COLOURFUL COUSINS

IN THE VEGIE PATCH

Squash label

Common name: Squash

Botanical name: Cucurbita pepo

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Aspect and soil: Sun; deep, moist, fertile soil

Best climate: All, but grow in the warmest part of the year

Habit: Annual vine

Propagation: Seed, seedling

Difficulty: Easy

Squash is a name that’s widely used to describe a number of summer-growing vegetables in the cucurbit family. In Australia, squash refers to small, round and oftenscalloped fruits that grow much like a zucchini and are harvested in summer and autumn. These squash are also sometimes called summer squash.

The word squash is also used to describe pumpkins, pumpkin-like vegies known as winter squash, marrows and even some types of zucchini. To distinguish