imilar in their appearance and requirements for growth.  You can train them to grow up, but they are prostrate by nature. They have sprawling vines, usually with tendrils. Each vine bears many large, lobed leaves. On all cucurbits, except for the bottle gourd, the flowers are bright yellow. Each vine bears two kinds of flowers: pistillate (female) and staminate (male). Cucurbits are warm season crops which grow best during periods of warm nights and warm days.
 
There are dwarf and/ or bush types enable gardeners with limited space to enjoy the fresh home grown taste of cucumbers, watermelons, and squash. These plant types require substantial growing space, but I save space by training vines onto vertical structures.  You can even grow them on an arbor and that will conserve garden space. All curcurbits require full sun to grow well. You will need to plant them in welldrained, neutral or slightly alkaline soil with a pH of 7.0.  If you have poor soil with a lot of clay I suggest you add organic matter. Peat, compost or rotted manure can be added to improve heavier soils. Light, sandy soils are preferred for northern gardens, as they warm quickly in the spring. For good growth, work fresh animal manure or a cover crop into the soil in the fall, or well-rotted manure or compost into the soil before planting. Spread the organic matter to a depth of 2 inches and work it into the soil 6-8 inches deep. If limited organic matter is available, concentrate it in the area where the seed is expected to be planted. Your local extension service can test your soil for a nominal fee. Its a good idea to this even if you have a long standing garden as things change.  The test results will inform you of nutrients that are present in the soil, as well as the soil pH.  Fertilization Cucurbits require low nitrogen and high potassium and phosphorous for good fruit development. I have been using organic  fish fertilizer the past few seasons with a lot of success.  I find that adding to much nitrogen doesn't produce as much fruit.  You can find a 5-10-5 fertilizer at your local garden center and this type tends to work quite well.