Gardening: I’m Going to Retry Growing Squash

M y spring squash crop didn’t amount to much this year.

I made the stupid mistake of planting squash in the same spot as I did last year. Squash bugs decimated my plants. And what they didn’t eat, the squash vine borers destroyed.

So I’m going to give it another try this fall. Now is the time to plant seeds.

Fall might be the best time to grow squash in this part of Texas. That’s because the vine borers should be gone by now, at least the adults are. The juvenile vine borer larva are the main pest. The adults, which are active in the spring, lay eggs that quickly hatch into the juvenile larva. The juvenile larva bore into the stems of squash and eat it from the inside, eventually killing the plant.

By this time in the summer, though, those juvenile larva have grown into mature larva or pupa. They have burrowed several inches into the soil to overwinter. They will emerge as adults next spring. That means they cannot harm any squash plants growing between now and the first frost.

The first frost date for Fayette County is usually mid- to late-November. Let’s say it’s Nov. 15. That gives us more than three months to grow squash if we plant seeds right now. Zucchini takes 45 to 55 days to mature, depending on the variety. Yellow squash takes a little longer, 50 to 70 days. Winter squash varieties like butternut take anywhere from 60-110 days.

We should have enough time to get a harvest of squash before the cold weather sets in, regardless of variety.

The hardest part about growing squash for the fall is getting the seedlings to germinate and stay alive during the heat of the summer. If you’re successful, the squash will thrive as temperatures start to drop in the fall.

Now is also a good time to grow field peas. I’m not talking about green peas, also known as English peas, sugar snap peas or snow peas. Those varieties require much cooler temperatures. Field peas are the varieties known as blackeyed peas, purple hull peas, cow peas, or zipper peas. There are many varieties grown throughout the southern United States.

These varieties are generally from the species Vigna unguiculata. Yard-long beans, which are popular in many cuisines from Asia, are also from this species. The pods of yard-long beans grow to several feet in length, yet stay tender. They are eaten just like green beans. Field peas like blackeyed peas and purple hulled peas are generally shelled. They all love growing in the heat.

I like to grow cowpeas and purple hull peas because you can pick them before the “peas” get hard. Picked fresh while still soft and somewhat green, they take much less time to cook. They’re creamier, too.

Like all legumes, field peas add some nitrogen to the soil. Nitrogen-filled nodules form along the roots. When the plants are done producing at the end of the summer, don’t pull them up from the ground. Instead, snip the stalks at the ground level. That way, the nodules stay in the soil and provide a little nitrogen for the next crop you plant there.