# Yellow squash question



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Last fall I planted my fall garden. The yellow straight neck squash that I grew wasn't yellow. The first couple of squash were yellow then all the rest were green.
Anyone know why my yellow squash were green?


----------



## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I had some I grew last spring the same way, my guess is they were cross bred. But they tasted the same. So i didn't worry too much. If I wanted to save seed, it would have been different. Where did you get the seed?


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

SquashNut said:


> I had some I grew last spring the same way, my guess is they were cross bred. But they tasted the same. So i didn't worry too much. If I wanted to save seed, it would have been different. Where did you get the seed?


From what the state told me squash will only cross with very few other plants and it wouldn't even show up until the next generation. They took a few of the squash to examine.
They tasted the same as regular yellow squash.


----------



## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

that's what i am saying your seed was crossed.


----------



## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I agree with SN, your seed was not pure. Squash love to cross-pollinate with outher squashes. I dosn't really matter if you want it just for eating but if you had wanted it for seed saving of a specific kind, then it's no good.


----------



## galfriend (Nov 19, 2004)

Last summer I grew both yellow crook neck and zucchini squash. After repeated pickings we noticed many of the yellow crook necks started going zucchini on us, lol. There were several bushes we had both types growing on in at the same time. 

We weren't seed saving, and they all tasted like squash, so everything was fine. Just kind'a strange looking, oh well~


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Just got off the phone with a friend who works with the state. 
He said the squash had a virus causing them to turn green.
More common in fall or late planted squash.


----------



## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Cucumber Mosaic Virus?


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

NickieL said:


> Cucumber Mosaic Virus?


Yes. Or squash mosaic virus. Probably the same thing.


----------



## taylorlambert (Jul 4, 2010)

I had several squash come up in the mustard patch from the summer garden. the straight necks came back true. the zukes came back yellow


----------



## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

NickieL said:


> Cucumber Mosaic Virus?





pancho said:


> Yes. Or squash mosaic virus. Probably the same thing.


Yep! Same thing. Transmitted by aphids, cucumber beetles, squash beetles, and can even come in on the seeds. Haven't seen it here yet and don't want to. 

Martin


----------



## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Been lucky so far here too, but then I don't have a aphid, cucumber or squash beetle problem. I did the first year I gardened here then nada since.


----------



## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I don't think our plants were sick, as they produced tons of fruit. crossed seed more likely.


----------



## tytglovett (Aug 27, 2010)

The same thing happened to me.


----------



## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

I'd get your seed from a different place this year!


----------



## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

pancho,

Assuming you're in the south, here's a NCState publication that may help: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-24-a.html

There are some resistant varieties of yellow summer squash that you may want to plant--though most will be hybrids, suggested in the article. It also suggests the use of plastic groundcover painted silver or white to confuse aphids and keep them from landing on the squash. Use of row covers until blossoming might help, but only for the developing plants at the early stage, not during fruit production.....

Only because it is c. pepo, I would also look to another supplier--if only to get one pkg of seed for comparison--to see if there has been a _gene drift_ in an open pollinated variety--or virus transmitted on the seed itself. Long shots, both, but I would check it out......

geo


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

geo in mi said:


> pancho,
> 
> Assuming you're in the south, here's a NCState publication that may help: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-24-a.html
> 
> ...


Thanks.
It only happened with the fall planting. Spring planting does not have the problem. Think I will stick with spring planting and only grow fall squash in the aquaponics system.


----------

