CUE THE CUCURBITS

his plant family is vast with 95 genera (genus) and within these are 965 species. This family includes a fascinating mix of plants, many of which are annual vines – but the family is so diverse there are woody plants in the mix too. As far as veggie growers are concerned there really is only a tiny number that are important and so as much as the botany is interesting it is only necessary to get a rough understanding of how they are related. Cucurbits produce fruits but we tend to use them more as vegetables, with the exception