Mulch yes, cover no, I wouldn't as it is too late. Squash bugs come mulched or not so use the mulch and use the bug control of choice. Covering them now will only make the SB problem worse. Row cover for SVB needs to go on in early June in most of zone 5.

Dave

Yeah, I meant to cover earlier against SVB but seeing the SBs there I was afraid to - and afraid to mulch. Guess I should have just done both back then. Strange, seeded Mem Day and it took almost 2 weeks to germinate (and left unmulched to warm the soil), then the plants were tiny, just cots and 1 leaf for the longest time. I'd say biggest zuke plant is maybe a foot diameter right now.

Oh, and is there anything organic effective against squash bugs?

This post was edited by ajsmama on Mon, Jun 30, 14 at 21:09

Spray bottle with dawn dish soap and water. Coat them. They suffocate within seconds. Remove any egg clusters you find on the leaves, of course.

Believe it or not, soapy water works better on them than any pesticide. I hand the bottle to one of my young sons and say, "go hunt". Best defense yet. :)

So what do the egg clusters look like? Actually, I'm not sure what the squash bugs look like.

So what do the egg clusters look like? Actually, I'm not sure what the squash bugs look like.

For organic controls, we smush em. Janice, I would do a google search to find pics, there should be plenty. Warning, wear gloves to smush.