Asked on Oct 21, 2013

What is this?

Harriette Brice
by Harriette Brice
I have this growing on the lattice of my back porch. It is presently resting on a wire planter holder. It is approximately 10-15 pounds, maybe 18 inches long and 5-6 inches in diameter. It started out looking like a light green/dark green striped peanut and has grown into this. I have no clue what I am growing.

I have a parrot and what seed she does not eat I give to wild birds. The parrot does not like squash/pumpkin seeds and I guess neither do the wild birds as it ended up in the flower bed. The vine is huge, maybe 20 feet and this is the only thing it has produced.
  45 answers
  • Tammy Slavin Tammy Slavin on Oct 21, 2013
    looks like a type of squash
  • Bethar Bethar on Oct 21, 2013
    Looks like an over grown acorn squash
  • Becky Becky on Oct 21, 2013
    It looks like a giant zucchini.
  • Patti Nicholas Patti Nicholas on Oct 21, 2013
    Shape and size says maybe a butternut squash, but with the size and weight it seems more like a pumpkin or possible some kind of gourd let it keep going until the vine dies out. Or take a clipping to your local extension service.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 21, 2013
    I asked the produce man at our local grocery store and he had no clue. I was thinking butternut squash, but at the moment still growing so keep moving it around in the wire planter holder so it will not grow into it. So far has not shown any signs of turning tan, I keep looking for signs.
  • Victoria Victoria on Oct 21, 2013
    I grow butternut and zucchini, they don't look like that. I have never seen anything like it.
  • Fran Barrett Fran Barrett on Oct 21, 2013
    How long is it now. From this viewpoint it looks 3 to 5 feet long. I can't imagine what it is. A world record water melon-pumpkin?
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 21, 2013
    Well I guess I fibbed on the size. Just took a tape measure and it is 22 inches long and 30.5 inches in circumference at the largest end. I am not very good at guessing. LOL I will know weight when it finishes growing.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 21, 2013
    Neither have I. That is why I posted it. I just measured and was off on the size. It is 22 inches long and circumference of largest end is 30.5 inches and weight I guess at 10-15 pounds but will have to weigh once it finishes growing.
  • Jenni C. Jenni C. on Oct 21, 2013
    Maybe a loofa?
  • John Reilly John Reilly on Oct 22, 2013
    SOMETIMES, squash will cross pollinate. I planted acorn and butternut too close together one year and I got a 27 pound cross that had the basic shape of the butternut but also had the raised ridges of the acorn. It tasted horrible. The leaves appear to be a type of squash. Do you have a veg. garden? Did you sow two or more varieties of squash?
  • Connie Mar Connie Mar on Oct 22, 2013
    I agree with a possible hybrid squash. The leaves are too small to be zucchini; butternut/acorn is a definite possibility. My neighbor grew a yellow/zucchini cross one year when she had those 2 plants too close together in her garden. You can always try it, and if you don't like it, feed it to chickens or compost it.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 22, 2013
    I did not photograph the big leaves. They are huge with a grayish white stripe in them Those are small leaves. The birds and squirrels and a stray opossum have broken the larger leaves. Leaves are almost as large as a child's umbrella, the biggest ones. I will definitely eat it if it is good. If good make pies and bread out of it.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 22, 2013
    No garden this year. I went out of town and my garden went to pot in the Texas heat. I have an African grey parrot. She does not eat the pumpkin/squash seeds, so I throw out on a shelf for the wild birds to eat and they evidently do not like them either and they threw them in the flower bed. Also grown in this flower bed was some tear shaped pumpkins/squash that are a bluish/green off white stripped thing and two other plants grew orange pumpkins with deep close ridges. So will see what it tastes like and go from there. It is probably close to 20 pounds at the moment and still growing.
  • Bethar Bethar on Oct 22, 2013
    Cut it open and see what color it is.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 22, 2013
    I will when it finishes growing. It is still growing at the moment.
