The all-rounder guide to sowing, growing and harvesting the delicious cucamelons!
Popularly known as Mouse Melons, Mexican Sour Gherkin or Little Watermelons, the cucamelons are tiny fruits that taste like a combination of cucumber dipped in lime. You might be fooled by the appearance of a baby watermelon. It is nothing near it! Here is all you need to know about the fantastic fruit and how to grow them.
You can make about everything with cucamelons. They can be pickled, sliced, salted or garnished and added to salsa recipes.
If you don’t have green thumbs, cucamelons are perfect for your garden! They are easy to grow and are not sensitive to dry spells. They don’t have a much-complicated plantation process and grow quicker than ordinary.
As a gardener, you must have noticed cucamelons are not something that catches your eyes at the nursery. That is because it’s rare. You can hope to get one from a reputed seller who is involved with harvesting cucamelons.
Cucamelons require a long growing season. The chances of healthy growth indoors are high. You can sow the seeds indoors and keep them buried for 6 weeks before the frost season.
Keep the seeds buried in half an inch of the mud and keep spacing 3 inches if you plan to do it in the same ground. Keep the soil moist and have the bright sun shining for at least 8 hours in the day. If there is no action shown in the seeds, don’t panic! They might take as long as 3 weeks to sprout.
Once you are ready to plant the seedlings outdoors, you will need a few things to keep in mind. Choose a sunny area with nourished soil. Make sure the place is spacious and well-drained. Keep your seedlings 10-12 inches apart and give room for the vines to spread.
Once you have the cucamelons thriving, there are few guidelines you must follow. Water the plants with two inches of water per week. Make sure the soil is dry again before re-watering it the next week. Cucamelons can take drought better than waterlogging. Using fertilisers and natural compost will boost the growth and quality of your plant.
The flowering climbers on the vines turn into fruits shortly. You can harvest the cucamelons when they are the size of a grape.
