BEAN-NEW GUINEA-CLIMBER
BEAN-NEW GUINEA-CLIMBER
A$3.50
Availability: 23 in stock
Lagenaria siceraria
BEAN-NEW GUINEA-CLIMBER taste is similar to a sweet summer squash & is an edible bottle gourd that can grow 1m long. New Guinea, also known as Cucuzza squash, has light green inedible skin & white flesh. It can be steamed, microwaved, stuffed, baked, stir-fried, stewed, or used as a substitute in recipes calling for summer squash. It is a vigorous climber & needs strong support. This is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world with the first known plantings from 7,000BC. Plant after all danger of frost has passed.
Soak seed in warm water for 2 hours before sowing. Germinate singly in pots, at 20-30C on the surface of a good free draining, damp seed compost. Apply a sprinkling of compost or vermiculite, 6mm thick. Seal container inside a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 7-21 days. Do not exclude light at any stage as this is beneficial to germination.
| Germination Time (Days) | 7 – 21 |
| Maturity Time (Days) | 50 – 80 |
| Sowing Depth (mm) | 20 – 30 |
| Plant Spacing (cm) | 7 – 15 |
| Row Spacing (cm) | 40 – 60 |
| pH | 6 – 7.5 |
| Soil Temperature (°C) | – |
| Hardy / Frost Tender | Frost Tender |
| Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings | Sow Direct |
| Seed Preparation | – |
Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Plant Height
240 - 300 cm (8 - 10 feet, climber)
Season of Interest
Summer
Temperature Range
18 - 30 °C
Determine / Indeterminate
Annual / Perennial / Biennial
Annual
Frost Hardy / Tender
Frost Tender
Full Sun / Part Sun / Shade
Full Sun
Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings
Sow Direct
Soil
Well-drained, loamy soil
pH
6.0 - 7.5
Soil Temperature
18 - 30 °C (65 - 86 °F)
Seed Preparation
No special preparation required
Sowing Depth
2.5 cm (1 inch)
Plant Spacing
15 cm (6 inches)
Row spacing
60 cm (24 inches)
Watering
Regular watering; avoid waterlogging
Germination Time (Days)
7 - 14 days
Harvest Time (Days)
60 - 75 days
Good Companion Plants
Corn,Squash,Radishes
Bad Companion Plants
Garlic,Onions,Fennel
Pests
Aphid,Mexican Bean Beetle,Spider Mites
Diseases
Anthracnose,Root Rot,Powdery Mildew
More About Us
When I started this journey in 2009, I found nothing existed commercially, that was reasonably priced and easy to use. There was a homemade system which I also found was not that user-friendly.
Then a friend of mine told me about a homemade method she used. However, when I tried her method, I found this also didn’t suit my needs, as it too had flaws that I considered where important. It did not keep vermin out, did not have a lockable lid and (to me) looked unsightly in the garden
