"Kim, Hi I noticed your problem because I am interested in growing squash and pumpkins.  You may try Gardens Alive site for an environmentally safe solution. They have something made with clay that you apply early on before you get a problem. I…"

"Thanks for the kind words, Bob. I hope I'm not being too long-winded here - but's there's nothing to do outside right now. Got my Sugar Snaps in, built the rabbit fence around them, and won't have any gardening work until mid-Jan…"

"Great post, Jack.  I grew up in the same gardening environment in Northwest Connecticut through the 40's and late into the 50's."

"This was all in the deep South, of course, and I think things were a lot better in northern states. This area was culturally and economically devastated in the Civil War and it really wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that we…"

"I was born in 1936, right here on this land, and remember gardening in the OP, pre-chem days in the forties. First of all, they planted a whole lot more - it took an acre of corn to produce what we can now grow on a few hundred sq ft. - and 100%…"

"LOL @DH and DW - I like that! I grow pickling cucumbers instead of "salad cucumbers" because they are SO prolific.  They aren't cosmetically lovely or big, but they are great for use in salads (especially if, like me, you tend to…"

"Bifenthrin is NOT systemic."

"You might want to try some Multipik hybrid squash. It has disease resistance but doesn't claim to have any insect resistant properties, but it sure has less problems than the old standard OP's, and the SVB haven't…"

"Ah, OK, so an example of a "systemic pesticide" would be RosePride, which you work into the soil and the plant takes it up and thereby fights off funguses as well as insects, etc.  Good stuff and I use it because it isn't…"

"Sorry, I must clarify what I said above regarding "systemic" --- not only when taken-up by the roots, but also when absorbed into the plants photosynthetic processes through the leaves, stems, fruit etc. AS WELL AS through…"

"This might be an interesting addition to this thread. Hobbyists that grow those giant pumpkins - you know, the ones that weigh 1000 lbs! - use a Bifenthrin termiticide called Talstar, which they frequently spray on the stems. Bifenthrin…"

"Oh, I wasn't encouraging you to use Orthene - just idle chatter! It's illegal now on food crops. "Surrender Fire Ant Killer" is Orthene - still legal for those purposes. I hate to tell this, but some of our misinformed locals…"

"LOL it's true, buying "good bugs" from a catalog is useless!  Especially ladybugs.  Not only do they fly away to better hunting grounds, sometimes they also bring diseases to your existing good-bug population.  Besides,…"

"SVB requires a systemic, Kim, like Acephate 75 - which used to be available retail. It's still used commercially (Orthene) and we're probably eating it on store stuff all the time anyway. It's not very toxic itself, but it…"

"LOL I totally know about how discouraging it can be to try to garden organically!  It really can't be done in the few hours you have after work and on weekends - it's a full-time, hands-on job.  I try to avoid petrochemicals as…"

"I have gardener friends in Texas and I am always praying for you guys - especially after spending a week in San Antonio on business.  People who complain about rain have always astounded me - I have always considered it a major blessing and…"