West Coast Seeds
West Coast Seeds (Emerald F1)
West Coast Seeds (Emerald F1)
Regular price
$4.99 CAD
Regular price
Sale price
$4.99 CAD
Unit price
per
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Couldn't load pickup availability
A dual purpose gourd, Emerald can be harvested when young for use as a fresh vegetable like cucumber or zucchini, or left to mature for use as a luffa. Our replacement for Miriam Sponge Gourd, Emerald needs trellising to keep its smooth 45-50cm (15-20") cylindical fruit straight. Fruit becomes very fibrous as it matures and can then be dried for use as a luffa sponge.
| Latin Name |
Summer & Winter Squash: Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo, & C. moschata. Specialty Squash: Momordica charantla, Luffa acutangula. |
| Difficulty |
Easy, but all squash plants take up space, and some can be huge. |
| Exposure | Full sun |
| Sprouting | 7-14 days |
| Matures | 55 days |
| Starting |
Sow seeds 2cm (1″) deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Space summer squash 45-60cm (18-24″) apart in rows 90-120cm (36-48″) apart. Give winter squash and pumpkins even more room with a minimum of 90-120cm (36-48″) apart in rows 120-180cm (48-72″) apart. |
| Growing |
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the blossom end. Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot. Encourage bees to visit the garden by growing Phacelia, sunflowers, or buckwheat for improved pollination. |
| Germination Rate | 80% |
| Seed Life | 2 years |
Long, cylindrical fruit with smooth skin.
Eat young fruit.
Mature for dried luffa sponge.
