Sensational squash family, resilient salad leaves and succession sowing

Lucy explains how to make the most of the next few weeks

Lucy Chamberlain

Sow squashes I adore pumpkins, courgettes and squashes - and I know I’m not alone. So, let’s take a look at this vast group of huge edibles - there’s more to them than you might think. Botanically, all these plants are in the cucurbit family. Specifically, seven main species have been domesticated - Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. ficifolia, C. foetidissima, C. argyrosperma, C. digitata and C. pepo. Collectively, these give us winter squashes, butternuts, figleafs, pumpkins, gourds, hubbards, courgettes, patty pans, marrows, cushaws - the list goes on. But it doesn’t stop there - the cucurbit family is HUGE and there are many other productive edibles that we can call ‘squashes’ within it. Take, for example, achocha (Cyclanthera pedata) which is a vigorous vine with claw-shaped inflated fruits that…

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Amateur Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 27-Apr-2024

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