Kitchen Garden Forum

Last year I planted achocha for the first time, it went in the greenhouse as suggested, well like topsy - it grew, and grew, and grew - it escaped by a greenhouse vent out accross the lawn up the six foot fence and finally it disappeared into my neighbours garden ! We had far more achocha than we could use they kept coming until the first heavy frost! This year seeds are popping up everywhere even those buried several inches down ! Coming up in tubs, up through the grass and along the fence border. I used them in stir fries and salads any ideas for other recipes please and perhaps a way of preserving some? i wondered if they could be stored like baby peppers, stuffed with cream cheese or something It's an ideal plant to cover an old shed or pig sty, and they are so productive would be cheap nosh for pigs too if they like them!

Well, beginners, you have been warned

Achocha is an easy thing to grow, it spreads everywhere, self-seeds wildly and has very limited use - when I grew it many years ago I found it inedible and was told not to bring any more home

You need to use them young and tender Alan, then they are fine in stir fries etc, taste is a bit like a green pepper - larger I agree they are more fibrous and less edible.

I forgot to add another advantage of adding achocha in the garden, although the flowers are pretty small and insignificant you will notice the flower clusters. They attract hoverflies and hoverfly larvae prey on aphids and other pests, so they are a magnet to predators that are beneficial in the garden, very useful near crops that are vulnerable to whitefly.
the fruits can be used in stir fries, also veg to top pizza's, they can be curried, or stuffed with filling of choice and baked in tomato sauce. This year will try making chutney or pickle with them.

I agree that they are very easy to grow, but never got any to set although the enormous plant was covered in flowers. When it had taken over half the greenhouse by late summer and still not produced anything useable, I got fed up and despatched it to the compost bin.

If I try it again I will certainly grow it outside.

Hi Plumpudding,
I would suggest that the compost heap is probably the best place for Achocha or even better don't start growing it in the first place.
I think to even consider advising those new to gardening to even entertain it is decidably foolhardy.
It is abundantly clear that it is a plant that gets beyond the control of the grower and in no time at all will affect neighbouring gardens and allotmenteers and IMHO it is a plant that should be banned.
JB.

Perhaps NB should try the following plant, it might satisfy her love of random seedlings a bit better than "Fat Baby" he says with tongue firmly in cheek.

Real Seeds website wrote: If you’re into extreme gardening then you might like to try growing achocha’s close relative, Cyclanthera explodens. Also known as the exploding cucumber, the fruits burst open when mature and spray their seeds outwards. Once the fruits have split, they can be used in the same way as achocha. Take care when growing this plant as the seeds are ejected at great speed and could cause eye injuries. Tying a paper bag over semi-ripe fruit is probably the easiest way to save seeds from exploding cucumbers!

Ha Ha Peter, was that intended as one in the eye for me? I expect better from a moderator - also with tongue in cheek !
Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion and as I have already explained the obvious disadvantages especially if space is limited. However personally I find the plant quite useful, my garden is big enough to accomodate it, and I like to keep predators happy, no blackfly on my beans, no whitefly problem evident either. I doubt my neighbour on that side would notice if any crept over their fence, as I often have to cut back brambles escaping over and under the adjoining fence, luckily our other neighbours keep a tidy garden and are lovely people.

Groan......

Worst pun in a while NB.

Hi NB,

Achocha is an easy thing to grow, it spreads everywhere, self-seeds wildly and has very limited use - when I grew it many years ago I found it inedible and was told not to bring any more home

From the above quote from Alan and your own posting do you really think this is material to adivise those new to gardening to even entertain?
Those new to gardening would not understand what is happening until after the event when the damage will have been done.
I really feel that it would be best to remove this thread altogether.
JB.

Johnboy wrote:I really feel that it would be best to remove this thread altogether.
JB.

Or at least move it to a forum such as general chatter or seasonal tips where it can be discussed without leading beginners into thinking that this is "advice".

I recall a lot of my neighbours in the 1980s planting Russian Vine

Doesn't lol means lots of laughs?

Laugh Out Loud is the usual interpretation. An over used txt abbreviation transferred onto the internet and not often seen here, where we have etc.

Yes I will move the thread to seasonal tips.

alan refail wrote:.....
I recall a lot of my neighbours in the 1980s planting Russian Vine

Someone presumably once though that Japanese Knotweed was a beautiful addition to the decorative garden.

However Achocha does seem to have a worthwhile crop, so if one manages to harvest all the fruits(?) and rhus control the "volunteers" it looks worth a punt.

Achocha seeds are defra approved - they would not do this with a harmful plant.
It is sold by a respected seed company, run by experienced gardeners which I know some of you recommend and was trialled first, they do suggest it is not suitable for a greenhouse, my seeds were swapped so I was not aware of that at first. Last autumn because I was caring for my highly dependent mother I had no time to garden, so stuff did seed all over the place - this year I had loads of self seeded borage,fennel, land cress and cape gooseberries not just achocha, all these are pretty fertile seeders and it would not have happened if I could have left my mothers side to do the usual autumn garden tidying up, so it is vigorous but not invasive. They are sold by a reputable company who are experienced gardeners and trial all seeds first - http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cucumbers.html

these were new gardeners and they had no problems growing achocha as reccomended as you can see from the lovely photos, like them I found achocha still productive very late in the year.
http://urbanvegpatch.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... abies.html

Alice Fowler is a trained horticulturalist and she recommends achoca and the seed supplier http://www.gardensillustrated.com/artic ... table-seed -

Gee you guys are like a dog with a bone, careful you don't choke on it!
Peter lol was used in the title as smilies only seem to work in the text part. If you must move this no objections but I feel i have just covered every point and most new gardeners are not stupid, more often pretty practical intelligent and capable and they will make up their own minds based on information available, inclination and taste.