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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.
Mine are doing well, but they are having some trouble getting on the trellis, I’ve added a few sticks leading to the trellis but it’s slow progress. Any tips? Also, how soon do they start having branches because they are barely 1 month old but already have 3. Thanks!
Hi Izzy, They are slow to start growing but once the summer heat hits them, they soon put on a lot of growth. It typically takes them about a month to settle in so don’t be discouraged and expect a lot of growth soon 🙂 Niki
That has been so helpful- thank you. I have an area under a pine tree. It will get plenty of morning and mid day sun. Will that work?
I have a nice looking cucamelon in a pot in our little green house. It’s at least more than a month old and I’ve got tons of leaves, vines and little flowers and cucamelons, but thet don’t seem to develop. Some are definitely more than a couple of weeks old but they aren’t growing more than the size of a little bean. What am I missing? They get watered daily because the soil tends to dry up in the heat. Help! I’m dying try the harvest!
Hi there. I started my cucamelon seeds indoors roughly 6 weeks ago. The plants have quite a few leaves and tendrils. Any tips on when I transplant them outside in a week or so when it warms up? They are in red solo cups for pot size…the only thing I could easily find when I planted them. Thank you!
Hi Sherry… I’d harden them off first and then move them outdoors about a week after the last expected frost date. I’m not sure where you are located so be sure to check for your average last frost date. If the temp drops after planting, cover the plants with row cover or another insulating material. Good luck! Niki
Hi! Some of the leaves on my cucumelon plant have turned brown and are really dry. Is there any way to fix this or is the plant just going to die? Do I cut them off and “start over”?
I’m in central BC, vanderhoof to be exact, an hour west of Prince George. Bought a couple of plants locally and got them going in our new greenhouse! they did well, got LOTS of flowers and fruit and were trellised. THEN the fruit started shrivelling and the leaves are going brown and yellow and the fruit is almost gone! Read in another area that they needed lots of water So have been … any thots of what’s wrong? I don’t think we r gonna have any to eat.
Hi thanks for the great information! I am English but am retired to northern Portugal and I sowed seeds that I bought in the U.K. in my heater propagator earlier this year. They virtually all came up within days! I’ve given some away and have three in a big pot on our balcony which, as we’re having temperatures of 40°C/104°F and face SW I water daily ! Growing well, one cucamelon that isn’t really growing bigger than my little fingernail! Lots of tiny flowers. I’ve also planted out about another 6 or so in the garden in two places. Again growing well, flowering yet still not seeing fruits big enough to eat, just the tiny ones at back of flowers! I’m frightened to feed them more in case I just get leaves! Can you help please? Thank you!
Hi Susan, great question… see my answer just above for Brenda…it’s likely a pollination issue. The female flowers aren’t getting pollinated. I hope that answer above helps!! Niki
I live in Michigan. This is my 1st year for cucamelons. They are a lush jungle growing on a trellis. How big are the fruits supposed to get before you can eat them?
Hey Sue, great question! I pick them when they’re 3/4 to just over an inch long. The really mature ones at the end of the season can get 1 1/2 inches long but at that point they’re pretty sour. We save those for seed saving. 🙂 – Niki
Niki please help! I planted a cucamelon in a pot on my deck. My husband built me a trellis and the plant seems to be looking good and growing fast. Now it has flowers and little fruit looking about the size of a grain of rice- then they seem to disappear.Do I have to have two plants -I am not sure what’s happening.
Hey Brenda, I’m hearing this a lot… it’s could be one of two things: 1) not enough pollinators. These are insect pollinated and need bees to move the pollen from male flowers to female flowers. 2) too humid. Hot, humid weather affects pollen quality and can reduce pollination success. Frustrating for sure!! You can try hand pollinating with a q-tip but those blooms are so tiny. I hope you get some cucamelons soon. Niki
Grew in large pot on 7 foot trellis. Planted in spring (April) in Dallas on South wall. Gets well watered each day. Fertilized with fish emulsion. Vine growing well. Originally put out many females a day. None pollinated. Started hand pollination. None took. It is now July. Vines currently 8 feet tall. Look very healthy. Ninety to one hundred degree days now. No longer producing females or males. Zero melons this year. What should I do different next year? Thanks for your help.