I just found this forum! I got very serious about companion planting, & the 3 Sisters method last year. 'Wildflowers' mentioned using nasturtium with the gourd family, which includes all squash & pumpkin, & I can attest to the remarkable results. I was plagued with squash bug & cucumber beetles 2 years ago. Remembering what my grandmother told me about always planting nasturtium in your garden, I planted a good number of the vining & bush type, as I grow a large amount of squash & gourds. I saw 1 cluster of squash bug, early on, but once the nasturtium got going, I never saw another. An addition plus is that they are a wonderful addition to summer salads. Another plus is that the hummers love them! If you don't want the vines to overrun your garden, then I recommend growing the bush type. Their spread is about 1 foot tall, buy about 2 feet in diameter, which is perfect for in-between hills of squash.
As for cucumber beetles..... they can't stand radish. These buggars lay their eggs in the soil around the vines, & the new beetles emerge & demolish you plants. Radish gives off a toxin in the soil that repels them. Believe me, it works. I bought some radish tapes, & planted them between the hills of squash, that I grow on a trellis in a long row. I barely saw a cucumber beetle, or evidence of them, all season.
