Any advice on growing cucamelon?

[4390evans]

I got some seeds today and the general instructions are on the back but does anyone else have any advice? Like do I restrict roots to force fruit?

[Monster]

What do you mean by cucamelon? Do you mean Melothria scabra/mousemelons or the actual cucumber/melon hybrids?

I grew 2 M. scabra plants last year with my cucumbers and I just sort of left them to it, I just pinched them out/cut them back a bit when they got too big. They produced more than enough fruits without any messing about, just keep picking them.

ETA: mine took a little bit longer to get going than my cucumbers but when the weather warmed up they really caught up.

If you mean the cucumber/melon hybrids (more deserving of the name cucamelon imo!) then...no idea, sort of want to try them one day though!

[cptncrackoff]

Hi 4390evans!

I grew cucamelons last year in the greenhouse,three plants,kept them in small pots, watered well and they basically took over the greenhouse!
Very easy to grow, I neglected them a bit and still had literally hundreds of fruits per plant.
The vines are very thin so easy enough to get rid of when they die back.
I'm not entirely sure I like the taste...but the kids do!

[seasprout]

Sowed my first ever seeds today.

[Zelenina]

What do you mean by cucamelon? Do you mean Melothria scabra/mousemelons or the actual cucumber/melon hybrids?

She almost certainly means Melothria scabra, because cucamelon has become the most-used common name for it in the UK.

I don't think anyone has yet succeeded in actually hybridising a cucumber with a melon, although many have tried. I've seen some seed suppliers vaguely suggesting that a variety they are selling is such a hybrid. But they turned out to be a type of pure botanical melon (Cucumis melo) that has fruit that look and taste rather like cucumbers in their immature stage, and are used as cucumbers. They become more obviously melon-like as they mature.

One type of these are often called Armenian cucumbers, and they also have the long narrow shape of a cucumber but with more distinct ridges, and sometimes dark stripes. Another type are the carosello "cucumbers" from the Puglia region of Italy. These are usually shorter and dumpier than most regular cucumbers, and some are shaped like a small melon.

[4390evans]

Fab thanks guys, not much on the web about them really. Well nothing that goes into detail.

[Zelenina]

Try YouTube. Here's one about sowing the seeds, from the Claire's allotment series.
https://youtu.be/pL2nIJTIWng
There are more in the same series about growing and harvesting them.

and here's another one
https://youtu.be/EQLsAprBmqw

[ladylottie]

Hi, I grew four cucamelon plants last year outside in a sheltered spot under a wall. They were in 6 inch pots and they grew like wildfire! The stems are very thin but that didn't seem to hold them back and I got quite a lot of fruit from them. They look quite pretty I suppose, like a large grape-sized melon with green stripes. They tasted strongly of cucumber.

I had seen them on Sean's Allotment Garden programme and decided to give them a try.

However I won't be growing them again this year, (they just aren't for me) - I'll stick with my normal cucumbers.

[Monster]

Fab thanks guys, not much on the web about them really. Well nothing that goes into detail

Well, to be honest there isn't too much to say, they are one of those plants that you can just leave to it without any fussing IME. Almost tempted to grow them instead of cucumbers rather than both, except the cucumber I've started growing is almost as laid back and they don't taste quite the same.

[DannyK]

Grew some outside in grow bag. Yield and flavour overhyped.

Maybe fun for kids, but there's a good reason why some veg are "unusual"!

They form large tubers which can be overwintered.

Try good outdoor cu like Cucumber - Natsuhikari F1 | Tucker's.

[Mark Lottie]

My cucamelon tubers didnt survive an overwinter in a heated greenhouse btw

Personally I gave the seeds away after one season. They taste like lime, like how 9v batteries taste like lime. They are just tiny, more fibrous and seedy (chewy) cucumbers that are a bit sharp. I dont see the point.

Don't know if you got them because of the Suttons/James Wong marketing; I like James Wong and some of his weird plants, but his descriptions can be a bit misleading. His White Soul strawberries do not " pack all the flavour of a ripe pineapple". That is just nonsense. They taste like rubbish strawberries that maybe got dipped in Lilt a bit.

Tomatillos dont taste like tomato + lime, so dont fall for that one either. Tomatillos ARE worth growing though.

[ancee]

Mine are just coming through. i put them whole in salads, I'm a bit salad mad though. They are like a cucumber that's a bit sour in taste, but I like sour easy to grow and not worried if they're forgotten about. Tomatillos are fab too, really great in salsa, again I'm a big salsa fan! Ooh summer, salsa, salad... I can't wait : D