Let’s talk cucurbits

Planning and timing cucurbits (Zucchini/butternut/watermelon/pumpkin/cucumber) can be difficult, because they like some warmth and they’re the first to get stung in our climate. There’s no one size fits all solution, and success is partly just a matter of trial and error. My suggestions might not transfer to your context. My goal is to help you find one small way to improve a little bit over last year.

1. Most cucurbits take up a lot of space. Having a plan to match the space to your needs will help you. For example, we grow loofahs and chayote up a vertical trellis by our workshop table, and this provides shade and saves space. Zucchini can be staked well, and its lower leaves removed, and this helps with space as well. We grow butternut and watermelons from our compost pile, so that they spread into the pathways of our garden, rather than occupying the prime real estate of the veggie beds themselves.

2. Cucurbits like compost, but so do shield bugs. Shield bugs are attracted to the high nitrogen environment that cucurbits thrive on. Adding compost early in the season, and then using worm tea later on, can help tie up the nitrogen in the soil and allow your cucurbits to grow quickly.

3. Start zucchini and cucumbers early (now, if you’re in Cape Town), and direct seed in your veggie beds when you can. The zucchini and cucumbers will come up when they’re ready. You can stagger planting for zucchini, which just means you plant a couple of seeds every week IF you have space. Zucchini freezes well if you end up with a wheelbarrow full. At the same time, you really only need about 2 plants of each for a family, so if space is limited, don’t full your entire garden with zucchini.

4. For melons and watermelons, grow small varieties if you can. They like things a bit warmer, so I usually start them the first week of September.

5. If the skins on all the cucurbits can harden before the shield bug population increases, you’ll get a better yield.

6. For butternut and other types of pumpkin, I start them the last week of Aug/first week of Sept. I direct seed AND plant in trays simultaneously, but the trays are usually not needed. All cucurbits prefer to be direct seeded, and I find usually the benefits of extra time indoors is just about the same as the benefits of no transplant shock. I like to grow a lot of butternuts, because they keep well.

Feel free to email and ask me your cucurbit questions!