Sweet cucumber, melon pear, or What is pepino: fruit or vegetable? Pepino fruit (melon tree): photo, species, growing at home Soil requirements.

The most popular varieties are Ramses, Consuelo. The fruits of this exotic have a dessert taste, we can say that they are dietary, as they contain easily digestible sugars, are rich in iron, vitamins, ascorbic acid. They are consumed fresh, salads are prepared from them, pickled, salted, compotes and jams are cooked.

This amazing culture borrowed some morphological features from their relatives from the nightshade family. For example, its flowers are similar to potatoes, and the leaves are like peppers. The stems of a melon pear without a garter descend to the ground and take root. The leaves of the plant can be simple and multi-lobed (depending on the variety). Fruits on pepino are tied without pollination. At different varieties they are not the same in size, shape (round, elongated-conical, flat-round), color. It can be orange, cream, yellowish. Stripes give an exotic look to fruits: purple, violet, brown. When ripe, they have a sweet, delicate taste. Their flesh is juicy and aromatic. The smell and taste of pepino berries resemble melon with a slight aftertaste of pineapple, mango. Their weight is from 50 to 750 grams, it depends on the growing conditions. Undamaged melon pear fruits, packed in paper, are stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

Biological features

Melon pear is a light-loving and moisture-loving culture, therefore it needs frequent watering. At a painfully high daytime temperature, the leaves of the plant lose a lot of moisture, as a result of which they droop, curl, and the ovary falls off. Pepino fruits also have a negative effect on sudden changes in humidity, due to which large ovaries can crack, but even in this form they do not deteriorate for a long time.

reproduction

The melon pear is propagated by cuttings and seeds, which are sown in late January, early February. Since they are small, they do not need to be buried in the ground. It is enough to lightly sprinkle with earth. Seedlings appear within five to seven days, they have good germination. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings dive. At first, it grows slowly, but by the time of landing it reaches about 10 centimeters in height and has seven to eight leaves. To avoid picking, several seeds are sown in peat tablets or cups. Unfortunately, not all varieties of melon pear produce full-fledged seeds, so it is better to propagate pepino with rooted cuttings, which are taken from overwintered mother bushes around mid-February.

Transplanting

For planting seedlings of a melon pear, light, fertile soil with neutral acidity. Suitable predecessors: beans, onions, cucumbers, garlic. Seedlings are planted in early May, having previously introduced into the soil organic fertilizers. The distance between it is 40-50 centimeters. After planting, the plants are thoroughly watered and mulched with dry soil. It is advisable to cover the seedlings with a spondbond for the first time. On sunny days, when the temperature rises, one side of the shelter can be raised. Only when stable warm weather is established, the spondbond is removed from the seedlings. Three weeks after planting, young plants should be tied to a support or trellis and begin to form a bush. Two or three shoots are left on it, the rest are removed. The central stem is tied up straight, the side ones - with a slight slope. You should know that pepino bushes a lot, so it needs pinching. Stepchildren are removed when they reach three to five centimeters in length, leaving small stumps.

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Americans and Japanese eat pepino for dessert, New Zealanders add these berries to a variety of dishes, adding spice to taste.

Pepino is stored for the winter: dried, canned, pickled and frozen. She saved people from thirst more than once.

What is a melon pear and how to grow it in a garden bed, we'll talk in the article.

Description

Melon pear (otherwise pepino or sweet) is an evergreen shrub of the Solanaceae family.

The leaves are oblong with thick, dense skin. Inflorescences - blue with purple tint. Fruits are 93% water. The shape of the berries is varied: from round to oblong.

The fruits vary greatly in size and weight. The weight of one berry ranges from 50 to 750 g. The ripe fruit has a cream or purple-yellow color, specks and longitudinal stripes of lilac-purple color appear on some varieties.

The pulp of a ripened melon pear is light yellow in color, juicy. There are small seeds inside. The flavor of the tropical fruit is reminiscent of melon and ranges from sugary honey to sour, depending on variety, growing conditions and ripening time.

Note: under insufficient lighting and non-observance of growing conditions, pepino resembles the taste of cucumbers.

