Growing some gifted gem squash seeds

 Gem squashes have to be close to the most loved Southern African vegetables. 

They are just larger than a tennis ball, their outer skin varies from being quite firm to a little softer. Their beautiful green hue is instantly recognisable & sought after. 

They are usually just cut in half then boiled in lightly salted water until the sweet yellow flesh can be poked with a fork. 

The seeds in the middle are scooped out then a small, or large, knob of butter is added with just salt & pepper. I have eaten them my whole life in Africa. This is an interesting UK article about them. 

However, they are not easily available in the UK which makes them even more special. 

My friend Liz gifted us each one last year when we met up in Ludlow with her & she said ‘keep the seeds & see if you can grow them.”

I did just that - cut them in half, scooped out the seeds prior to cooking to preserve them. I dried them on kitchen roll, rubbed off any dried bits & stored them in an envelope. 

About 8 weeks ago, I pushed the seeds into one of my raised planters, covered them & was delighted when some poked their heads up quite quickly. 

I grew them on until they were a little larger & it suddenly struck me - I have never grown them before so I researched their habits. 

Ooops, being squash, they trail along the ground or can be trained up a support once they have developed their climbing stems. 

I topped up 2 troughs that were spare, planting 3 in each & 3 in the rhubarb tub. 

How to support them? I positioned them mid garden next to the red robing bush with its multi stems & then used garden twine to build up a support between the stems. With the troughs on either side, I am hoping it can be trained upwards but in this part of the garden, they can spread along the ground if they prefer. 

I was growing some for daughter but they have put on a growth spurt so were moved to another trough where they have settled in well & are growing vigorously. 

Some of the other plants were planted in the herb troughs along the side of the house 

My count is about 14 very healthy plants, some in full sun, others in semi-shade, all looking well. 

I will keep you updated & am feeling hopeful. If you have grown them, any suggestions will be welcome.

Stop by again for an update,

Dee 🪏🪴🏡👩‍🌾