PREMIER SEEDS DIRECT - CUCAMELON - 65 Finest Seeds

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I love planting cucamelons in our vegetable garden. In fact, I love them so much, they’re featured in my award-winning book, Veggie Garden Remix! Cucamelon plants are easy to grow and prolific, with each producing hundreds of small oval fruits that look like tiny watermelons but taste a lot like cucumbers. With more gardeners wanting to grow cucamelons, many nurseries are now offering seedlings. Yet savvy gardeners can easily grow their own plants by starting cucamelon seeds indoors in mid-spring. Day 6 – They can be moved to the garden anytime. If the night temperatures are still chilly, wait another few days to transplant, or cover the plants with a cloche or mini hoop tunnel.

How to grow cucamelons - Suttons Gardening Grow How

Sow your cucamelon seeds during April and May. Ideally, you should use a propagator or plant your seeds in the greenhouse where a steady temperature of 22-24ºC (71-75ºF) allows them to germinate in around 10 days. Sow the seed 1 cm deep, with the blunt end facing downwards. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transfer them into 9cm (3½″) pots to grow on. As noted above, cucamelon plants are vigorous vines that love to climb. I usually plant a cucamelon vine on either side of my bean tunnels to mix with the various pole bean varieties, but I also plant them at the base of wire A-frame trellises or cucumber trellises. They are natural climbers and you don’t have to worry about helping the plants attach to their supports. Their tendrils latch on securely and propel the plants UP! Cucamelon have a vine growing habit and in native country can be an invasive plant. Vines are spindly and fruits, unlike the name given, do not taste of melon, and as best described as crisp cucumber with a hint of lime. Here's Our Guide to Growing Cucamelon: How, Where & When to Grow Cucamelon Once cucamelon seeds sprout, the plants are relatively low care. If using grow lights, keep them turned on for sixteen hours a day. Also pay attention to soil moisture. Cucamelon plants appreciate even moisture but don’t want to be sitting in water. Too much moisture may encourage root rot. I also fertilize the young plants with a half strength dose of fish emulsion fertilizer every two weeks. Cucamelons love heat so find a spot in your garden that offers full sun and shelter from strong winds. I plant cucamelons at the base of trellises, tunnels, or other strong supports. The vines look delicate but they can climb eight feet or more and produce many side-shoots. A strong structure is essential. If you have plenty of space, you can let the plants sprawl along the ground. I find it more difficult to find the small fruits when the plants are not grown vertically.Once cucamelon plants are established in the garden and growing well, they are pretty low maintenance. I keep an eye on soil moisture, watering when there has been no rain. I also mulch around each plant with straw or shredded leaves to help the soil retain moisture. To promote healthy growth and plenty of fruits, I fertilize every few weeks with an all purpose liquid organic fertilizer. Watch out for pests like cucumber beetle and diseases like powdery mildew. Spacing of 30-40cm between plants for both indoor and out door growing situations. This will ensure productive plants, provided plant support is also in place. Once the main shoot has reached a height of 2.5m (8ft), pinch out the growing tip. Pinch out the growing tips of the side shoots when they are 40cm (16″) in length.

How to Grow Cucamelons | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Before transplanting, dig a few inches of compost or aged manure into the soil. Carefully pop the plant out of its pot, handling the roots carefully as they don’t like to be disturbed. Plant the seedling into the prepared spot, firming the soil gently around the roots. Water well after planting. Trellises and tunnels for cucamelons Begin to harden off cucamelon seedlings around your last expected spring frost date. I don’t rush my plants into the garden as cucamelons are cold sensitive and can sustain damage if the temperature drops or there is a frost. Instead, I begin the process around the last frost date and plant them in my garden beds or containers seven to ten days later when the weather is more settled. Various wilts cause the vines to wilt and die. Controls are strict sanitation in the garden and greenhouse. Avoid over-watering, plant in well-drained soil, use long rotations, and use disease resistant varieties when available. Day 2 – Put them outside again but introduce them to an hour or two of early morning or late afternoon sun. Bring them indoors at night if the temperature is forecast to fall below 50 F (10 C). Gardeners in warmer climates – zone 7 and above – don’t need to start their seeds indoors. Their season is long enough to direct seed in garden beds once the risk of frost has passed. Cucamelon seeds are quite small so don’t plant them too deeply. Provide bottom heat by placing the trays on a heating mat. This helps speed up germination. Planting cucamelon seedsDay 3 – Give them a half day of sun, but bring them indoors at night if the temperature is forecast to fall below 50 F (10 C). Harvest cucamelons when the fruits are three-quarters to one and half inches long. Harvest often for the highest quality fruits. How to plant cucamelons in a garden