Many varieties of melon pear are known, but the most common of them are:

• Consuelo;
• Ramses;
• Pegasus;
• Favorite.

What is useful

Pepino fruits are enriched with vitamins B, PP, A, C, K, Fe, pectin, fiber, carboxylic acids and large quantity iodine.

Percent net food product is about 7%. Low acid, so it can be eaten by people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases.

In medicine, melon pear is a good helper in the treatment of skin diseases and respiratory tract infections.

Growing features

The main advantage of the melon pear is the possibility of growing it not only in the garden, but simply on the balcony, terrace and even in the apartment.

To do this, you just need to comply with some requirements:

• the air temperature should be above +13°C, and during the growing season +24 - +28°C;
• the temperature should be constant, without sudden changes;
• air humidity should reach 75 - 80%;
• the soil should be as loose as possible and constantly moistened;
• protect the bush from wind and drafts.

Pepino can be propagated by seeds and cuttings.

from seed

To harvest in the summer, seeds should be sown as early as the end of November, as the plants develop very slowly.

Growing seeds:

1. 1. To begin with, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and left in a dark and warm place.
   2. After a couple of days, when the first signs of germination appear, the seedlings are planted in the ground.
   3. The seed tray is covered with a film or glass to create a greenhouse effect that will speed up the germination process of the plant.
   4. Put the tray with seedlings in warm place(from 20 to 25°C), where the temperature will be constant to avoid injury to the ovaries. Monitor soil moisture - moisten every 2-3 days.

Take note: pepino fruits grown from seeds are less juicy than fruits grown by cuttings, and the yield is 20-25% less.

1. After about 10 days, the first shoots will appear. It is necessary to remove the film (glass) for the penetration of oxygen to the sprouts.
2. When the first 2-3 leaves from each seedling appear, you can start picking. Only the strongest sprouts are transplanted into pots.
3. After picking, cover each pot with a film, and place the pots themselves under the lamp, keeping a distance of 10 - 15 cm. The backlight should be around the clock. Thus, an impromptu greenhouse will turn out.
4. It is necessary to monitor the soil moisture and at least once a day open the created greenhouse for oxygen access to the sprouts.
5. In the first month of life, culture develops slowly. Don't worry, this is a normal process. By the time of transfer to permanent place the sprout should show 8-9 leaves.

From cuttings

More reliable way breeding pepino - cuttings.

Cuttings are separated from the overwintered plant in mid-February. For this you need:

1. Cutting down upper part shoot with 7 leaves.
2. Remove the bottom 2 sheets, and shorten the next 2 by half. This will reduce the evaporation of moisture and the stalk will take root faster.
3. Place the cutting in a container of water so that the lower leaves do not sink into it.
4. After 5 - 7 days, the cuttings should be planted in the ground, previously impregnated with foundation, since by this time the roots have already reached 1.5 - 2 cm in length.
5. The pot with the seedling should be placed in a warm place and covered with a film.
6. Pepino cuttings take root in a week and without the addition of stimulants.

Landing

Certainly, the best option for planting pepino is a greenhouse.

Landing can be done as early as mid-April. Thus, the vegetation process of the plant is prolonged, allowing to obtain early fruits.

If there is no greenhouse, the bush can be planted in open ground, but only in May, making sure that there are no night frosts.

But even in the garden for the first time, it is recommended to build a small film cover to protect against winds and possible cooling. During the day, the greenhouse opens to allow oxygen to reach the plant. The film is removed when the weather becomes consistently warm.

If the melon pear grows in your house in a pot, then on warm days the plants need to be taken out to the balcony - the more light and access fresh air the sweeter the fruits.

Care

It is very important to tie up and stepson the pepino bush in time.

It has long been noticed that a plant that lies on the ground ceases to bloom and bear fruit. And, although the pepino bush is strong in itself, it can still break under the weight of pouring fruits.

Therefore, you need to take care of the installation of the support (install the poles and stretch the wire between them). And already 20 - 25 days after planting pepino in the ground, you need to start forming a bush:

• first of all, they form the basis of the bush - they leave the three strongest sprouts, the rest are simply removed;
• these three shoots are tied to the bottom wire: the central one is up, the other 2 are to the sides;
• further, as the plant grows, the stems are tied up vertically.

