The world's first domesticated vegetable may well have been the squash - evidence of 10,000 year old cultivation of squash has been found in Mexican caves.   Grains were domesticated a couple of thousand years earlier.

Sadly, I'm a bit too far north to be able to grow the squash family reliably outside - but I enjoy cooking them, so I keep trying.

Technique

• In May, dig holes 12 inches square, and 12 inches deep.   Fill the holes with a mixture of soil and compost or well-rotted manure - make sure you have a mound on the top.
  • For cucumbers, the holes should be 18 inches apart;
  • for bush squash, 24 inches apart;
  • for trailing squash, 48 inches apart;
• Two weeks later, in late May or early June, plant three seeds edgeways, 1 inch deep, a few inches apart, in the centre of each mound.   Cover with a cloche, to aid germination.
• Keep the cloche on for a few weeks, and remove the weakest two seedlings.
• Cucumbers - pinch out the growing tip when the plants have 6 or 7 leaves.   Allow the side shoots which develop to trail, or train them up strong netting.   Pinch out any shoots not bearing flowers at the 7th leaf.
• Trailing Squash - pinch out the tips of the main shoots when they reach 2 feet long.
• All are very thirsty plants indeed, and need LOTS of water around (not on) the plants.   The soil must always be moist.
  • Handy hint - cut the bottom off a large pop bottle, and stick it neck-down well into the soil (not a bad idea to leave a cane sticking up to show through the growing plant!).   Filling the bottle gets water right down to the roots.
• Place black polythene or a mulch round the plants before fruits start to form.
• In cold weather, you may have to help marrows - pull a male flower, bend back the petals, and insert it into the female flower (small marrow behind the flower) to ensure fertilisation.
• Feed the plants every couple of weeks with comfrey tea, tomato fertiliser, or equivalent after the fruits have started to swell.
  • If you want larger fruits for winter storage, limit the pumpkins or squashes to 2 or 3 per plant.   Just nip out the growing tips, and remove excess flowers.
• Harvesting - all will benefit from continuous picking to encourage further fruiting.   Cut the fruits with a very sharp knife - don't tug the stalks!
  • Gherkins (young cucumbers) can be picked at about 4 inches long.
  • Cucumbers at 6-8 inches long.
  • Apple Cucumbers when they are the size of a duck's egg.
  • Courgettes at 4 inches long.
  • Marrows at 8-10 inches long.
  • for Marrows, Pumpkins, and Squashes for winter storage, allow the fruits to mature on the plants and remove them before any frost.   Store them in a cool room, and they should keep at least until Christmas.
• I haven't had much success sowing indoors, and transplanting - not enough light on a windowsill, and hardening off is not easy.   Worth a go, with newspaper pots?   I may also try "pop bottle cloches" this year though - give them a bit of help in the first couple of weeks.

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