Lesson 6.3.o CHILACYOTE - Cucurbita ficifolia

 

FOOD FOREST COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

Lesson 6.3.o CHILACYOTE - Cucurbita ficifolia

 

Alacyote, Zambo, Malabar gourd and Fig-leaved gourd are all referring to Chilacyote, a native squash of South America.

If a plant does not grow like a weed and produce like one, it’s not worth growing! 

These have been my sentiments ever since I realized it was too hard to grow the temperate vegetables in our subtropical summer gardens.  Why do the weeds thrive in our hot summers and the vegetables seem to keel over as soon as the top few inch of soil dries out?

Chilacyote is one such plant and in the subtropics chilacyote is a winter squash.  It grows through most of the year but in the heat of summer it will die down only to come back again at the beginning of autumn where it will become productive during the cooler months.

The word I keep in mind when I’m not quite sure if the vine I see growing is a pumpkin or a chilacyote vine is fig-leaved gourd.  The fig-leaf shape helps me to identify it.  You don’t need to plant chilacyote every year as the vine will grow back the next season.

Cultivation

The chilacyote is a very hardy vine that needs something like a shed, strong fence or a tree to hang onto.  Unlike the pumpkin vine, the chilacyote seeks to climb upwards.  As it is a very productive vine there will be a lot of weight from the forming squash that easily become the size of a soccer ball.  Chilacyote will grow in a wide range of soil types and will also do well in a cooler climate as long as it is protected from the frost. 

Chilacyote is virtually pest and disease resistant, and the vine does not need any attention once it is established. This advantage can be utilized by grafting other cucurbits onto the chilacayote vine and therefore expecting more productivity from cucumbers without the powdery mildew problem.

Seed can be planted in pots but direct seeding into the ground when the soil is damp after some rainfall is better.  I found that chilacyote can be planted from late summer until well into spring, although the spring planting will only encourage vine growth without the setting of fruit throughout the summer months.  In prolonged hot and dry weather the vines will die down only to re emerge again in early autumn.  The vines tend to grow back with great vigour as the roots have already been established from the previous season and the fruit set will start with the cooler onset of autumn. 

Chilacyote is the only squash in the world that has black seed.  This makes the chilacyote quite easy to identify.

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison,

 

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