What’s the most popular crop in our vegetable garden? Easy! It’s cucamelon. The fruits, which look exactly like tiny watermelons, rarely make it into the kitchen; instead, we gobble them up by the handful, straight from the vines. The plant is a member of the cucumber family, and these inch-long fruits do have a cucumber-like flavor with a pleasing citrus tang. Growing cucamelons in garden beds and containers is an easy way to enjoy this unusual vegetable.

This post is an excerpt from the award-winning Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix © Niki Jabbour. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

Our family loves trying different kinds of cucumbers. Each summer, our cucumber beds are planted with at least a dozen species and varieties, but few look like “traditional” cucumbers. As you walk the pathways between the beds, you might notice the slender twisted fruits of ‘Painted Serpent’ hiding beneath a mound of foliage, or the weird kiwi-shaped fruits of ‘Little Potato’ climbing an A-frame trellis. You’ll also see some of the more popular heirloom cucumbers, like ‘Lemon’, ‘Crystal Apple’, ‘Boothby’s Blonde’, and ‘Poona Kheera’. And you’ll definitely find one that isn’t related but nonetheless tastes like a cucumber — the cucamelon!

Growing cucamelons – cute & crunchy!

Very rarely, you might find cucamelons at farmers markets, but they can fetch up to $20 a pound! The price alone makes it worth growing cucamelons for yourself. They’re an easy crop; the vines are very productive (they’ll produce plenty of the yummy fruits!), and they’re rarely troubled by the many insects and diseases that plague cucumbers.

Impatient gardeners will find cucamelons slow to start in the garden, with growth not taking off until the summer weather heats up. That said, they will tolerate a cooler spring better than cucumbers do, and once they’re established, cucamelons are quite a bit more drought tolerant. The long vines are delicate looking, with tendrils, thin stems, and small leaves, but don’t be fooled! This is a plant that can hold its own in the garden. People with limited growing space can plant them in a large container on a deck or patio; just be sure to provide a tall trellis or garden netting for the vigorous vines to climb.

Growing cucamelons – when to harvest?

About a week or two after you see the first flowers, begin checking for ripe cucamelons, which look like little watermelons and are about the size of a grape. They tend to hide behind the foliage, so look closely. Once they’re about an inch long, start picking. The sourness of the skin intensifies as the fruits age, so pick them young if you want to minimize the citrus bite. We start picking the first fruits in late July or early August, with the last few plucked from the vines in late October.

Cucamelons are open-pollinated and produce both male flowers and female flowers on the same plant, so you can save the seed from any ripe fruits that fall to the ground. Warm-climate gardeners will find that a few cucamelons left behind will self-seed quite easily.

There are so many ways to use these fun fruits, also called Mexican sour cucumber. As the name suggests, they’re perfect for pickling! We eat them out of hand, pack them in the kids’ lunch boxes, and take them along to picnics and barbecues. You could even pop them into your gin and tonic.

Growing cucamelons – start to finish!

Growing cucamelons is easy! Start the seeds indoors 6 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow the seed in 4-inch pots to give the plants a chance to develop a substantial root system before planting out and to minimize transplant shock. Once the risk of frost has passed, harden off the young plants and move them to the garden. The soil temperature should be at least 65 degrees F (18 degrees C) before you transplant them outdoors.

Gardeners in northern regions with unpredictable late-spring weather may wish to protect young plants with cloches, row cover, or a mini hoop tunnel. Open the ends of the tunnel during the day to regulate temperature and allow air to circulate. I usually leave the mini tunnel in place for 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how quickly summer arrives, then replace it with a trellis.

Heat, sun, and rich soil are the keys to growing success with these plants, so pick a site with full sun and amend the soil with aged manure or compost.

More cucamelon growing tips

Seriously consider trellising the plants. We grow ours on sturdy A-frame trellises; this keeps the foliage and fruit off the ground, which minimizes the risk of diseases and makes harvesting a snap. Also, unsupported plants will sprawl in every direction, quickly taking over a garden bed.

If you want to save the seeds of heirloom cucumbers and cucumber-like plants, such as burr cucumber, just let a few fruits ripen fully on the vines, or collect any fallen fruits at the end of summer. Scoop out the seeds, which will be surrounded by a gel-like coating, and place them and the flesh in a container, along with a small amount of water. Leave the mixture to ferment for 3 days (expect mold to form on the surface). The good seeds will sink to the bottom of the container; when this happens, pour off the mold, pulp, and water. Rinse the seeds left at the bottom of the container with fresh water until clean. Spread them on paper towels or a clean dishcloth and let dry for at least a week. Store the fully dried seeds in envelopes.

Cucamelon facts:

• Other names: Mexican sour gherkin, mouse melon, Melothria scabra
• Days to maturity: 75 days from transplanting
• Hails from: Mexico and Central America

For more information on growing cucamelons and related crops, check out these excellent articles:

• How to plant and grow cucamelon seeds
• How to overwinter cucamelon tubers
• 12 of the best small cucumber varieties to plant
• Growing cucumbers in containers

Order your copy of Niki’s book, Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix, which was a winner of the American Horticulture Society Book Award.