Illegal Squash

Last summer M's mother came to visit, and in doing so, she committed an agricultural crime. Tucked into her luggage was a single packet of squash seeds. Gem squash are not, to my knowledge, something that normally grows in the U.S., so this was a big deal to import them from South Africa. M loves Gem squash, so this spring, when the weather turned, I tipped six seeds into mounds in our garden. I wasn't sure it would even work since the seeds are now a year old, but I thought it was worth a try.

I joke with M that seeds from Africa have to be very tough indeed, and these little ones were no exception. All of the seeds sprouted after only three days, and now they are growing at an alarming rate. I think I may have to separate the little plants because they are so vigorous. With a little luck and a whole lot of sunshine and water, we will hopefully have gem squash to eat by the middle of summer. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of squash as a food, but who wouldn't appreciate the challenge of growing illicit veggies? Besides, I can always feed them to M.