acorn squash

I recently planted acorn squash because i love them. They are just now coming up and i was wondering if there were any tricks or secrets i should know about? I have been a gardner a long time but have never grown winter squash. all replies will be appreciated- fred

Stink bugs are my biggest problem...they suck the whole plant dry...keep an eye out for them when you have almost mature plants and squashes...they won't be a problem till then.

Melody, what does a stink bug look like? My acorn squashes look so beautiful now. I would fallout if I looked at them and they were sucked dry.

I was disappointed with my acorn squash last year. They were very slender, not very "acorny" looking. Was it the variety or something envornmental?

Here's a pic of one of my acorns. I am so ecstatic since this is my first attempt at growing them.

Looking good. Stinks are a large family. Most folks hate the one commonly known as the squash bug. Most of the damage they do for me is cosmetic altho in sufficient numbers they can destroy a plant. They can also vector viruses. Usually problems with squash is a totally different critter, the vine borer. http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

Thanks for the info Farmer Dill.

For us in this area it is the stink bug looking one that causes problems as much or more than the vine borer. Tobacco juice mixed with hot sauce does a number on them tho. If you are a smoker, drop a pkg. worth of butts & or filters into a quart of water and set it out in the sun for a few days or heat it on the stove until it is good and hot. Let it set for a few hours, then strain if you are going to spray it or use as is for pouring on the ground around the roots where wth bugs live. Add some hot sauce before applying and a bit of dish soap. If you aren't a smoker, buy some cheap ones or some chewing tobacco and do the same. Warning, this is really hard on the earthworm population. The hot sauce burns them badly. If you know you have a lot of earthworms in that area you might want to not use the hot sauce.

Squash vine borers are a minor nuisance here...I've never had much problem with them, but know that several parts of the country has big issues with them.

Plain old flour, sprinkled over the stink bugs and their equally troublesome cousins, the striped army bug, will leave them floundering in the dirt. This 'organic' trick was taught to me by my grandmother....(who was married in 1910)...I've used plain and self rising with equally desireable results. No harm to anything but the bad guys and you can eat the produce immediately.