Mystery vine. I have serious vines in the garden and asparagus patch this year. They came up volunteer and my best guess is that I accidentally put some seeds from something into my compost pot. I added compost to the garden this spring and pretty much all in the same area, probably at least a dozen of these came up.
I let them grow, waiting to see if they are something I want to leave in the garden or not. They have bloomed profusely but no sign of any fruit set that might help me be sure what I have. As they have grown and spread, I am starting to think they are most likely cantaloupe. This leaf was near the end so is small but the largest leaves are maybe 6-7" across. The bloom is not from the garden but is very similar to the blooms on the vines. They are not large, probably only a little larger than quarter size.
Other possibles, based purely on things I ate/might have added to compost last year would be watermelon, butternut squash and cucumber. The squash is out, I planted some this spring and the plants/blooms are not the same. Cukes are also doubtful since I don't think the seeds were mature. Anybody more definite on the species of vine this is?
If it is a melon, , squash or gourd, the female flowers will come later than the first male flowers. You should be able to tell once the females come out.
OK! So that is what my butternut squash plant has been doing. There have been small(ish) blooms for a while and I wasn't seeing anything else, then one day I saw a little 2-3" squash with a big blossom on the end of it. Didn't really think about he/she blooms. Cool!
@DotLewis I give people loofa seeds and have to explain that it can be as much as a month from the time that the first male flowers show up and fall off before they finally get a fruit. If you want to insure pollenation, pluck a male flower and rub the female parts with the pollen of the male flower. (it's late and I can't remember the names)
@glennlab Thanks, I get the process you describe. I will try that as the "garden" they are in has a wall around it and I wondered if it is getting enough pollinator activity. And, I REALLY want some squash this year.
Can you tell me, if I see what looks like a little squash but the bloom is still fresh, does this mean that little squash will whither if pollination doesn't occur? I may be overexcited, thinking there is a squash growing.
@DotLewis As long as pollen will still stick to female parts, it hasn't been fully fertilized yet. You should have male flowers at least 2:1 on the plant so it won't reduce the number for natural pollenation. If the squash starts to wither (it happens more than anyone like to admit) remove it from the vine that will force the plant to put out more fruit to replace it. In small gardens, it's fine to over manage. Keep me posted.
@DotLewis Something to watch out for with slow growing members of the squash/gourd family is what is called blossom end rot. This is a softening of the fruit near the blossom, as the fruit starts to mature, there is nothing you can do to reverse it, so pick it and use it. It's still good, but if left on the vine it will rot and you will get nothing but it will tax your mother plant since she is trying to feed it.
Google image search says that is a melon flower.
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