Unsecure chicken perches

[jennydavies]

Hi everybody,

Does anyone have any idea what this huge plant is ? The second photo is the fruit that it is producing. The plant has grown by itself - we didn't plant it - it just appeared over a number of weeks, a bit like a triffid any help would be gratefully received before it eats us, the dogs and the chickens

PS. the plant is the green thing - not the one wearing the white t-shirt - that's other half, Charlie !!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for any advice,

Jenny and Charlie.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Guest

[chickenanne]

Looks like a squash /pumpkin plant (too big for a courgette plant though very similar!). I guess it's germinated from a seed in a compost heap, or similar - unless you like eating seed mixes and dropped one of course!

 

I would eat the pumpkins /squashes before your triffid eats you !

[Cinnamon]

I would say its a Squash too - what a beauty!

 

You should get some cracking fruits from it

[ubereglu]

Probably a pumpkin. It looks really good and very healthy. It makes my little pumpkin plants outside look teeny!

[Couperwife]

i would say squash or pumpkin too

 

looks mega, that fruit is great

 

cathy

x

[jennydavies]

Thanks for the replies folks , I just have to find lots of Squash/Pumpkin recipies now - it's a good job we eat squash we love this forum

[sjp]

I'd say it's a summer squash as it look like one that one of our plot holders grow which gets very big fruits on and is supposted to be very tastey

yjhis is about the best picture I 've got the 3 bigger ones are all the same variety and they are the small ones sadley we don't have a name for them as the plot holder grows them from saved seed

[jennydavies]

Well, It (the Triffid) turned out to be a Pumpkin, as we speak it has at least thirty fruits on it, the plant covers at least twenty square metres and the fruits are small football sized. We have already cut two off and given them to neighbours to cook. we think it is tapping into the water course that runs under that side of the garden, so it is getting PLENTY to drink.

 

 

We all hurry past it in case it eats us !!

[Cinnamon]

Brilliant!

 

Make sure you save some big ones for the annual Omlet pumpkin carving contest

[Alis girls]

Get out quick its a triffid!!! pumpkin I think

[ubereglu]

That's ace!

[bronze]

This thread really made me smile

In my head it has a personality

[jennydavies]

I hope it never eats our chickens

[chickencam]

That is truely impressive I have a large pumpkin plant that is producing quite a few small pumpkins, they are meant to be small. i prefer the small ones they are easier to store and deal with. My plant however is nothing like as big as yours.

[Valkyrie]

Wow what a terrific plant! Hope it all tastes good too.

[jennydavies]

We put sticks in to measure how much it's growing each day - SIX INCHES

[chickencam]

 

I hope that you close your windows at night

[bluekarin]

WOW! Impressive! I have two of these plants that have just popped up, and was wondering what they were, and now I know. Not as big as your plant, but there are some tendrils that are trying to branch out. Luckily ours is in a corner and no one needs to walk past it so no fear of being eaten by it here If I remember correctly now, I think last years pumpkin ended up next to the chickens run before it was composted, so I think a few stray seeds seeded themselves. Wish the plants I choose to grow did as well

[jennydavies]

On the whole, we have had a very good year so far with our veg garden. It's our first year of growing and we have had a bumper crop of tomatoes and good returns on our cucumbers, courgettes, peppers, lettuces, strawberries, runner beans and herbs. They have all been helped along by our chicken poo fertilizer But by far the best growth has been "The Triffid" and it's still producing more fruits (no human, animal or chicken casulties yet though)

PS. ours started off in a corner and now it's heading towards our bedroom windows never feel that you are safe - even if it's in a corner

[bluekarin]

PS. ours started off in a corner and now it's heading towards our bedroom windows never feel that you are safe - even if it's in a corner

 

I shall bear that in mind

[Tiggy]

I was going to say as soon as I saw the first pic, its a pumpkin, those yellow fruits will ripen, if you want a really big one for carving you will need to regularly removed the others when they are big enough to use, we had one last year & it nearly took over the place. the girls loved running under it

[jennydavies]

Our girls stand under the big leaves - they are like umbrellas for them they could sit under there and do their knitting it would make a change from watching TV in the hen-house

[jennydavies]

Just an update to let everyone know how the "triffid" did. Well, we have harvested all the pumpkins and we had 34 from it. They even grew through the fence in the next-door meadow. All our friends and neighbours have had fruits and we still have 15 left. They all grew to a not too big size and we have had pumpkin soup from friends that used the fruits and it was delicious. They all said that they were just the right size with no waste.

Next year we are thinking of having a Melon patch in the same place, as the underground water-course seemed ideal for growing. Do you think Melons will be as easy to grow as the pumpkins were ? we will buy proper plants from the market to give us a good chance.

We are glad to report no human, animal or chicken casualties from the cultivation of "The Triffid"

[Valkyrie]

Very well done.

[Chicken shack]

What a beautiful spot you live in. We wanted to move to France but now I have three grandsons I couldn't bare to be parted from. They would have to move with us.