jab said:


My questions a Is it safe to put these rotten pumpkins in the compost
or should I discard them in the woods on my property?

Well, I had one buttercup squash rot in the garden and one carving
pumpkin rot before Halloween. The one in the garden went into the
township compost program (along with the frost-killed vines) and the
carver went into the first compost bin. Whatever remains of it next
spring will be added into a new compost batch, which should get
plenty hot. (I send the old squash vines away because they are so
long, tough and hard to chop up by hand. As I bring plenty of leaves
in from outside, it's no big loss.)

Any that rot in storage go out with the regular trash. And, in a typical
year, a few do.

And what
precautions should I take for next year to prevent another occurrence?
Right now I'm thinking of not growing any next year to break the cycle.
Also, do the abundant squash bugs (not the vine borer) play a roll in
transmitting the fungus?

Parts of the country (the Northeast in particular) were just hammered
with rain this year. Some areas had droughty conditions early in summer
followed by above normal rainfall in late summer. (Which is rather the
wrong way around for squash.)

If you have some way of arranging a good, hard, deep freeze this winter
and a more even distribution of rain next summer (especially, avoiding
heavy extended rain as the fruit is ripening), you might accomplish
something.

Otherwise, plant in rich, well drained soil, do your best to manage insects,
and cross your fingers.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)