A gourd of understated silhouette and classic shapes, perfect for those who appreciate crafts made from natural materials.
About the variety. The Cabaça Corsican produces small, round, flattened fruits (oblate shape), light green in colour, not edible. Once ripe and dried, they are traditionally used to create handcrafted pieces. The plant is a vigorous, climbing, bee-friendly grower.
Itinerário técnico
Como cultivar gourd corsican?
Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.
pH ideal 6.0 to 7.0Temperatura ideal 20 to 30 °CCompasso 90 cm in the row, 120 cm between rows
Sementeira
Sow in individual pots three to four weeks before planting out, two or three centimetres deep, at 25 °C. The seed coat is hard and germination slow and uneven: soak the seed in warm water for twelve to twenty four hours. It needs a very long season, so always start it as early as possible under protection. The flowers are white, open in the evening and are pollinated by night flying moths; if the small fruits shrivel, hand pollinate at dusk with a brush, when the flowers are open. This variety makes long vines: the spacing given is for plants trained on a support or with the vines kept in check; left to run on the ground, it takes two to three metres.
Solo
It wants deep, loose soil, very rich in organic matter and free draining, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. The classic approach is to open a wide hole, fill it with mature compost and plant on that spot, which gives the plant the reserve it needs. Rotate on a four year cycle with crops from other families.
Clima
It demands heat, full sun and a very long season, often five months for the fruit to dry. It is the most vigorous of the cucurbits and needs a solid arbour or a great deal of ground space. In short summer regions only tender fruit for eating can be harvested, because there is no time to dry gourds. Inland in Portugal and Spain heat rather than cold is the limiting factor: in weeks above 35 °C the plant stalls and light shade over midday pays for itself. In France outdoor growing is reliable from the centre southwards, while in northern France and in Germany a greenhouse, a polytunnel or a warm south facing wall makes the difference, and planting out should wait until after the mid May cold snap.
Fertilização
Work two to three kilos of well rotted compost into each square metre before planting and add a handful of wood ash to top up potassium. Once growth is away, feed with a liquid organic fertiliser every two or three weeks, moving from a balanced formula to a higher potassium one as cropping begins. Avoid excess nitrogen, which gives lush leaves, a poor crop and a lot of aphids.
Rega
Water generously during vegetative growth and fruit fill. Reduce as the fruit thickens and stop once it begins to dry on the plant. Late watering delays the hardening of the shell.
Controlo de Infestantes
The critical period is the first month, before the foliage covers the ground. Hand weed in that phase and, once the vines start to run, stop disturbing the soil: from then on the plant smothers weeds itself. A straw mulch under the foliage keeps the fruit clean and dry and greatly reduces losses to rot where fruit touches the soil.
Controlo de Pragas
The main pests are aphids, red spider mite, thrips and whitefly, and on young plants slugs and snails, which can cut down a newly emerged seedling in one night. Protect the seedlings with a cut bottle or an ash barrier for the first weeks. Against aphids and whitefly use potassium soap in the late afternoon; against red spider mite, which appears in dry heat, wet the leaves in the morning and use neem oil.
Doenças
Powdery mildew is practically unavoidable and shows as white dust on the upper leaf surface, above all from midsummer on. It is checked with potassium bicarbonate or sulphur applied at the first signs, together with removal of old leaves and good airflow. Cucurbit downy mildew gives angular yellow patches bounded by the veins and thrives in coastal humidity. Anthracnose and collar rot appear in waterlogged soil. Use a four year rotation and clear all crop debris at the end of the season, because that is where the fungi overwinter.
Colheita
For eating, pick the fruit while young and tender, with skin that marks under a fingernail. For use as a container or object, leave the fruit on the plant until the stalk dries completely, then cure it somewhere dry and airy for three to six months, turning it now and then. Mould appears on the surface during curing, which is normal and cleans off at the end. The reference colour is light green, and that is what tells you it is ready.
