Pumpkins, Are For Fun, Food & Funds
(Page 2 of 3)
September/October 1972
By Jack Roland Coggins
Some growers use the chemical insecticide Sevin 50-50 to control this bug but you can take other, more natural preventive measures against its infestation.
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In the first place, I'm sold on the fundamental natural gardening formula: a strong and healthy plant will survive normal insect attacks and—in the majority of cases—yield a fine crop. Well-worked soil, plentiful organic fertilizer, regular watering and a good mulch—in other words—tend to make pumpkin vines strong, healthy and resistant to insect damage and disease.
If squash bug infestation of your pumpkins does begin to get out of hand, though, I've found that a soap and water solution spray will kill the little pests (although it won't control them). Some gardeners claim they protect their pumpkins from the bugs by interplanting onions and garlic with the vines . . . but the idea proved ineffective when I tried it. A spray of garlic and onion juice mixed with water does, however, deserve further study.
One word of warning when experimenting with watered down solutions of asparagus, elderberry, onion or garlic juice as natural insecticides: never, never test a mixture on your entire crop! It could prove disastrous. Try very weak solutions first, spray in the evenings rather than mornings or during the heat of the day, treat only a single infested plant or a few leaves at first and watch the doctored area closely for a few days.
If the sprayed plant or leaves show signs of wilting, drying or scarring, your solution is too harsh and must be discarded. Cut your pumpkins from their vines after the first light frost. They'll both look and store better if you leave the stems on and firm specimens-stashed away in a dry room or cellar where the temperature can be maintained at around 50°F—will keep well until spring.
I once made the mistake of storing pumpkins in a cold garage and quickly learned that the fruit will rot if allowed to freeze and thaw. In this case I saved the harvest by immediately (before they thawed) cutting up the pumpkins, cooking them and putting them in the freezer. Now, as you might suspect, I make sure our pumpkin storage area remains safely above freezing.
