wax gourd (winter melon)

[Patchofdirt]

Anyone grow Chinese wax gourds? I have a terrible time growing cukes because of beetles. Once I remove the row cover for pollination, cukes get eaten alive and die from wilt.

So, I've thought about trying to grow wax gourds as a possible mild tasting cuke substitute. I grew luffa last year, but they didn't grow too well because of the cool weather.