small veg

by wayne perkins
(wichita falls,texas)

My squash and my cucumbers are both real small and going bad on the vine, well the squash is. The cucumbers are about one to one and a half inches, but loaded with them. They are not growing any more.

Hello Wayne,

your cucumber and squash plants probably have the cucumber mosaic virus. Both cucumbers and squashes can get affected by this virus as can other types of plants. The leaves start to show a patchy pattern on the leaves that look like a mosaic. The plant growth is stunted and the plants don't develop properly. Unfortunately you can't do much about this. There are no sprays or cures for this disease. Important is to keep growing conditions ideal to prevent diseases: a lot of organic matter in the ground, frequent watering, balanced fertilizer and a layer of mulch will help to keep the plants healthy.
You can find more information on growing cucumbers here