Released March 25, 2010
BATON ROUGE, La. – The cucumber family, properly known as the Cucurbitaceae (cu-cur-bit-A-cee-ee), provides a wide variety of vegetables popular for the spring, summer and fall home vegetable garden. Members of the cucumber family (often called “cucurbits”) that can be planted now and into April include summer squash, zucchini, winter squash, mirliton (in south Louisiana), pumpkin, gourd, cucuzzi, watermelon, cantaloupe, cushaw, luffa and, of course, cucumber.
All of these vegetables produce vines that run along the ground or climb on whatever structure may be available. Summer squash and zucchini vines are actually rather short and thick and are more bush-like than other commonly grown members of the family. Some dwarf or “bush” types of cucumbers and other cucurbits also may be available.
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