"We have terrible luck with summer squash due to squash borers- if anyone has any suggestions on how to prevent them please post!"
rob i don't have as much of a problem w squash borers here in eastern deserts of washington state but have had in other gardens in other states. i look along stem going back from wilted leaves ..you'll find a tiny little blemish, cut open in slit along healthy area of stem and you'll see a grub. i take it out and smash ..plant perks up and no more die back. the plant stems are tubular and hollow, so by cutting horizontily along stem nutrients can continue to flow and the slit will heal. watch your plants closely ..the sooner you remove the offensive grub the better.
i have trouble growing squash here ..soil bakes, sun too ..soil is silt from ice age floods ..no tilth, resistant to water absorption ..have to dig holes to fill and let it percolate down to plant roots. soil is slightly alkaline, there's huge areas of alkaline flats around here, even selling property with a alkaline spot is handled differently than land w/o according to local ag laws. so i add soil amendments. and i use compost tea to water with all season. tomatoes, sweet frying peppers, melons, squash, eggplant ..things sunburn here ..so greens get full shade morning or afternoon with short mid day exposure to full sun.