Tennessee Ground Sweet Potato Squash
A famous garden speaker tells her audiences to never accept pass along plants because they obviously grow rampantly and fill the garden quickly. Although she does not say it, she could add that pass along seeds also have the potential to create havoc in one’s garden. Tennessee above ground sweet potato squash (Cucurbita argyrosperma, Cucurbita moschata, formerly C. mixta) is an heirloom vegetable that is being kept alive by gardeners, garden writers and seed saver exchanges. I accepted a handful of seeds from Tulsa World garden writer Russell Studebaker who received them from a southern garden writer who was given five seeds by a Mississippi home gardener. The vines, leaves, flowers and fruit are the largest ever seen by anyone who is growing them. The flowers are so large and so full of pollen that you can hear dozens of bees even when you are standing 3 feet away from the plants. Other common names for this prolific grower include green striped bell, cushaw, and kershaw. "Renewi...