It is necessary to regularly water, loosen the ground and clean the beds from weeds. An audit is carried out every week - the newly formed stepchildren are cut off in order to save everything nutrients necessary for the ripening of juicy fruits.

Organic fertilizers are applied twice: the first - after rooting of seedlings, the second - at the stage of fruit formation. On sunny days, it is useful to shake the plants by hitting the support with a stick so that the pollen gets on the stigma.

Disease protection

Black leg disease

The melon pear is affected by the same diseases as the entire Solanaceae family.

The most dangerous are root rot that develops in waterlogged soils, and seedling disease with a black leg. In autumn, the fruits are often affected by Alternariosis.

To protect against diseases, the same remedies are often used as for other Solanaceae.

For example, microbiological preparations Alirin-B, Baksis, etc. will help against root rot.

Harvesting

The ripening period of the pepino fruit is 75 - 90 days.

You can harvest throughout the summer, as the berries on the same bush ripen at different times. If the fruits did not have time to ripen before the end of the season, they are harvested earlier, leaving them in a warm and dry place, where they reach condition in a few months.

Gardener's advice: the crop must be harvested with special care, leaving the stalk on the berry.

Pepino do not like bruises and dents, so each berry needs a separate package (for example, in a newspaper). It is important to pick the berries on time, as the overripe fruit differs significantly in taste.

Feel free to experiment, surprise your friends and acquaintances with exotic tastes!

How to grow this exotic fruit like a melon pear, watch and listen to expert advice in the following video:

Melon pear, or pepino, is an ancient plant that came to us from Peru. At times Alexander III pepino fruits were exhibited at agricultural exhibitions. The culture grew in all palace greenhouses until 2017. Then they forgot about pepino, but since the 1980s they began to grow it again in amateur plots.

Description of pepino

Melon pear is evergreen shrub the nightshade family. Its leaves are like those of a pepper or a potato; flowers do not differ from potato; the bush at first grows slowly, like an eggplant; take care of like tomatoes. Only the fruit is unique. Depending on the variety, it can be round, cylindrical, heart-shaped, elongated-oval. The skin is yellow or orange with purple stripes.

Blooming melon pear

On the cut pepino looks like a melon: there are thick fleshy walls (4–5 cm) and a seed chamber. There are very few or no seeds inside. The pulp is pear-like in texture, in overripe fruits it is juicy and melts in the mouth. The taste can be both sweet dessert and simple vegetable, reminiscent of pumpkin, cucumber or zucchini. The aroma is always melon, it can be bright or mild.

Almost all pepino have a rounded shape, tapering towards the tip, painted in different shades yellow with dark stripes, similar to a melon or pumpkin when cut

Pepino is propagated by cuttings. They can be ordered online from amateur breeders or private collectors. Seeds are sold in ordinary gardening stores. If they are not available in your city, then order online, for example, in the Gavrish store. This company, by the way, has developed two varieties of pepino, zoned for all regions of the Russian Federation: Ramses and Consuelo.

Video: how Consuelo and Ramses grow up

Grow a melon pear in a greenhouse, open ground and on a windowsill. Pepinos from seeds often do not replicate parental traits. From one bag, you can grow plants that differ in leaf shape, fruit size and taste.

Varieties of melon pear

In total, there are 25 varieties of pepino in the world. Officially, in Russia there are only two (from "Gavrish"), adapted to the climate of the middle zone and even Siberia. In Ukraine and in the southern regions, another 2–3 are grown.

1. Consuelo without formation grows as a sprawling bush with a height of more than 1.5 m. Ripening occurs 120 days after planting seedlings or cuttings. Fruits are heart-shaped with a blunt top, orange with longitudinal lilac stripes. The flesh is light yellow, pleasant to the taste: sweet with a strong melon flavor. Pepino weight - 420–580 g.

   Pepino Consuelo produces heart-shaped, orange striped fruits.

