I've often had trouble finding a squash hidden under all the leaves until it was way too big, so this year I put a tomato cage over one squash plant just to see what would happen.
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It grew straight up into the cage, making it easy to see even the smallest one. It's been much easier to harvest them so far up off the ground. It was a surprising bonus that squash bugs didn't do much damage to this plant, while nearby 'ground grown' squash have wilted away one by one as squash bugs increased over the season, even after a variety of organic sprays and one desperate try with a regular garden spray. This caged plant is the only one still producing.
Most squash bugs just don't seem as inclined to climb that far up off the ground. If sprays are needed, it is easier to see where to spray and reach under all of the leaves, and it's been so easy to water in some organic fertilizer around the base. Next year, all my squash, both yellow and zucchini, will be in a neat row of cages.
This is the first summer squash of the season. I find being in the garden more entertaining than any show on TV or the theater. If you look closely in the picture, you will see that there are going to be more.
I've often had trouble finding a squash hidden under all the leaves until it was way too big, so this year I put a tomato cage over one squash plant just to see what would happen.
