First year-- Bought zucchini seedlings from garden center. Planted in mound the
way you're supposed to. Enjoyed more zucchini than we could eat.

Second year-- Proceeded as first. Got 2 zucchini. Whole big beautiful plant
died. Heartbroken. Did minimum research. Concluded squash vine borer was
culprit.

3rd year-- Proceeded as first. Didn't even get 2 zucchini. All dead before
fruit.

4th, 5th year. Gave up. Turned attention to basil and tomatoes.

6th year-- I'm ready to give it another go.

Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd plant
in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have trouble
finding the plant if we hide. I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could though I'm
willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New
Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat of
aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to
confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the eggs to
an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does it
work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to the
problem.

Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would
the foil idea be any good?

Help! I'm in New England, zone 5.

--Lia