Cucurbits
Cucurbit crops, or plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, consist of melons, gourds, squash and cucumbers. These crops make up one of the largest plant families of crops used for human consumption. Best suited for warm temperatures, cucurbits need full sun and well-drained soil to thrive. Combining technology and experience has allowed growers to provide the most effective cucurbit crop solutions and the highest quality crops possible.
Known for their fresh, sweet flavor, honeydew and cantaloupe are summer fruit staples. As a member of the Cucurbit family of crops, both melons are warm season crops that grow best when average temperatures are between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cavaillon, in Provence, France, considers itself the world capital of melons. In exchange for a dozen melons per year, Alexandre Dumas (the novelist best known for authoring The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers) agreed to donate his work to the public library in Cavaillon .
Cucumbers are members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which also includes squash and melons. The most common type of slicing cucumber found in a grocery store is the garden cucumber, cucumis sativus. Cucumis sativus is a frost-sensitive annual with coarse (large, bold, and rough) leaves and a creeping vine that can reach upwards of six feet in length. The cucumber plant is native to India and has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. In the United States, the volume of cucumbers pickled is higher than any other vegetable, with 550,000 metric tons being produced each year.
Pumpkin origins can be traced back to nearly 13,000 B.C. in some regions and to the areas of southern North America and the northern regions of central and South America. Within the United States, the top pumpkin producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. As a part of the Cucurbita family of crops, pumpkins are sensitive to cold temperatures during the growing cycle.
Squash, along with corn and beans, are believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America where they were eaten 7,500 years ago. Squash come in a variety of different shapes and colors, including tan, orange and even blue. The terms pumpkin, winter squash, and summer squash have been applied to fruits of different species. California, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan lead the United States in squash production.
Watermelons have been cultivated for thousands of years, dating back to prehistoric times. There have been records of watermelons being grown in ancient Egypt, throughout various regions in Africa, Brazil, North America, islands in the Pacific and numerous others. Currently they’re grown on all continents throughout the warm regions of the world. Watermelons grow best in soils with high water-holding capacities, with good air and water infiltration rates and pH ranges of 5.8-6.6.
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), also called courgette, are a variety of summer squash in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), grown for its edible fruits. Zucchini grow in warm, dry climates, on well-drained, moist soil. It represents one of the most popular and most commonly consumed vegetables today.