Question
I'm a rather experienced gardener, i've been doing it for 40 years now.  I grow exclusively heirloom and GMO free seeds.  I have a problem with my squash this year that i've never encountered before.  The plants themselves look great. Very healthy and no signs of disease.  I grow several varieties of squash and each one grows up its own trellis made from bamboo stakes and netting.  They grow up rather than on the ground.  The blossoms look good and dont ever fall off before being pollunated and forming fruit.  Since I have several bee attracting flowers and bushes, my garden is loaded with bees and pollination is definately not an issue.  My plants are LOADED with bees and the pollination rate is near 100%.  All was well until a month ago when I noticed that some of the mature, ready to pick squash and some of the baby squash began to rot on the vine. By rot I mean the growth stopped and the squash turned brown and mushy and totally soft.  It happened on every squash variety in my garden (10 varieties) and it wasn't limited to young squash - even those fully developed and ready to pick began to rapidly rot.  At this point, everything is ruined.  The plants still look good, but as soon as the blossom produces a squash that is 1 or 2" long, it rots vs. growing.  Not just the end - the entire veggie rots.  I planted several winter squash varieties that were full size and ripening off and now those full size squash are mush; just liquid inside.  I had one plant attacked by vine borers, but was able to cut the stem, find the borer and save the plant.  I had also seen beginning signs of powdery mildew and immediately stopped it with a copper fungicide made for organic gardens.  I dont use ANY chemical fertilizers.  My watering system is drip irrigation on a timer and i'm sure the plants were ot overwatered.  even with 40 years of experience,i'm baffled by this one.  They all grow up and dont touch the ground so its not mut rot or rot from being wet.  It's attacking fully grown fully mature squash veggies. as well as those just forming, so its not blossom end rot.  It began suddenly and attacked every variety of squash at the same time.  I'm growing an heirloom 'jumbo pink banana squash' which are known to set records in size.  I had some in excess of 30 pounds each and they also turned to mush, rapidly.  For fertilizer, i use rabbit manure from my own rabbits, comfrey leaves, fish emulsion, seaweed immulsion and some compost and rotting organic material from my vermicompost pile.
What is going on?

Answer
Lisa:
There are a few "contagious" diseases that can affect the cucurbits, many of which are associated with soil contact.  There is another one called Choaneophora rot that usually starts on the end of the squash.  The fungus that causes this produces "whisker"like growths directly on the soft mushy area.  It is managed by canopy management, that is keeping the vines thinned to allow good air circulation.  No pesticides are affective since fruit is forming so rapidly and it is difficult to protect them all with frequent spraying.  This may be a possibility to your problem.  Another possibility may be sheer heat.  This can affect good fruit set and formation.

Regards
Steve