Guest Columnist
For those who like to try something new, consider planting cucamelons (Melothria scabra) in 2017. The fruit, which looks like a miniature watermelon, is about the size of a firm grape, but tastes like a cucumber with a slightly lime flavor.
Native to Central America and Mexico, they've been around for several hundred years, but are only now being pushed to the forefront as an acceptable fruit. Alternate names include called mouse melon, Mexican sour gherkin, cucamelon, Mexican miniature watermelon and Mexican sour cucumber.
Highly adaptable, cucamelons can be grown in gardens, pots, raised beds, and hung from hanging baskets. In a garden, plants can be placed as close as 6" apart. The only restriction is that if grown from the ground, they must have a support whether from string, cage, pole, trellis, etc. Once the main vine gets to 8', clip off the tip and trim secondary vines. Why? I don't know, but the literature says to do so.
Maximum vine length is usually about 10'. Trim the secondary vines to ensure they don't expand to take over the garden! Though they initially need plenty of water, once established they're fairly drought tolerant, and they're pretty much ignored by garden pests.
Seeds can be sown in May, but for maximum production, start in pots not later than early March, as cucamelons are notoriously slow starters, taking as much as 21-28 days before a shoot appears. Once they get started, growth is fairly fast, with first fruits occurring in early July.
Finding seeds is somewhat difficult but Commonwealthseeds.com should have an ample supply. Put cucamelons in an empty bowl with toothpicks, add to a salad, pickle, add to a martini, or come up with your own ideas! We should have cucamelons transplants at the NTCC plant sale on 01 April.
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