I got Jimmy at Wilson’s Farm just as he was leaving for the day. He says it probably was a gourd, and he is sure that a gourd would not be poisonous or toxic, but he is also sure that it would be dry and lousy food–any time but especially with this dry summer.

He thought Carla had gotten it in a bad seed packet and said she should buy more expensive seed. I told him about her wonderful soil and that we had had several experiences of unexpected plants that probably came to us from the soil that built this garden this Spring.

He said that there is another factor. Squash accepts pollen from other plants that are in the same family–like gourds or sort of weird squash varieties. It is possible that someone in the vicinity has some gourds in the garden and a bee did the job of cross-pollination.

So now we know more than we knew before. Le’s keep an eye on that plant and see if we get some more interesting fruit from it. If not, it was probably cross-pollination.

Marilyn