In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Isabella Woodhouse wrote:
In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Sue wrote:
My zucchini have become lumpy. I'm used to nice smooth fruit so this
is disconcerting. Some are more misshapen than others. They seem
to taste just fine. Has anyone here any idea as to why the zucchini
fruit are lumpy? Sue
Do you have any catnip blooming nearby?

Does zucchini not like the mints?


Catnip is an alternate host for cucumber mosaic virus, which turns
zucchini warty and lumpy, turns crookneck squash green, and eventually
kill the plant. It's spread by cucumber beetles, and I suspect it's
spread by bees from blooming catnip to blooming squash because my squash
used to get it really bad as soon as the they were blooming the same
time as catnip (catnip is a weed around here). I didn't grow squash for
a couple of years and went on a catnip eradication campaign. Now I can
grow squash again. Catnip still comes up in my yard, but I pull it up.

Peppermint, spearmint, and even catmint don't seem to be a problem.

Well what do you know? Isn't that a heck of a thing. I had no idea!
I'm glad we have no catnip and that the lemon balm is probably not a
vector.

This year, we used row covers on the zucchini, to prevent bugs and
disease spread, until we were assured of a great crop. I hand
pollinated them (that was easy) until the covers came off. They are
still going strong. Best crop ever.

Isabella
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot