Here in the subtropical where I live, squash and gourds do well in some places but not others. Where I live now, and hope to be forever, they germinate and begin to grow well, then wither up and die. My most recent failure was spaghetti squash which grew well, set a lot of fruit and then dried up and died well before any could be harvested. The same thing has happened with other squash and gourds. I've not seen any visible holes, bugs, etc. I've seen comments about DE and wonder if it might be a good experiment to spread some around. I can try that. I'm wondering if anyone has any other suggestions. I grew lots of gourds and luffa sponges at my previous home. I know they aren't freezing (!) but would appreciate other ideas.

Thanks, katie

You might try Chayote (Sechium edule), Tatume (C. Pepo). There are other types commonly grown in Mexico which may be better suited to your climate than those developed for more temperate climates. The gourds and loofas, I would suspect soil conditions or diseases as these grow well in India and southeast Asia.