  • Vicki Vicki on Oct 22, 2013
    It's a Marrow. I wouldn't let it get any bigger as it can become watery and a bitter.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 22, 2013
    Ok, how are these cooked? I have not heard of Marrow. The vine is about dead. It is very large, 22 inches long, large end is 30.5 inches in circumference. I am familiar with different squashes, but had not heard of this one.
    • Vicki Vicki on Oct 23, 2013
      @Harriette here is a link to a site for Vegetable Marrow recipes. There are quite a few on line. They do need plenty of seasoning. My Dad grew these in Somerset England when I was growing up. http://www.co-operative.coop/magazine/foodanddrink/meal-ideas/5-ways-to-cook-a-marrow/ PS. My Mum often tossed slices in seasoned flour and fried in a pan with a little butter/oil. it does roast well too but add slices to the the pan toward the end of cooking the meal as the water content would make it cook fast. Hope you find the recipes on line useful Harriette.
  • Donna Hathaway Donna Hathaway on Oct 23, 2013
    I also have something that looks like what you pictured, My hubby picked it and put it in our shed, I looked at it a few days ago and it had turned orange like a pumpkin. I haven't cut it open yet so don't know what I will find how it will taste. @ Vicki I have never heard of Mallow
  • Sandra T Sandra T on Oct 23, 2013
    It does look like a squash. I would bake it with butter and brown sugar
  • Kristy B Kristy B on Oct 23, 2013
    I had some butternut/pumpkin cross pollinate this year, it actually tasted pretty good. It was my first time with a big garden. Next year I'll know better, I guess I was lucky with this one.
  • Ann S Ann S on Oct 23, 2013
    i would say it is a squash cook it and see if it is to your liking and if so, keep the seed and plant next year in the garden..
  • Holly Johnson Holly Johnson on Oct 23, 2013
    It looks to me like zuchinni
  • S S on Oct 23, 2013
    My guess is it's an unripe Argonaut Squash.
  • User User on Oct 23, 2013
    Eso a mi punto de vista es un ayote. es un tipo de verdura.
  • User User on Oct 23, 2013
    Cucurbita argyrosperma
  • Veronica Patrick Veronica Patrick on Oct 23, 2013
    some kind of a squash. Cut it open and see what the meat looks like.
  • Berni Rose Berni Rose on Oct 23, 2013
    I had the same thing happen to me this year .. apparently a bird deposited a seed next to my shed. Giant leaves with some yellowish flowers but only one fruit ... we watched it grow a foot a day .. turned into a beautiful pumpkin. We finally picked it after it turned orange .. it's perfectly round .. we will use it for our Halloween Jack-O-Lantern
  • Patty A Patty A on Oct 23, 2013
    I have a similar squash, but I actually planted it from huge white oval seeds from a gourmet bird seed blend , just to see what it is. I could not find the large seed description anywhere on the Internet...huge plants, lots of lovely perfumed yellow blossoms but only three light green, watermelon like striped round squash. The largest is 7 inches in diameter. Frost tonight. Do I let them grow or bring them inside?
    • See 1 previous
    • Meredith Black Meredith Black on Oct 24, 2013
      @Mary C The song is Country Bumpkin by Cal smith
  • Vicki Vicki on Oct 23, 2013
    My Dad grew these in England! It's a Marrow guys!! I have eaten and have helped to grow enough of these as a child. Look on UK sites, this is a very old, but still grown vegetable in the UK. Search 'Vegetable Marrows' Many grow these for fun for the children as my dad did; they grow so fast, I like to eat them though. MARROW!!! MARROW!!! MARROW!!!
