Fast covering ground cover with Squash (Kabocha)
 

I know someone with some ground to spare which at moment they find difficult
to maintain. So some fast growing ground cover which requires little
attention would be good to keep the weeds at bay.

Recently I saw a fast growing squash with big leaves that covered the ground
quickly. I was told it was a japanese squash called Kabocha.

Looking up kabocha on wikpedia i see there are 8 varieties. Would anyone
know which one would be the easiest type to grow in the London area and also
which is also a good tasting one. Thanks for any advice.

Squash are frost-tender annuals. You plant them out in the garden in June, or perhaps late May, and then their leaves probably go funny by about the end of October. So with only 4 months growth they won't be much use as a weed suppressant. Also they need lots of rich compost in the ground to grow well, and lots of water. My experience of growing squash is that, er, you have to weed around them.

If you do want to grow squash, best choose a variety selected for British conditions. realseeds.co.uk is very good for varieties selected for British conditions. Other kinds of squash can produce lots of leaves too.

Fast covering ground cover with Squash (Kabocha)
 

In article ,
countymayo.j wrote:
On Mar 3, 9:18=A0pm, "john hamilton" wrote:
I know someone with some ground to spare which at moment they find diffic=
ult
to maintain. =A0So some fast growing ground cover which requires little
attention would be good to keep the weeds at bay.

Recently I saw a fast growing squash with big leaves that covered the gro=
und
quickly. =A0I was told it was a japanese squash called Kabocha.

Looking up kabocha on wikpedia i see there are 8 varieties. =A0Would anyo=
ne
know which one would be the easiest type to grow in the London area and a=
lso
which is also a good tasting one. =A0 Thanks for any advice.

Nick from Cambridge sent me some seeds of a fast growing ground
covering squash, I'll bet he will know which type you mean.

Basically, any of the Cucurbita maxima (hubbard) varieties that are
happy in the UK. Send me a postal address by Email, and I can send
some. The ones I have are Queensland Blue, which is VERY vigorous,
and a New Zealand one. They may have hybridised :-)

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.