Foreign Friday. Volksvreemde Vrydag

Cucamelon/Mexikaanse Suur Komkommertjies (Melothria scabra)

Due to the space limitations of my backyard vegetable patch runner vegetables and fruit like squash, pumpkins, melons, watermelons and cucumbers were never an option. That's until I read about cucamelons on the ever-creative James Wong's site. I read that they resembled miniature watermelons (and therefore were also known as Mouse Melons) and tasted like a mixture between cucumber and lime. Interesting.

Furthermore, they could be grown on trellises, and were apparently rampant growers as well. Sounded like a good deal to me! After quite an extensive search I sourced a few seeds from the online site Organic Seeds for a very reasonable price.

The seeds went into a large container filled with compost and manure enriched potting soil. I planted them middle September, and by the end of September virtually all of the seeds had germinated. At first the plants seem to be slow growers, but after they started to form their first tendrils, they shot up virtually over night. By mid-November, my cucamelons looked like this:

Cucamelons, with chives and peppers as companions

By December I wanted to cry in frustration. The same cucamelon forest that looked so promising initially, looked terrible. I made a mistake many novice gardeners do; I planted them in the wrong location. The cucamelons trail up directly against a north-facing wall, and the sun ruthlessly burned all the top leaves and new growth. Most of the dainty yellow flowers simply fell off  due to the radiating heat. NO!!!

Sun damage to cucamelon bushes/Sonskade aan my arme Mexikaanse Suur Komkommertjies

On Christmas Day 2013, therefore, I was very glad to see at least one cucamelon developing. Even if only to taste them and see whether I would give them a go again next year.

Small cucamelon developing

It's now early January 2014 and my first cucamlon harvest came in. A measly three, but a harvest nonetheless. Note to self; never plant cucamelons, or any trailing vegetable or fruit for that matter, directly against a north-facing wall!

Thee little cucamelons/Drie Mexikaanse Suur Komkommertjies

And the verdict? They taste surprisingly refreshing and have a lovely crunchy texture. I would say much more cucumber than lime, but way crunchier. I will definitely plant these mini-cucumbers again! Have you planted anything exotic recently?

Botanical Name: MELOTHRIA SCABRA
Common Name: Cucamelon, Mexican Sour Gherkin/Cucumber, Mouse Melon
Volksnaam: Mexikaanse Suur Komkommertjie
Native to: Mexico and central America
Date planted/sowed: Mid-September
Ease to grow: Grows easily, but requires sun and something to climb over
Costs: R20.00 for a packet of 15 seeds
Notes: Plant away from a wall receiving full sun, and space farther apart (15cm or more)