A vining mini watermelon doppelganger, hailing from the Americas, Cucamelon Seeds is a superb and trouble-free variety to grow. Masses of grape-sized watermelon lookalikes are produced summer long and pop in your mouth with crunchy cucumber juiciness and citrus overtones. Drought resistant and virtually pest and maintenance-free, use these tasty treats in salads, stir-fries, salsas, pickled, or simply eaten raw off the vine. They will not disappoint.
- Pack size: 15 seeds
- Time to germination: 7 -14 days
- When to sow inside: March – December
- When to sow outside: April - May
- Spacing: 30 - 40cm
- Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained
- Light preference: Full sun, part shade
- When to harvest: July - September
How to grow Cucamelons from seed
When sowing your Cucamelon Seeds at a depth of 1cm (blunt end down), keep them warm. 20-24 degrees is ideal. After germination, place on a sunny windowsill, or as we recommend, under LED lights, to grow on and develop in 8cm biodegradable pots. Plant out, pot and all, once the chance of frost has passed.
Plant your seedlings in the greenhouse or in a sunny sheltered spot with a means to climb and sprawl. You can provide canes and netting, train them up a wall or simply allow them to ramble through a hedge. Cucamelons are large vining plants, so pinch out the main growing tip at 2.5 metres and the laterals at 40cm for maximum fruit production. Alternatively, and as we prefer, grow two plants and forget about them for a bountiful, maintenance-free harvest of grape-sized fruit over the summer months.
Harvest when grape or olive-sized and firm for the best crunch and flavour.
Cucamelons have a tap root similar to that of a radish which you can dig up and overwinter. Place in a barely moist bucket of compost in a frost-free place and replant the following spring for an earlier harvest.
What to feed your Cucamelon plants
Cucamelons thrive in moist and free-draining soil. Whilst not totally necessary, amending the soil with some garden compost or well-rotted manure, and a handful of blood fish and bone meal will leave you in good stead.
Keeping pests away
Drought, pest, and disease resistant. Couldn’t be simpler.