It's that time of year when we see insects move in on our plants. We had a great question come in on squash bugs this week. Here's some tips to help you deal with them before they destroy the fruits of your labor. Squash bugs are one of the few pests that can make even experienced gardeners want to throw in the trowel! 😅 The good news is that container gardeners actually have a few advantages over in-ground gardeners when it comes to controlling them. 🪴 Use your containers to your advantageBecause your plants are elevated and easier to access, make it a habit to inspect the undersides of leaves every few days. Squash bug eggs are usually bronze-colored and laid in clusters. Catching them before they hatch is the easiest way to stay ahead of the problem. 👀 Do a quick "leaf check" while wateringMost of us already check our containers daily for moisture. While you're there, flip over a few leaves. It only takes a minute and can save an entire zucchini plant. 🧼 Hand-pick bugs into soapy waterContainers make this much easier since you're not crawling through a large garden bed. Early morning is the best time when the bugs are moving slowly. 🍂 Remove heavily infested leavesIf one leaf is covered in eggs or young nymphs, don't be afraid to prune it off and toss it in the trash. Sometimes removing one leaf can prevent dozens of future squash bugs. 🌿 Keep containers spaced apartSquash bugs love it when leaves from multiple plants overlap and create a jungle of hiding spots. A little extra airflow between containers can make it easier to spot problems early. 🪵 Check around your containersEven if you're growing in pots, squash bugs often hide under nearby pots, plant stands, potting mats, mulch, boards, or garden decorations during the day. 🎃 Pumpkins and zucchini are favoritesUnfortunately, once they find your zucchini, they often move right on to pumpkins, squash, and gourds. If you grow multiple squash-family plants, inspect all of them—not just the ones showing damage.

This morning when I when to check on my plants I found a mother wolf sprider in my Zianna pot,if you look close you can see the babies on her butt. I do not know what she was hurting but you know I do have to thank her for keeping the plants bug free.Question one of ziannas leaves that are not their true leaves has want looks like burn on the leaves and then other ones true leaves are turning to one side. It's this normal? If you need pictures let me know.

i would love to hear everyones ideas for tackling squash bugs. every year they end up taking all my zucchini and this year they are also going for my pumpkins. i just cannot seem to stop them. i open to your suggestions

we like starting some of our plants in pots to get them strong before we put them in the ground. we divided up a hostas that had been in a tub for several years... and had outgrown it's space. It looked horrible, it was terribly rootbound. we got it divided into six smaller sections and put them in the ground. hopefully they start perking back up. they seem to be. 6 from one isn't bad tho. we just decided they didn't really need to be in a pot anymore so they could spread.

I mostly grow herbs in pots and I love it when some of my spidery friends help to keep the pests at bay... A mama huntsman spider (also called rain spiders and quite large - they can be up to about 35mm body length so of course look much bigger with their long legs) hung her egg sac below some of my pots of herbs which were standing on 2 upturned crates - I didn't see the nest because it was well concealed so the first I knew was when loads of little spiderlings appeared on the pepper plant (1st pic). A couple of days later after they had moulted and got a little bit bigger they moved on to some of the near-by pots - the second pic is a thyme plant, which shows how small the spiderlings are. Please remember - not all the small creatures you find on your plants are bad for them - please don't go spraying and squishing! Also remember - spiders are not as scary as many people think - they just want to get away from us and many benefit us by chomping pests.