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How to Grow and Care for Cucamelons (melothria scabra)

cucamelons
Tiny cucamelons look like miniature watermelons.
Cucamelons (melothria scabra), also known as Mexican Sour Gherkins, mouse melons, and Mexican sour cucumbers look like a tiny watermelon, but have a flavor all of their own. They are said to taste a bit like a pickled cucumber with their tangy, tart flavor. While some claim they have  a hint of lime, others think the undertone is closer to a lemon. You'll need to try them yourself to find out for sure!

Planting Cucamleons

Choosing a Location for Cucamelons

 Choose an area that receives full sun for six to eight hours a day. Keep in mind that you do not need six hours of consecutive exposure. As long as the total number of hours adds up to at least six hours, some shade during parts of the day is fine.

Preparing the Soil for Cucamleons

Like cucumbers, the Mexican gherkin prefers fertile, well-drained soil. Add plenty of organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, and work it into the top six inches of your soil. This improves both drainage and aeration while adding vital nutrients to the soil. 

​Apply 10-10-10 or 5-10-10 fertilizer following the recommended application rate on the container and work it into the soil.​

Planting Cucamelon Seeds

Cucamelons can be direct sown in the garden once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Cucamelon seeds germinate best at soil temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees F.

​Sow the seeds to a depth of ½ inch, spaced 6 to 12 inches apart in rows or hills. Cover the seeds with soil and firm it down gently with your hands to secure the seeds.

Watering Cucamelons

 Moisten the soil and keep it moist until your cucamelons emerge in 4 to 13 days. Once seedlings emerge and are established, reduce water to once or twice a week or whenever the soil feels dry to the touch 1 inch below the surface.

Provide a Trellis for your Cucamelons

Cucamelons produce long vines similar to cucumber vines. They do best if they are trained to climb a trellis ofr fence. Erect the trellis when you plant the seeds so it will be ready when they begin to grow.

Fertilizing Cucamelons

Apply water-soluble fertilize, like Miracle-Gro, to your cucamelons when they begin to vine. Repeat every 10 to 14 days as needed. Use the health of your cucamelons as a guide to detetermine if they need additional fertilizer.

Harvesting Cucamelons

 Begin picking your cucamelons once they reach fullsize. Picking the ripe melons every day will keep them producing for weeks. Allowing ripe melons to remain on the vine sends a message to the plant that it has produced enough fruit (and seeds) to reproduce and it will stop sending out new blooms and fruit.

Can you plant cucamelons from seedlings?

If you prefer to start your cucamelons from seedlings instead of direct sowing the seeds, you will likely need to strat the seedlings inside yourself in early spring. Seeds are readily available at online seed companies and may be listed a mouse melons, but finding seedlings at the nursery may prove to be a challenge. 
​

How do you plant cucamelon seedlings?

Choose a location and prepare the soil as outlined above. Plant the seedlings to the orginal planting depth in their pots. Firm fresh soil around the seedlings to secure the plants. Water to saturate the soil and keep the soil moist until you see new growth on the seedlings. Reduce watering to once or twice a week or whenever the soil feels dry 1 inch below the surface.
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables