Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire

1 lurker | 79 watchers

ThorntonRunner Nov 2023 9:48pm, 26 Nov 2023 7,149 posts	0 ThorntonRunner I was pleased with my butternut squashes this year: three plants grown vertically
ThorntonRunner Nov 2023 9:49pm, 26 Nov 2023 7,150 posts	0 ThorntonRunner (Photo from end of August)
Hanneke Nov 2023 10:06pm, 26 Nov 2023 115,207 posts	0 Hanneke Looking good. When did you start them?
GimmeMedals Nov 2023 10:19pm, 26 Nov 2023 26,077 posts	0 GimmeMedals I hadn't thought of growing them vertically. They are better organised than the sprawl I had last summer.
ThorntonRunner Nov 2023 10:30pm, 26 Nov 2023 7,152 posts	0 ThorntonRunner I have limited space so it's worked well for me. I'll look up sowing and planting out dates in the morning - I think my notes are in the shed!!
Elsie Too Nov 2023 6:50am, 27 Nov 2023 4,934 posts	0 Elsie Too So would I be unwise to try eating my butternut squash? Is there any way to tell if they have cross pollinated into hybrids?
Fizz :-) Nov 2023 8:22am, 27 Nov 2023 8,397 posts	0 Fizz :-) I think that if they have cross-pollinated into something poisonous, they are so bitter that you wouldn’t want to eat them. Taste a little bit, if they taste “normal” then they’re ok.
Cerrertonia Nov 2023 8:53am, 27 Nov 2023 20,033 posts	0 Cerrertonia Yes, exactly - they'll taste bitter.
ThorntonRunner Nov 2023 9:09am, 27 Nov 2023 7,153 posts	0 ThorntonRunner Looking good. When did you start them? I sowed them on 4th April and planted out on 22nd May
Flatlander Nov 2023 9:59am, 27 Nov 2023 2,987 posts	0 Flatlander Plants in the Cucurbit family (e.g. cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squash) produce large amounts of Cucurbitacin, which is said to be a defence against predators, due to its bitter taste as Fizz and Cerrertonia wrote above. Cultivated plants have small amounts of Cucurbitacin which can't be tasted and the plants are safe to eat. Cross pollinated plants can revert to their wild state and produce high levels of Cucurbitacin which are poisonous, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even hair loss, In severe cases, swelling may occur in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and kidneys. In very rare cases, death has occurred. Few people get this poisoning because the bitter taste is enough to stop them eating sufficient amounts to cause poisoning.