Yet another squash question - pics

14 years ago

Even though the package says Early Prolific Straightneck Squash, I think there may have been another kind of seed in there as well. Besides the regular squash plant, there is a vine that was making its way over to my peas, and had tendrils wrapped around the next squash. So I put up a gate for it to climb on and I noticed the leaves on it are different from the others in the hill. What is this?

btw, that is sawdust all over them. My fil said he always sprinkled saw dust all over his squash and never had bugs. He was a carpenter and probably did it to use up some sawdust, but I did a search and found another recommendation for it so thought what the heck and spread some. The bad thing is that it is the same color as SVB frass.

Here's a close up of the leaf of the vine

{{gwi:68449}}

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Comments (16)

iam3killerbs
14 years ago
Did you use any compost that might have had cucurbit seeds in it? I get volunteer cucurbits all the time. This year's volunteers appear to be watermelon.

That leaf doesn't ring a bell for me right offhand.

Genetic sports occur periodically. The vining habit might be a "throwback" to older varieties that were vining rather than bush.

It might be worth self-pollinating a couple of the fruit so that you'll have seed to work with if it turns out to be something interesting and tasty. Is it setting female flowers yet so that you can see what, in general, it looks like?
TxMarti
Original Author
14 years ago
No compost used there, and I don't even think we ate a watermelon last year for there to be seeds in the compost. It doesn't look anything like the leaves on the vines in the cucumber hill. It has buds but no blooms, but it looks like they are all male unless the little fruit looking part shows up later.

I hope it's not a watermelon. That gate trellis won't support a lot of weight. The leaves are kind of fig-shaped. I hope it's not a gourd though I've never seen any in my area.
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iam3killerbs
14 years ago
Please let us know when it fruits.

You never know when you might get lucky and have a "sport" in the seed that is worth propagating.
TxMarti
Original Author
14 years ago
I just back from a trip and found it is making a fruit and is flowering.

I don't know a lot about melons. When do watermelons get their stripes? If not a watermelon, what?

{{gwi:68450}}
daveinco
14 years ago
The fruit looks like a spaghetti squash to me...
farmerdilla
14 years ago
Definitely a squash. As daveinco stated it looks like a spaghetti squash, but unfortunately there are other winter squash with the same shape and coloring.
TxMarti
Original Author
14 years ago
Will it be too heavy for the trellis? Wonder how this got in a package of squash seeds.
daveinco
14 years ago
Last year I mixed up plants when transplanting. I ended up with a spaghetii squash in a spot with too little room. I ended up using one of those flimsy wire tomato cages. As the plant got bigger and set several fruit, the cage wasn't up to the task.

But your wire fence looks much sturdier. If you are worried you may be able to rig up some method of tying the squash to the fence. Others could probably post ideas they've had direct experience with.
edster
14 years ago
I have heard of people using panty hose to support larger type melons on a trellis.
TxMarti
Original Author
14 years ago
Do you just slip the foot of the pantyhose over the fruit and let it grow inside the hose?
heather38
14 years ago
I think they hammock it? somehow? they can't just cut it lenght ways? I assume as it would ladder?
west_texas_peg
14 years ago
I use kneehi hose and just slip it over the melon/squash and tie to the trellis.

Peggy
TxMarti
Original Author
14 years ago
It was a spaghetti squash and it was delicious! Also the only one that formed on the vine before the SVBs got it.
sarahji
14 years ago
What's an SVB? Or is it something unprintable? :)
iam3killerbs
14 years ago
SVBs will make squash growers say unprintable things.

Its the dreaded Squash Vine Borer.
gabbygardner
14 years ago
What a cool outcome. I have a volunteer growing next to a new elderberry I just planted. I hope mine is something fun and good to eat as well!!!

g