MetaChat - It Came From The Compost!!

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30 December 2010

It Came From The Compost!! Paging any gardening bunnies! Pumpkin or alien egg?→[More:]I didn't plant this thing and, if the plant gets any bigger, it'll be visible from space. It's taken over the backyard and is producing many, many pumpkins but what the heck are they?

I assume it sprang from seed in the compost heap, and the only two varieties I buy are butternut and Kent (aka Jap). This looks like a weird combination of the two.

Would cross-pollination do this? Is there a neighbour currently muttering about his mutant Butternuts like I am about this (possible) Kent?

Or should I be stocking up on supplies and sleeping with a machete beside the bed for the inevitable apocalypse?

post by: ninazer0 at: 03:16 | 6 comments

It's a marrow, also known as summer squash. Delicious too. It's really just a giant courgette (zucchini to USians).

posted by Senyar 30 December | 05:17

Cross-pollination will definitely do that. Cucurbits are slutty that way.

posted by mudpuppie 30 December | 14:06

Well, I picked a young one - it was on a vine that was eating the washing line - and that sucker weighs about 3 kilo's. I'll slaughter it tonight and see what's inside. If...if you don't hear back from me...well...you guys have been great and it's been a privilege. :)

posted by ninazer0 30 December | 19:15

Update? How did the mystery squash taste?

I want mystery squash! One time, my compost pile produced begonias. But I didn't eat them.

posted by Savannah 31 December | 11:01

I survived! And Happy New Year! It tasted...odd. It was really really pale inside and obviously not close to ripe. We pan fried it with butter, pepper and lemon and it was ok. I think we'll wait for the others to get older - god knows what kind of size they'll get to given that the baby was nearly 7 pounds. Definitely a pumpkin and not close to marrow or squash or zucchini in texture or flavour.

A horticultural friend of ours thinks its an F1 cross between butternut and Kent and is something called a Barbara pumpkin. Bizarre.

posted by ninazer0 31 December | 14:35

I'd never heard of a Barbara pumpkin before. http://kathrynelliott.com.au/blog/2006/07/05/meet-barbara

To me, pumpkins are round and orange. The intermingling of the squash world is fascinating. I hope your next one is yummier! It looks like it should be a deeper orange inside.

posted by Savannah 01 January | 18:36

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