|
| I need some help. I didn't know I did until I started looking around google. :) I have a volunteer plant(s) from my compost. What I was sure is zucchini and a cherry tomato. The zuke is now my question. It ha come up from store bought zukes, which have all been regular long green ones. My plant is producing round ones. I thought maybe it would grow out, but the ones I actually planted in the garden are long and skinny to start, not round. So my first question is how do I have round ones?
Secondly, these round ones are all growing from the vine. I have it trained and tied to some chicken wire. I just came across something that said all zukes grow from the base of the plant, not the vines, from which I have several fruits. I'll attach a pic if I can figure it out. Thank you guys!! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| What you most likely had was some hybrid zuke originally (the one from the store) and the seeds made it to the compost pile. The new one that sprouted from the pile has reverted to parent stock like hybrids do since they don't breed true. So it could easily have unusual growth patterns and may or may not be edible. It could also have crossed with some other member of the family while it was growing (before you bought it). If that happened then you could have the mutant squash from compost hell. :) So do you have zucchini? Maybe. Probably not. Dave |
|
| I was so excited now im kinda sad. :( makes me want to go cut it off now and try it. It's about egg size right now, I'll try it over the weekend. Thank you Dave! |
|
- Posted by nancyjane_gardener USDA 8ish No CA (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 21:04
| Hmmmm. I don't see why it wouldn't be edible. Wouldn't the parent plant be some sort of squash to start? I've had some volunteers that were totally different from what I planted the year before and they were wonderful (and prolific!) Many neighbors picked them up and enjoyed them from the end of my driveway. Nancy |
|
| Cutting it off won't accomplish anything. Its not like the plant is going to grow a different shape next time, it'll just make more like the one you have now. Just leave it alone and let it produce. You never know, what you have may be better than a normal zucchini. Remember, just because something isn't true to type does not automatically mean that it is worse, just that it is different. Otherwise your only real option is to pull the entire plant up and re-use the space. Although its probably a bit late to start something brand new in it, I guess you could get a store bought plant thats already fairly large. |
|
| If the plant is a vine and it has round things then it is a pumpkin not a zucchini. Both plants are Cucurbita pepo and can cross freely. Immature pumpkins can be eaten like zucchini but no one grows them for that when there are compact zucchini plants. There are also compact round zucchini plants. You should never get a zucchini from a compost pile, ever. If you do then you are waiting too long to pick your zucchini. Most people pick them somewhere in the 4 - 8 inch range and at that point all the seeds are immature and won't germinate. |
|
- Posted by socks12345 Zone 9 (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 11:20
| Did you bury your Halloween pumpkins there? I've had dozens of pumpkins pop up this year. Maybe that's what you've got. Or how about a melon? |
|
| Hmmmm. I don't see why it wouldn't be edible. Wouldn't the parent plant be some sort of squash to start? Probably. But my comments about that were directed at the possibility that it has also crossed. Members of the family cross readily and since it was a store-bought zucchini she had no way of knowing if any crossing had taken place. Hybrid crossing can commonly result in inedible fruit in the F2 or F3 generation. Dave |
|
| Um, just playing Devil's advocate here, but how would the seeds from a "store bought" zucchini germinate, since they are picked and sold at such an extremely immature state, far too young to contain viable seeds? |
|
| I'm curious to know what it tasted like. |
|
| Thanks everyone! The possibility of pumpkin never crossed my mind since zucchini had been thrown out lately. I did put in some (store bought) pumpkin last fall or early winter. When i said id cut it off, I meant to taste it. Now I think I'll leave it on and see what it grows up to be. Stick around and I'll post a pic this evening. And looks like I'll be building a sturdier trellis this weekend. |
|
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Vegetable Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.