Plant profile
Chilacayote
Cucurbita ficifolia
Also known as Fig-leaf gourd, Figleaf gourd, Malabar gourd, Blackseed squash.
Chilacayote is a vigorous squash grown for large green-and-white fruit with pale stringy flesh and black or cream seed. The mature fruit stores exceptionally well.
- Grows well in
- Subtropical, Temperate, Cool / mountains, Mediterranean
- Lifecycle
- Vigorous annual vine
- Light
- Full sun
- Mature size
- Vines can run 5–10 m or more
- Spacing
- About 1–2 m apart
- Growth habit
- Large vigorous scrambling or climbing annual vine
- Native range
- Peru to Bolivia
- Natural habitat
- Subtropical Andean valleys and open upland habitats.
When to plant
Tropical
March–July
Subtropical
August–March
Temperate
September–December
Cool / mountain
October–December
Arid inland
August–October
Mediterranean
September–November
Temperate and cool: sow in spring after frost. Subtropical: plant from late winter through spring where summers are not too wet.
Planting
Sow into warm soil once frost has passed. Give it a strong fence, trellis or a large area to run.
Position and light
Full sun.
Soil
Fertile, free-draining soil with compost and enough moisture for strong vine growth. Chilacayote tolerates poorer soil than many pumpkins, provided drainage is reasonable.
Watering
Water deeply and regularly during active growth and fruit development.
Feeding
Add compost before planting and feed lightly if growth stalls on poor soil. Heavy nitrogen feeding encourages leafy growth at the expense of fruit set.
Pruning
Guide vines where you want them and trim only when they are blocking paths or overwhelming nearby plants.
Harvest
Pick mature fruit once the skin has hardened and the stalk is drying. Young fruit can also be cooked, while mature flesh is used in traditional sweets and preserves.
Propagation
Grow from seed. It crosses poorly with most common pumpkins because it is a different Cucurbita species.
Common problems
Powdery mildew, fruit fly and caterpillars can occur. Mature vines can cover a very large area.
Safety notes
Edible crop. Do not eat unusually bitter cucurbit fruit.
Worth knowing
Chilacayote seed is sometimes called fig-leaf gourd seed, and the black-seeded form is the more commonly grown in Australia. The vine tolerates cooler soil temperatures at germination better than most pumpkins and squash, which is one reason it has traditionally been grown at higher altitudes in its native range. Because it belongs to a different Cucurbita species to pumpkin, squash and zucchini, it will not cross with them in the garden, which makes it useful for seed savers growing several cucurbits together.
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How it grows around Australia
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