We have had a lot of rain so I'm guessing that is the problem? My plants were doing well at first then the new squash were rotting off when they were about the size of a walnut. Now the vines have died. I see no bugs or drill holes and I broke open several and found no borers.They just all wilted and dies over a 2 week period. My melons stayed small vines and never even bloomed. They were in large pots and most were in a raised bed. Any thoughts? Would it be too late for me to plant more seeds for yellow summer squash and zucchini?
Well, yes coolness and too much water will have a negative effect on courgette development. It is very difficult to give you a solid answer though. Is there any chance that there may be mole tunnels beneith the plants that were in the riased beds?? Have you had any of the powdery mildew on the leaves with all the rain? As for tyhe melons, I have never tried growing them in containers. Perhaps they just ran out of "food" in the container. My experience is that melons need quite a bit of feeding (even if grown in the open ground). Do you have any pics? Good luck with those plants.
No powdery mildew, I had been spraying them with neem oil since borers got my crop last year. The mellons were in a raised bed with some of the squash. In the containers I have 8 ball zucchini and patty squash, I cleaned up the dead vines already and didn't photograph them. There could possibly be a mole in the bed. I put chicken wire across the bottom but that was about 8 years ago and it could all be rusted out by now. I have a hoop house frame over this bed so I could extend the season but I don't know if I should replant there now since I really don't know what killed them. The plants were from 2 to maybe 6 feet long then they just all wilted and died. I mulched the garden with mixed chopped leaves that were bagged from last fall. Maybe there was a disease in that.
I mentioned moles because I have trouble every year with moles that mangel my courgette roots looking for worms etc. Sopmetimes the plants do indeed die. Another subterrian creature there that could be at work is perhaps the gopher. They are strict herbivores and will sometimes eat roots whilst they search for what the really want. It is indeed possible that there could have been something in that leaf mould that you made. I wonder if one year in a plastic bag is enough rotting for leaves, actually. I try to use only well-rotted compost or leaf mould with plants for the reason that I have noted that partially rotten compost is not good for many plants I have killed some that way. I can certainaly understand your reluctance to plant immediately in the same plot wiothout having an answer to this problem. It is a real mystery. If you dig over the bed in question look carefully for tunnels and larvae.
