Battle Cucurbita

 Cucurbita, better known as the gourd family and in this instance, I'm referring to pumpkins and butternut squash specifically. Joe built me this lovely trellis because I wanted to grow my own squash this year instead of being tempted to spend large amounts of money on them in the fall, but we don't have a lot of space so we needed to go vertical. I started seedlings, transplanted them outdoors and began guiding them up the trellis. All was going splendidly until one spring morning, I found this:

The dreaded "frass". Evidence of a squash vine borer murdering my plant. I was especially outraged to find this because I had been very proactive about spraying and sprinkling squash bug poison. Then I realized it wasn't one or two larvae but 15-20 so I mentally prepared myself (I know, this is a little dramatic but I was so excited about having pumpkins!) for the slow deaths of each vine. Being thus prepared, I decided there was nothing to lose and with a paring knife I cut out and crushed each evil white larvae and then bound the ravaged stems with fabric strips. 

Every afternoon the leaves wilted in the heat and looked to be in their last hours.

 But then they would perk up again in the cooler evenings...

...leaving me with a teensy tiny hope that this baby might yet live to be in my fall decor.

A few weeks, and several more killings later, the vines look awful but five (!) pumpkins and one giant butternut squash have triumphed. 

Now, to keep the squirrels from eating them...commence Battle Sciuridae!