I've been growing cucuzza for several years now instead of squash. The vine borers here are awful and they don't touch cucuzza or luffa. You do have to have a place for the huge plants to grow, but they're pretty self sufficient once they establish. I grow luffa in the yard along a chain link fence with little to no amendment or care.
One drawback to growing these for food is that they don't produce too well until the Fall. They might put out a little in the Spring/early Summer, but production seems much better when the days get shorter.
Cucuzza is wonderful when picked small and used like zucchini. You can use the young leaves and grow tips as a green during the summer. A friend of mine makes a killer soup with the gourd and leaves. Luffa you really have to pick young. It gets very fibrous kind of quickly.
Good luck!
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