What do I do now?

Question

My beautiful garden is quickly dying, summer squash plants have vine borer and have pretty much died. The tomato plants appear to have a bacteria starting from the bottom, then black spots on some friut, not to mention the blisters. The cuke leaves look like they have been scorched, then die producing few friut. And, of course, the Japanese Beetle (I think), which I’ve been battling for years. After trying organic remedies, this year I tried Sevin, which helped a little. I’m so frustrated at this point with all the work and planning, to have all of this happen. How do I get rid of these horrible things? And, will I be able to overwinter my planting?

Answer 1

There are things you can do to ensure a better crop. Clean out all the dying/diseased squash plants and dispose of them. If you have any that look reasonably good, this article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/squash-pests-identifying-and-preventing-squash-vine-borer.htm

As for the tomatoes, it’s not a bacteria, so chin up. They have blossom end rot, which is really no biggie and can be easily remedied. Here is more info: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-blossom-rot.htm

Your cukes sound like they may be affected by wilt or the borers could have gotten to them as well. This article will help as well as the one on squash borers: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/cucumber/bacterial-wilt-cucumbers.htm

Finally, for most pest issues, you can treat them with neem oil. This is both an effective pesticide and fungicide, and it’s organic and safe to use in the garden. Anytime you notice pests in the future, grab that neem oil and that should nip it in the bud. Here is more info: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm