What the Gourd?

 Our garden, as you know if you have been keeping up with the vegetable growth this season, seems to be one big vine.  Really, several small vines that now have combined to be one large one that reaches nearly the top of the crepe myrtle tree located in the upper garden.  Or, in the Victory Garden, encircles the entire space, intertwined with the pepper and tomato plants.  One would normally be really proud of this growth and the potential veg fresh off the vine.

Only in our garden, we aren't sure what kind of squash/zucchini/pumpkin/watermelon/gourd we are growing.  We have a tendency to do this: plant stuff, forget to put the name of the plant or variety of tomato on a marker of some sort by the plant, and then wonder what in the world we are eating.  Was this the Better Boy tomato? or the Big Beef?  It really is an issue when you have large gourds on the vines.  Since we aren't really sure what it is, we aren't really sure when to pick it.  Is this a cucumber? a zucchini? In which case, it is now too large to pick and have it taste the best.  But what if it is an odd shaped watermelon or a pumpkin waiting to turn bright orange?  But, do pumpkins turn bright orange?  Or do they start off already that color?

The level of amateur gardening is really astounding when you consider how many things we are really trying to grow.  Can you identify what that is? If you can, you are a better gardener than I.