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 23, 2013
    Mine also came from bird seed from my parrot. She did not like the seeds and neither did the wild birds. I recycle what she does not eat to the wild birds. I had 3 different things come up. Two plants that had orange pumpkins on them and then two other vines that had sort of tear shaped things that are a gray/greenish with white stripping . I got about 8 of those. Just one of whatever I posted. The vine for it is huge and leaves are very large also. I still have 3 orange pumpkins growing. Two are starting to turn orange, and one about soccer ball size that is still green. I have picked on orange pumpkin. I had no idea what I was going to get when I saw the vines take of growing. I also had a vine that had two medium sized white pumpkins. So I have had a variety of things from neither the parrot or the wild birds wanting the large white seeds. I will take the green thing and see how it tastes. Just letting it grow until the vine dies. They are starting to get mildew so it will not last much longer growing.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Oct 23, 2013
    I also had two vines that produced orange pumpkins of about 10 pounds or better each. One has been picked, two still turning orange and one is still growing and about size of a soccer ball or slightly smaller. We have not gotten very cold so they are still growing. Mildew is starting to get them, so they will not last much longer.
  • Vicki Vicki on Oct 23, 2013
    Hi John, links: https://sites.google.com/site/knowyourvegetables/know-your-marrow A lot of links came up when I typed "how to grow marrows and recipes for marrows"
  • Jan Jan on Oct 23, 2013
    :-) Careful what you toss out...my grandma's parakeet died years ago so she tossed the leftover seeds outside. The next spring she had a nice little crop of Opium Poppies!
    • Mary C Mary C on Oct 23, 2013
      @ @Jan lol...Jan....never know what the birds are up to.....i wonder if the parakeet od on opium seeds!
  • Jacinth Barnett Jacinth Barnett on Oct 23, 2013
    That is a pumpkin....... not all pumpkins are round, white or yellow. They come in different shapes and sizes
  • Patty A Patty A on Oct 24, 2013
    yes, I thought of that song , too, and was hoping a little frost wouldn't hurt my round watermelon like pumpkins! It got very cold last night and they seem to be fine...I'll show you the finished product if they make it, @Meredith.
  • CindyandGeorge Schaeffer CindyandGeorge Schaeffer on Oct 25, 2013
    I think I know this answer. It is a GOURD. I would not cut it. Let it grow to max, remove from stem, cut hole in center and remove "inards" and instant bird house OR let it dry and you have a blank canvas for your ART
  • Jacinth Barnett Jacinth Barnett on Oct 25, 2013
    That is most certainly not a gourd....it is a variety of pumpkin....we use them in our cooking all the time.
    • Nuclear Nana Nuclear Nana on Nov 04, 2013
      @Jacinth Barnett Is this pumpkin green when ripe? Does it taste similar to orange pumpkin? Thanks for the information. It is always nice to learn of fruits and vegetables grown in other countries. I wish I could taste them each for myself!
  • Family Food Garden Family Food Garden on Nov 04, 2013
    Because it is ribbed I am more inclined to say it's a winter squash or heirloom pumpkin than a marrow (large zucchini). The problem is that most of the winter/summer squash & pumpkin can cross pollinate creating an entirely new variety. rogue.. alien squash, you might not know until you cut it open.
  • Jacinth Barnett Jacinth Barnett on Nov 07, 2013
    I have never eaten the orange pumpkin, but I am assuming that they taste similar... the inside is a yellow or golden hue when it matures but the outside remains green..... if the outside starts to change to yellowish, this means that it is over-ripe and will lose some of its flavour. We use it in vegetable soups; to make a drink (like a punch) and in several different recipes.
  • Cindy tustin Cindy tustin on Apr 17, 2014
    Looks like the loufa my husband raises them every year. If they hang they get long and skinny. After frost we let them lay for a while and then I bring in a few clean the outer layer off and cut in half and flush out all the seeds. Have one hanging in each shower and at the vanitys and kitchen sink. Not only are they great for cleaning your skin tough dirt on hands and great foot scrubber.
  • Harriette Brice Harriette Brice on Apr 17, 2014
    I was some kind of squash. I have canned it, but not eaten any of it yet. It weighed about 40 pounds when I cut it up and peeled it.
  • Brenda J Brenda J on Aug 14, 2014
    we had a garden and our pumpkin and Zucchine mixed and they came out looking like that they were great for stuffing with rice meat pepers onion and sauce then cover with motz cheese bake yummy
  • Linda Linda on Feb 03, 2016
    Whatever it is on steroids!!1