I have 3 containers and 2 are doing decently well but 1 container is suddenly turning yellow and yellow FAST! I’ve even lost 1 fruit within 2 day's time. It turned yellow and soft. I have no powder mildew on these. They are containers, so are they growing too compacted? Too much water? (If too much water why not the other containers?) Missing Nutrients?

A neem oil mix with water and a small amount dish soap,,, spray that keeps that keeps moths away from laying eggs ,,,in the early months

What do I spray on the pumpkin leaves to prevent the powdery mildew and how often pls. ?

Hey Gary, new subscriber here! I am confused about growing sunflowers alongside other plants. I have read that sunflowers release a toxin into the soil to kill competing plants and experienced this myself with some okra I grew alongside sunflower plants. But I see your cucumbers doing beautifully alongside your sunflowers. Any thoughts about this?

Pre-ordered your book can't wait. I have 125-130 days to my first frost here in zone 9b in California do I have enough time to squeeze in a pumkin or butternut squash or should I wait til next spring. I had a Leaf Hopper investigation earlier this year that whipped out my squashes, eggplants, & peppers 😢