gardeners 'help' What is this?

patchwork_cat

When I grew marrows they looked just like this - my mum used to pick them when small because she liked courgette and not marrow! DOn't know why she didn't tell me before I grew the marrows!

thriftlady_2

I'm fairly sure that the word courgette just means 'little marrow' in French - I think marrow is 'courge'. By the same token zucchini means 'little marrow' in Italian,and zuccho(sp?) means marrow.Why we choose to use the French word and the Americans the Italian word is anyone's guess. When courgettes were first popular here they were described as baby marrows (which is what they are).

Oh goodness...I've slipped back into teacher mode:o sorry.

Pic does look like a courgette/marrow to me too:D

newleaf

It's a courgette, but it will turn into a marrow if you let it carry on growing.

lofty_cherrytree

We have one of these too which self-seeded(in Surrey) The fruit is large and round and we will harvest one this weekend - it's probably a squash. The skin looks like a watermelon though, it would be so exciting if it was! They are the same family as marrow/courgette, so the fruit would look similar, in fact that's what we thought it was.

f1owers

Are the stems and backs of leaves !!!!!ly. Looks the same as my pumpkins

f1owers

How how silly, it won't let me type the word as it could be rude - spikey? that seems a good alternative.

lofty_cherrytree

Yes, spikey underneath the leaves and on the stems.

f1owers

Certainly looks identical to my pumpkins. If it is then it will be rampant and you will need to pollenate it yourself (unless you have an abundance of bees).

I have only just started this gardening lark after buying 3 pumpkin plants at a car boot. They are growing so fast. Have successfully manage to get one pollenated (sp?) and am hoping for a successful crop! Who knows?!

Anyway, back to the question, I think a pumpkin. Large leave, spikey underneath. Under the big orange flower is there a ball? Pumpkins have male and female flowers. The male ones appear first and then the females. The males are just big flowers, but the females have tiny pumkins under them.

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm

This is a good site all about them

Let us know how you get on.

Hugs

Flower

Grumpysally

Yes very spikey, like little fish hooks! It is more likely to be a pumpkin when I come to think of it because we get some every year from my dad for Halloween.
Anyway we shall wait and see.
If it is a melon I hope this change in the weather doesn't kill it off

annie-c

I have a few of those taking over my mini veg patch. Mine are baby gourds - sort of non-edible pumpkins (that I thought were edible at time of planting.....)