Description

Cute, grape-sized fruits look like tiny watermelons with a cucumber flavor, often with a hint of tartness. Pickle and add to a martini for a fun visual twist! Also called sandita or Mexican sour gherkin because the fruits turn more sour as they mature. Long vines up to 10' produce plenty of “watermelons” to harvest from summer to fall. A terrific container or hanging basket variety!

Botanical Name: Melothria scabra
Days to Maturity: 70 days
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Native: Mexico, Central America
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Plant Dimensions: 5'–10' long vines
Variety Information: 1″ long, oval, smooth-skinned, green fruits with dark green markings. Interior is white.
Attributes: Good for Containers

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is 70°–90°F.
When to Start Inside: Recommended for short-season areas. 2 to 4 weeks before transplanting within 2 weeks after your average last frost date. Sow into biodegradable pots that can be directly planted in the ground; roots are sensitive to disturbance.
Days to Emerge: 4–13 days
Seed Depth: ¼”
Seed Spacing: 2–3 seeds per mound
Row Spacing: 4'
Thinning: Not required.

Harvesting: Pick fruits when about the size of a grape or under 1″ long for best flavor. As fruits mature, sourness increases and they can get increasingly seedy. Cut the stem rather than pulling at the fruit. Dunk the harvest in cold water to disperse field heat.

This packet sows up to 8 mounds. 24 seeds in the packet.