Pumpkin or is it?

[Lazy Gardener]

Been growing what i thought was a pumpkin but i was told it maybe a squash?

How do you tell the difference?

Looks like a pumpkin to me. What do you think of the way i keep it out of the wet stuff?






Thanks

[Pineberry]

I think it's really for you to decide what it is. Read the text below and make a decision based on that.
To me it looks like it is closer to squash.

Many find the difference between pumpkins, gourds and squash confusing as they are names of the different forms of summer and winter vegetables, which all come from the same Cucurbita family. What makes it more confusing is that Australians use the term pumpkins for all types of squashes!
Typically, summer squash has a softer more delicate skin and flesh while the winter squashes have a coarse, harder skin and tougher flesh. The winter squash or pumpkin as it is known is more suited to harsher weather conditions. Although there are many different types of pumpkin, several look like the Jack-o-Lantern which is used on Halloween.

The difference between pumpkins, gourds and squash is that a gourd is generally something you look at, you cook squash and you carve a pumpkin. However, this is not always the case so it is important to look at the stem to understand what it actually is.

The Cucurbita family houses the pumpkin, the gourd and the squash, and has sub-categories called the Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita maxima and the Cucurbita pepo.

Pumpkins are usually recognized as being the pepo. The stems are woody and the skin is hard and orange. However, the pepo group also covers others such as the patty-pan squash, gray and black zucchini, scallop summer squash and the summer crookneck squash.

As you can see the difference between pumpkins, gourds and squash can be confusing. The maxima species is slightly different to the pepo in that it is less hardy compared to a Jack-o-Lantern and has a softer, spongy stem. The skin is yellow rather than orange and has varieties such as the Big Max, Atlantic Giant and the Show King. Although they are pumpkins, they are also branded as squash-type pumpkins or pumpkin-squash. The maxima species mostly covers the autumn/winter squashes such as the banana squash, Hubbard squash, turban squash and the buttercup squash.

Last in the squash family is the moschata species which looks remarkably different to the other two. The shape of the vegetable is usually elongated or oblong and have a pale tan colored skin rather than bright orange. The stems are enlarged and ridged. The family also includes the winter crookneck squash, the squash-like cushaw and the butternut squash.

[rustylady]

I've always understood pumpkins to be part of the squash family if you know what I mean.

I think in UK we use the term squash to mean summer squash such as patty pan. Did you sow seed, or buy a plant? Just interested in what variety it might be.

[Samurailord]

As far as I am concerned, that's a pumpkin.

Squashes tend to be smaller, with plenty on the plant whereas pumpkins only set two or three fruit per plant

Andy

[bearded bloke]

Well I would say looking at the fruit AND the leaves,what you have there is a hybrid could be a strawkin or a pumpberry

[Thelma Sanders]

What difference does it make anyway ............... Crown Prince is a squash but some get big enough to be carved like pumpkins.

I've grown Rocket pumpkin this year and they're smaller than my Sunshine squash *wry smile*

[smc999]

It looks a little like my winter squash and I've had 3 or 4 that are similar size to your picture. There are even more of them on the plant now!

[Lazy Gardener]

I have another one on the plant, Its green and slightly bigger than a golfball.

It was planted from seed, But the label was long lost. This was leftover from some plants i put down
the allotment. I thought pop it in and see what happens.

I am not the most organised person when it comes to seeds. I save some and i also use new ones from packets.

So who/what/where is a total mystery.

Either way its going to be edible and carveable.. Right?

I dont think i will save the seeds though. May start with fresh packet ones. But i do seem to
be getting some odd plants from seeds this year.

Planted a large Vanilla Marigold from bought seeds. And i got a Torch with pointy purple flowers.

Have plants gone back to the 60's with free love and spreading it around?


Big thanks for replying. Although im still confused. Maybe i need to send off for a DNA test?

[treepixie]

Sounds like my Melon/Squash problem, which I have now decided is a squash

[mothhawk]

As far as I'm concerned, if it's bright orange and you need two hands to lift it, it's a pumpkin. Everything else is a squash, winter or summer

[Kitchen Gardener]

I have a large crop of a mixture of pumpkins, butternut squash and round corgettes. I was late planting and most of my labels had washed clean so I wasn't sure which is which. I now have lots of plants running riot over my allotment. I have put planks under the fruits to prevent them being directly on the wet ground but need to lift some of them up because I am told that my plot has a tendency to flood. I am new to this allotment game so would welcome guidance as to if I am doing the correct thing.

[Two_Sheds]

Pumpkin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia