Mystery cucurbit - Can you guess what it is?

I found this cucurbit growing in my veggie garden and it was in the way of where I wanted to put my tomato plants. So I moved it to a different area. By the shape and size of the original leaves, I figured it was some kind of squash plant - or a cucumber plant. But... it's none of those. I have NO clue what it could be. As a volunteer plant, it really could be anything! Well... anything in the cucurbit family.

The plant has a slew of little oval-ish balls on it. I'm thinking it might be in the cantaloup family or something similar, but since I've never planted them it's a mystery as to where the seed came from. Birds? Squirrels?

Does anyone have a clue as to what this might be? I thought that if I waited until "babies" started to appear that I'd be able to ID this plant. I don't want to wait too much longer, as if it's something I wouldn't eat, there's no point in taking up valuable garden space... so I'd rip it out and plant something else in its place.

crOak send another pic showing more of the leaf I am thinking a gourd guess they will volunteer every where.

Here you go...

Leaves are similar to a cantaloupe.

I'm growing cantaloupe for the first time and this looks alot (but now quite) like mine, which is Hearts of Gold.

Oops, forgot the pic!

Hmmmmmm...... Is it possible for seeds to stay dormant in the ground for 6 years?! When I was away from home for over a year (taking care of my mom who'd had a stroke), my daughter planted stuff in my garden... one of which, I believe, was cantaloupe. But could seeds last that long, out in the elements? Nah.... A seed must have been dropped by a bird or squirrel.

We don't eat cantaloupe (or any melon-type fruit). I can't tolerate the taste of melons, and the smell of them drives my nose absolutely crazy! In fact, there are a lot of hygiene products on the market that have a melon scent to them, and my nose goes nuts when I smell them. I also can't tolerate the taste/smell of cukes - although I do love dill pickles (and will be making some again this year). The brine must neutralize whatever it is that drives my nose/taste buds crazy.

what have your neighbors planted recently? If a bird or squirrel brought them, they probably did not bring them far.

My immediate neighbors (in the cul de sac) don't have veggie gardens. And I don't think the folks across the private air strip have any gardens either - not the ones who are directly "behind" my house.

So... if it wasn't a bird or squirrel, could it possibly have been a seed from a raccoon or a possum (although I always thought possums were carnivores?), or even a neighborhood cat (it might have gotten stuck on the cat's fur or paw?).

This is REALLY a mystery! I guess I'll just have to wait and see what they turn out to be. They've grown large enough now so that even if it IS a cantaloupe, I'll probably keep it and just give the dang things away. It's really too late to be planting much of anything else anyway - except maybe okra. LOL

If you add compost to your garden, there's also no telling what was in it.

Now that some time has passed, I finally have something bigger to show you all.

I still haven't a clue as to what it might be (other than some kind of melon).

Any guesses?

I do add compost - mine and the good stuff from Nature's Way Resources. I know it couldn't have come from mine. The seed, I mean. DH and I don't eat melons. I can't tolerate the smell/taste of them, and DH just doesn't like them (well, on occasion he might have some watermelon if DD has us over and offers some to him).

I don't think it would have come from Nature's Way's compost. They generally have completely "cooked" compost. And I added compost last fall. This thing started growing in the spring. I don't think a seed would have lasted that long in the soil. It would have broken down, no? (Being exposed to the elements, etc.)


edited to change "I would have broken down" to "It would have..".

This message was edited Jun 14, 2012 5:05 PM

It could be a honey melon or israel melon. It looks great!!

Thanks, frostweed. Now... the question is... when is it ripe for picking? Do I need to wait until it changes color, or does it need more of those crack-looking things on it, or...?

It will be ripe when the stems will come free of the melon and by that I mean it will come off easily without leaving any part of the stem and untill that happens it is maybe in an almost ripe condition..Whatever do not cut the stem unless you are just going to throw it away..now I know you aren't going to eat it but someone likely would love to have a fresh melon as a gift...DUH like me

I love all kinds of melons, they are wonderful.

I'd send it to you, but it would probably cost more to ship it than what you could buy it for at a farmer's market! LOL

Nah, I won't throw it out. I can give it to daughter or the neighbors. I actually have about 6 of them growing (this one is the largest of them so far), so probably both neighbors and daughter will get at least one of them.

Fresh fruits and veggies (organically grown) are getting more and more expensive. I wouldn't waste them. ;)

I really wish I could tolerate them so I could eat them, but I just can't. I don't know why not. I remember eating watermelon as a kid, but as I grew older I developed an intolerance of them. Same thing now for onions - unless they're cooked. And even then they tend to come back up on me. Cilantro is another thing I can't tolerate. It tastes like some kind of industrial cleaner to me.

It is just so cool that you have free melons growing! And reading this thread answered one of my questions. Like, "When do you know cantaloupe are ripe?" They have been falling off the vine! So I guess that means they are supposed to do that? I remember reading about using old pantyhose to hoist them up and tie to the trellis so they don't fall and hurt themselves! We ate our first the other day and it seemed fine. So I'll just keep looking on the ground for ripe melons :) Janet
ps. Croak--if no one wants your melons, I live near Katy! Unless you are miles away, I'd swap ya for it!

Cantaloupes are a bit different than watermelons. Watermelons have the tendril close to the stem. When it dries up and there's a nice yellow spot on the underbelly and the color of the watermelon has dulled a bit, it's ripe. Cantaloupes are ready when they slip from the vine. (Pull off easily or just slip off from the stem.)

It kinda looks like a Crenshaw melon.