Cucurbitaceae

Alberello di Sarzana Zucchini, "The Little Tree From Sarzana", produces elongated, dark-green fruits, around 15-20cm long. Creme-white, creamy flesh. Bush-variety, around 60cm high and 90cm wide. Cucurbita pepo. 6seeds/pack

Armenian Cucumber is not really a cucumber, but a melon. Produces cucumber-looking, elongated fruits, between 20-50cm long. The melons are slightly ribbed and pale green. Crispy, sweet flesh with a hint of melon. The more ripe the fruits are the more taste of melon. Climbing or trailing up to 250cm or more. Cucumis melo var. flexuosus. 6seeds/pack

Armenian Cucumber is not really a cucumber, but a melon. Produces cucumber-looking, elongated fruits, between 20-50cm long. The melons are slightly ribbed and dark green, with a very fine, frizzy hair. Crispy, sweet flesh with a hint of melon. The more ripe the fruits are the more taste of melon. Climbing or trailing up to 250cm or more. Cucumis melo var. flexuosus. 6seeds/pack

Beth Alpha Cucumber produces short, chubby cucumbers, around 10-15cm long. Medium to dark-green fruits with crisp white flesh. Early variety. Does well also in shorter seasons. Cucumis sativus. 15seeds/pack

Bitter Melon is a vining species, climbing over 200cm. Produces rubber-like fruits with soft spines. Ripen from green to yellow to orange as fully ripe. When fully ripe the fruits open from the bottom, showing the shiny red seeds. There are different varieties with longer fruits, round fruits, and also different tastes in bitterness. Used for cooking and its medicinal properties in the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and China. Weedy, bitter flavor. Harvest as green and unripe. Momordica charantia. 7seeds/pack

Black Beauty Zucchini produces large, cylindrical, elongated, dark-skinned fruits, around 15-20cm long. Creme-white, creamy, and tender flesh. Bush-variety around 60cm high and 90cm wide. From 1931. 50D. Cucurbita pepo. 6seeds/pack

Bottle Gourd, a traditional bottle-shaped gourd. Climbing or trailing up to 250cm or more. Produces bottle-shaped fruits up to 30cm long. Young fruits can be cooked and eaten like squash. Has been grown for a very long time, not primarily for food, but for containers. Fully ripe fruits get hollow and hard as wood. Can be used as bottles for water or containers, musical instruments, lamps, and more. Lagenaria siceraria. 10seeds/pack

Butternut - ‘Anquito Butternut’ produces elongated, bottle-shaped, orange-brown fruits, around 1,5-2kg each. Creamy, sweet, orange flesh. Early variety. Cucurbita moschata. 10seeds/pack

Cornichon de Paris is a gherkin variety of cucumber. Produces an abundance of short, compact cucumbers, with little “warts” on the skin. Juicy and crispy taste. Should be harvested when the fruits are around 2,50-5cm long, and fits perfectly in jars. An ideal variety for pickles and other preserves. Cucumis sativus. 15seeds/pack

Cucamelon, also called Mexican miniature watermelon, Mexican sour cucumber, Mexican sour gherkin, and Mouse Melon. Climbing or trailing up 200cm. Produces small, oval watermelon-looking fruits, about 3-5cm long. Sweet-tangy flavor, can be eaten fresh in salads, etc. Melothria scabra. 7seeds/pack

Figleaf Gourd, also called Malabar Gourd, Black Seed Squash, and Cidra. Climbing or trailing up to 500cm or more. Produces oval, green-white-striped fruits. Young fruits can be eaten as cucumbers. Fully ripe fruits can be used for marmalade etc. Large black seeds. Likes heat and water. Cucurbita ficifolia. 5seeds/pack

Gete Okosomin produces large, elongated fruits, up to 8kg each. Bright orange-red fruits, slightly mottled fruits. Pleasant, sweet pumpkin flavor with a hint of melon. Very old variety that has been grown by native Americans for hundreds of years. Cucurbita maxima. 5seeds/pack

Hercules Club, also called Long Gourd, Club Gourd, Cucuzzi Squash, Sicilian Snake. Produces very long fruits, up to 50-75cm. Young fruits are cooked and eaten like squash. White, delicate flesh. Fully ripe fruits get hard as wood. Climbing or trailing up to 250cm or more. Lagenaria longissima. 6seeds/pack

Hopi Orange is a dark-orange winter squash with excellent keeper characteristics. Mid-sized pumpkins of around 4-6kg each. The flesh is orange-yellow with an excellent flavor. Perfect for soups, baking, pies, roasting, etc. Vining growth. Cucurbita maxima. 6seeds/pack

Kiwano, also call African Horned Cucumber, Horned Melon or Yelly Melon, is a vining species, easily climbing over 200cm. Heavy yielder of up to 10cm long fruits. The fruits are covered in spines or thorns. Can be eaten as unripe, in its green stage, or as yellow - fully ripe. As ripe the seeds inside the fruit get harder. Very yelly, with a melon-cucumber kind of flavor, mild and slightly sweet. Wants to grow in a warm place! Cucumis metuliferus. 10seeds/pack

Gourd Kobra is a traditionally bottle-shaped gourd with fruits up to 30cm long. The fruits are bright green, mottled with pale spots and streaks. Climbing or trailing up to 250cm or more. Young fruits can be cooked and eaten like squash. Gourds have been grown for a very long time, not primarily for food, but for containers. Fully ripe fruits get hollow and hard as wood. Can be used as bottles for water or containers, musical instruments, lamps, and more. Lagenaria siceraria. 7seeds/pack

Korila is a vining species, climbing over 200cm. Produces pale-green cucumber-looking fruits around 7-12cm long. The seeds are black as fully ripe, should not be eaten since they are quite hard. The fruits are hollow and can be filled and cooked. The leaves are heavily lobed. Cyclanthera pedata. 7seeds/pack

Llena de Napoles produces large, bottle-shaped, elongated, fruits, up to 50cm long. Green-mottled fruits with orange flesh. Stores well some time. Cucurbita moschata. 10seeds/pack

Luffa Gourd, also called Sponge Gourd, is a vining species, climbing up to over 200cm. Produces green fruits, that ripen to dry brown as fully ripe. The fruits grow to between 20-40cm in length. As very unmatured the fruits can be cooked as okra. When the fruits are fully ripe and dry, they can be peeled and the seeds can be emptied. Inside you will find the sponge! The sponge can be used for showering, cleaning plates, housekeeping, etc. Requires a warm place. Luffa cylindrica / Luffa aegyptiaca. 10seeds/pack

Marina di Chioggia produces large, flattened fruits, up to 4-10kg each. The fruits are greyish in color and heavily mottled and bumpy. Orange flesh, very nice taste, especially after some time of storing. Stores well. Vining variety, up to 3-5m. Cucurbita maxima. 5seeds/pack