Allotments 4 All

This is a photo of my Chayote growing over the greenhouse.  I'm not expecting it to fruit, I am growing it because I love the look of it.

Looks great! Is it an annual? will you get fruit next year?

Quote from: Biscombe on September 21, 2009, 07:46:58
Looks great! Is it an annual? will you get fruit next year?

I think it is best treated as an annual here in the UK but I'm almost sure you could grow it in Spain and get fruit off it.  I'm only growing it for the decorative effect and I don't like the fruit much anyway.

The fruit only costs about 50p and so long as you choose one with a tiny growing shoot visible, it is really no trouble at all to grow.

Thifasmom knows lots about it because it is grown in Trinidad

Sorry to go off thread Betty, but our site sec gave me something that resembles what you have in picture, mines only twenty inches long.  :o :P
What is it and how do you cook it, cheers.      ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: cornykev on September 21, 2009, 19:19:58
Sorry to go off thread Betty, but our site sec gave me something that resembles what you have in picture, mines only twenty inches long.  :o :P
What is it and how do you cook it, cheers.      ;D ;D ;D

The plant in the photo is growing from one of these -



Is that what the site sec gave you?  (I don't think it can be because they are about the size of a pear)

I suspect cornykev may me asking about the Tromba d'Albegna in your profile pic.

Quote from: Baccy Man on September 21, 2009, 20:01:41
I suspect cornykev may me asking about the Tromba d'Albegna in your profile pic.

Oh yes, silly me - I wondered how it could have been 20 inches long! :-[

Cornykev - if it is tromba d'Albegna then they are quite nice, cooked like you would other squash.  They also store well for the winter once they have developed a harder buff-coloured skin.  If it's a Sicilian snake - I wouldn't bother cooking it because it's nowhere nearly as nice as other squash/courgettes.(just my opinion though) Snakes don't store for the winter, they are more or less like giant courgettes. 

Sorry about the confusion, and thanks Baccy Man!

looks really good but i do wish you would stop tempting me Squash64 with your tropical fruit growing 'porn' ;).

Biscombe here is a link from the last time Squash64 showed her 'dirty pics' ;)

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,54235.0.html

it will give you some hints on growing it in Spain, you lucky guy :D.

Yes I am sure that it was Squash 64 that posted a picture of those cheeky chillies too !! :P

Duke

Quote from: Duke Ellington on September 22, 2009, 10:26:29
Yes I am sure that it was Squash 64 that posted a picture of those cheeky chillies too !! :P

Duke

These?



I had to order some seeds once I'd seen the pic.   Apparently the flavour is nothing special but who's bothered!

Hi squash

So it was you ..... ;D
What is the name of those chillies and where did you order yours from ?

Duke

Quote from: thifasmom on September 22, 2009, 09:23:01
looks really good but i do wish you would stop tempting me Squash64 with your tropical fruit growing 'porn' ;).

Dunno about porn, but this was a whopper!

Quote from: Duke Ellington on September 22, 2009, 13:47:39
Hi squash

So it was you ..... ;D
What is the name of those chillies and where did you order yours from ?

Duke

They are Peter Pepper from www.thechillipeppercompany.co.uk

Look how much it's grown in a month!

[attachment=1]

Hard to believe that it is just one plant, growing in a bucket at the side of the greenhouse.  It's such a shame that it will die when we get a frost.

are those flowers starting to form at the end of the vining stems?

Quote from: thifasmom on October 29, 2009, 22:37:52
are those flowers starting to form at the end of the vining stems?

I don't think so but when I go over today I'll check.
It is growing more rampantly now than it has all summer, I can hardly get in the greenhouse door!

just rereading your post and realised you said its growing in a bucket. why not try cutting it back this winter and over wintering it in the greenhouse with a thick layer of bubblewrap around the bucket for insulation and an organic mulch on top. the rootstock might then survive the winter, to re grow for you next year.

by the way what sort of soil/ compost mixture do you grow it in?

there is a place down here that sells it from time to time i think I'll grow one next year in a large container too.

Quote from: thifasmom on October 30, 2009, 09:03:49
just rereading your post and realised you said its growing in a bucket. why not try cutting it back this winter and over wintering it in the greenhouse with a thick layer of bubblewrap around the bucket for insulation and an organic mulch on top. the rootstock might then survive the winter, to re grow for you next year.

by the way what sort of soil/ compost mixture do you grow it in?

there is a place down here that sells it from time to time i think I'll grow one next year in a large container too.

That's a good idea about overwintering it in the greenhouse.  I think the roots may have gone through the bottom of the bucket and into the soil though.  I will try to move it, but not yet because it looks so good at the moment.  Do you think a thick layer of straw wrapped around the bucket and left where it is would work?  that would be easier than moving it into the greenhouse.  I've just had a lot of straw delivered.

I used a multi-purpose commercial compost, can't remember the name at the moment.

If you can't find one to grow next year, let me know and I'll post you one.

Quote from: thifasmom on October 29, 2009, 22:37:52
are those flowers starting to form at the end of the vining stems?

I had a close look today but they don't look like flowers.  I think they are just the ends of the shoots. 

i am going to ask a stupid Question, but do you plant the whole thing or are there seeds in the big round green thing? ???