What kind of squash is this?

[Plaidmoon]

I'm not much of a gardener but I've had a volunteer squash plant of some sort growing in my front yard this summer. I don't know what it is but it looks like some kind of winter squash. Most of them (about 10 squashes) have a spaghetti squash size and shape but they are dark green. The largest is about the size of a small watermelon. A month or so back, a small one fell off the vine, so my wife sliced it up. It had a zucchini like cross section (with a little y shape in the center) and tasted rather like raw zucchini (good). I've had some squash bugs lately but so far, damage has been slight and confined to a couple of the squashes. I've sprayed them with a mixture of water, Dawn dish washing soap and salt and that seems to be getting rid of the bugs. I'll attach some pictures below. The last one shows some squash bug damage.

Anyone have any idea what kind of squash these are and how to tell when to harvest them?

 

[Tetters]

Hello, welcome to the forums. It looks like nobody knows what kind of squash that is. Not a good start aye, but maybe we can find out between us if we look it up.

I have been thinking. that plant so reminds me of our Zucchini plants I think maybe that's what it is. A few of ours got that big this year, and I cut them down the middle and sectioned them into thin strips. They were chopped up, and all the seeds removed, then I dehydrated them for storing. They get a bit tough when they get that big, but are still great to add to soups etc.

 

[Ernst]

I'm not much of a gardener but I've had a volunteer squash plant of some sort growing in my front yard this summer. I don't know what it is but it looks like some kind of winter squash. Most of them (about 10 squashes) have a spaghetti squash size and shape but they are dark green. The largest is about the size of a small watermelon. A month or so back, a small one fell off the vine, so my wife sliced it up. It had a zucchini like cross section (with a little y shape in the center) and tasted rather like raw zucchini (good). I've had some squash bugs lately but so far, damage has been slight and confined to a couple of the squashes. I've sprayed them with a mixture of water, Dawn dish washing soap and salt and that seems to be getting rid of the bugs. I'll attach some pictures below. The last one shows some squash bug damage.

Anyone have any idea what kind of squash these are and how to tell when to harvest them?

View attachment 99818View attachment 99819View attachment 99820

I tried out search image on Google Chrome and this came up.
The other choice I figure is Watermelon.
Not an expert I just would like to know myself Ohm......

 

[Tetters]

If it tastes like Zucchini it probably isn't watermelon.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Meadowlark was saying that whenever he gets volunteer squash they are bitter and nasty, so maybe marrow/courgette/zucchini is right.

 

[Ernst]

If it tastes like Zucchini it probably isn't watermelon.

Oh, yeah you are right. I was focused on the picture and not the text Doh!
So is it

Winter Melon (Benincasa hispida)?​

 

[Tetters]

No. Wrong colour. It's an overgrown Zucchini/ Courgette.

 

[big rockpile]

I keep coming up with Acorn Squash but it seems too big.

big rockpile

 

[Ernst]

And the mystery gourd remains a mystery..

 

[DirtMechanic]

Zucchini Summer Squash is actually a thing. You can buy seeds on amazon so it must be real right? Joining the cross pollenation discussion- the images I see are not dark green but I suspect that is not a big thing.

 

[Tetters]

Here's a picture of a zucchini that features on a You tube video.

 

[DirtMechanic]

View attachment 99927 Here's a picture of a zucchini that features on a You tube video.

Spending more time on a telly? Here it was 82f today. Is it cooling there?

 

[Tetters]

Spending more time on a telly? Here it was 82f today. Is it cooling there?

Never watch tele - only rubbish on there. We had wind, rain, thunder storms, more wind... now rain
Did you like the big dark green zucchini?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Never watch tele - only rubbish on there. We had wind, rain, thunder storms, more wind... now rain
Did you like the big dark green zucchini?

I did! Nothing like the ones I occasionally overlook and find later in my weeds though. Those are prehistoric size.

 

[Tetters]

Yeah dirt, but is it a courgette, or a zucchini or marrer ? Could it be a miniature giant marrer?