28 May Mon 2018
Ask Arlene about Cucamelons and droughts ©
Ask Arlene about Cucamelons and droughts ©
By Arlene Wright-Correll
A recent email question asked, “What are Cucamelons?”
Cucamelons (Melothria scabra) are also called Mexican sour gherkins or mouse melons. They are close relatives of cucumbers and other cucurbits and are native to Mexico and Central America and have been grown for centuries. Here in the U.S. we've only just "discovered" them. They are probably the cutest little things I've ever grown. They are rare.
Like their cucumber cousins, cucamelons are monoecious, meaning male and female flowers are borne separately on each plant. The male flowers provide the pollen while the female flowers will go on to produce the fruit. The flowers are very tiny being a 1/6 inch tiny and the little, iridescent native bees love them! Even if you don't harvest the fruit, they make a great pollinator plant.
Don't let the plants ramble; instead, grow them up a trellis or fence of some sort. If they're left to spread out over the ground, harvesting them will be a major pain. There are so many fruits; you'd be bending over for hours just to harvest them all.
The seeds are extremely small, but they hold a lot of potential. Don't plant the entire seed packet, unless you plan to eat a lot of cucamelons! Start with a dozen seeds at most. You can always grow more the following year.
Each fruit is about the size of a grape, but the texture is far crunchier than you'd expect. They make delicious little dill pickles just by using one of those pre-packaged dill pickle spice blends you can get at the grocery store. The seeds are carried by Home Farm Herbery.
Another email question asks, “How Do You Garden in a Drought?”
The seasons are changing. Here I have notice for the past 2 years that February really doesn’t end until April and September is like July. Thus we act accordingly. At Home Farm Herbery we tend to use raised beds, straw bale gardening. You can grow a lot in a 4 ft x 4 ft or 4 x 8 ft raised bed and it doesn’t take a lot of watering.
If your property is not large enough to have holding ponds then seriously consider rain barrels to catch all that early spring rain. Everyone has their garden favorites, but open your mind and your palate to varieties more suited to your climate and changing weather patterns. When buying seeds, look at the plant descriptions and choose varieties that are heat tolerant. Most squashes, pumpkins, melons and beans do very well in the heat, though they still need irrigated. There are so many things that we have no control over, and the best we can do is to adapt to the changing conditions
May the Creative Force be with you as you tread the earth lightly!
Arlene Wright-Correll