Hi, I hope you all don't mind me jumping in with another cucumber question. This is my first time growing cucumbers and I thought that they would climb a tomato cage and grow up. But, this doesn't seem to be the case; the plants tend to sprawl across the ground. I planted them fairly close to other plants (there are some peppers on one side of the cukes and spinach on the other). The cucumbers are sending out long tendrils that try to grab anything it can reach. I have been removing them from the pepper plants when they try to take hold, and I have been letting them grab the spinach leaves, because it is my understanding that the spinach doesn't like our hot Florida weather, and I figure the spinach will have to be eventually cleared before summer (is that right?). So far the spinach is great! So, any suggestions on containing the cucumber plants? Should I just let them grow toward the spinach area in anticipation of that part being eventually clear? Is it harmful to the plant to break tendrils?

A vegetable marrow is just a vine Zucchini.

I ate my first spaghetti squash last week. I'm going to try to grow some next year. I saw seeds for single serving size squash at Park Seed, and since there are only 2 of us, that sounds like a good idea, since the bowl I tried reheating was not great. We sliced it in half, scooped the seeds put garlic & butter in it and popped it in the oven. Next time, I won't put the butter on before cooking. It seemed to make it mushy. Other than that, I really liked it. Next time, we'll cook it plain, add garlic, butter and parmesan cheese, then pop it back in the oven for a minute to melt the parm. I cooked the seeds too, like pumpkin seeds, but I cooked them in the frying pan instead of the oven, just to try it. They were good too. I planted my zucchini too close this year (to each other, and to everything else). Next year, it's not going in the raised bed. It's getting some space of it's own. Of course like a dope, I thought it was a vining plant. I've only grown it once, and that was several years ago. I just though - zucchini is squash, squash grows on vines... Lesson learned... We did get some very good zuchs though. About one a day for several weeks. My potatoes were looking great until I left town for a couple weeks. DH overwatered them. They got hit when the sprinkler system came on, and he didn't realize it. As they yellowed, he watered them more, thinking they were dry. I salvaged a few that hadn't rotted. My carrots were less than stellar. I grew Danvers half long I think. They weren't sweet at all. All in all though, the new raised beds I built this spring produced by far the best garden we have ever had. DH didn't want me to garden this year (first year in the house, too much work he thought, so I built it while he was gone to TX for 2 weeks). I had 80 square feet this year. Next year I'll have about 200, plus a raspberry patch. DH is happily helping me this time : )

LOL! What fun to come in here and find such entertainment :) And an award!! You can be sure the trophy will be proudly displayed along with my eight "West Virginia State Quack Grass Digging Championship" trophies. For those who tuned in late, this is the thread that started all this: zucchini as winter squash? So I see that moschata was not originally specified -- no wonder I began the autumn with a spare bedroom full of cartoon-like over sized squash resting on plastic sheeting in case they explode! I'm always looking for ways to extend the garden produce through the winter, so this has been fun and motivating, if not quite yet successful. My personal opinion about Trombocino: insipid as summer squash, deliciously sweet as winter squash. Could it be that it is simply a winter squash that's a summer squash wannabe? Sponges for dinner! (my dog likes them too)