De Forest, WI | I am in your region, We did not spray anything this year (no insecticides, no herbicides, no fungicides). Pumpkin yield was great, squash yield was great.
I am conventional, but always buy the best genetics. Money on the best genetics is the money well spent. Outstanding Seed Company genetics for Jacks. The rest are mostly all homozygous for PM. Have some table ace and butter boy with no PM resistance. They also did fine.
We transplant all of our squash and pumpkins and find that gives the needed edge to get squash/pumpkins ahead of first crop beetles and get them done before PM causes problems. We have done this for four years now and no sprays each year.
Field selection is VERY important for this to work. Sloping fields that are strip planted on the top 1/2 of the field, preferably high elevation will help to drain humid air and reduce PM incidence. Grape growers use this same strategy.
Transplanting does have added cost, but it results in 100% stand establishment, much quicker canopy, etc. |