Shaped like an oversized apple, these hard-shelled gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) grow six to eight inches tall and four to six inches across. In India, young fruit is added to curries. The skin is ...

(Author's note: When I started writing this column 26 years ago — oh, yes, before the turn of the century — it was only to be a few months in the summer. But seeing that gardening was becoming very ...