2. Ramses is a bush like Consuelo. Ripening period - 110 days after transplanting seedlings to the garden. The fruit is cone-shaped with a sharp top, orange. The light yellow flesh tastes sweet, the aroma is melon, but very weak. Fruit weight - 400–480 g.

   Pepino Ramses has conical fruits, tapering towards the tip.

3. Gold is also a vigorous pepino. The fruits are yellow with purple strokes, shaped like a melon. The mass of each is 350–450, and with rationing and stepsoning - up to 1–1.2 kg. To taste, Gold belongs to vegetable varieties. The pulp goes well in salads with onions, but sometimes sweet specimens also grow.

   Gold differs from other varieties in a lighter color and vegetable taste.

4. Valencia is a dessert variety of pepino. The fruits are elongated, weighing 400 g each, inside they contain sweet and moderately fragrant pulp. In full ripeness, the skin and flesh have a rich yellow-orange color.

   The unripe fruits of Valencia look like pepper pods.

5. Favorite - a variety of amateur selection, bred by gardeners from Ukraine by crossing the Peruvian pepino with Valencia. The fruits are round-conical in shape and yellow in color. They are sweeter than Valencia, juicy, with a pleasant melon flavor.

   Above is the fruit of Favorita, below - Valencia

Sowing pepino seeds

The seeds of this plant are small, like those of eggplant, germinate for a long time - about 30 days. Some gardeners managed to get seedlings after 7 days. Germination is not always high, for example, Ramses has 50%, while Consuelo has 70–80%.

Start sowing in November-December.

Further care for pepino, like for tomatoes: water and feed every 10-14 days with complex mixtures, for example, Fertika Lux. Transplant into a larger container if necessary. Pepino during the seedling period are very unpretentious, grow slowly, do not stretch. If flowering began on the windowsill, shake the bushes sharply in the morning for better pollination.

Pepino grown seedlings

Disembarkation and care

Plant pepino in a greenhouse or open ground at the same time as tomatoes. Place according to the scheme - 50x50 cm. This culture forms ovaries at a temperature not higher than +27 ° C and not lower than +18 ° C. The first fruits are tied in May-June, the second wave falls on the end of August - September. Pickup location varies by region:

• AT middle lane and Siberia, it is desirable to grow in a greenhouse or in open ground, in the sunniest areas.
• In the southern regions, where the temperature drops below +30 ° C only by the end of summer or autumn, pepino is grown in open ground, under the openwork shade of trees.

If the melon pear does not have enough light and heat, then its fruits will grow insipid, like a zucchini or a cucumber.

Video: pepino in southern Ukraine

Pepino care:

• Be sure to tie up the stems.
• Form in open ground in 1 stem, in a greenhouse - in 2–3. Stepchildren do not break out well, use pruners so as not to damage the stems.
• Feed once a week complex fertilizers for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Optimal N-P-K ratio- 5-10-10 or 0.5-1-1, that is, nitrogen should be half as much as potassium and phosphorus.
• If you see that summer is already coming to an end, and there are still a lot of ovaries and flowers on the bushes that do not have time to turn into edible fruits, then remove them. Leave only the largest pepino in the bunches.
• Protect from pests: colorado potato beetle, aphids, mites, whiteflies.
• Water, preventing drying and stagnant water, loosen and mulch the ground.

It is noted that Consuelo more fruits ties in the spring, and Ramses - both in the spring and in the fall. The sweetest fruits are obtained from spring pollination.

Harvest, pepino appointment

The ovaries formed in spring and early summer ripen on the bushes by July-August, and the second autumn harvest in the middle lane is no longer available. You can collect the poured fruits and just started to stain. They will ripen at home, like tomatoes. Treat the melon pear crop with care, the pulp of ripe fruits is crushed and quickly deteriorates in places of damage.

Salads and desserts are made from pepino, jams, jams, compotes are cooked. Unsweetened varieties are added to soups, sauces, meat and fish dishes. Pieces of pulp can be pickled, dried, frozen.

Video: child tasting pepino

Pepino cuttings and saving bushes for the next year

In most of Russia, pepino fruits do not form seeds. To save planting material before next year, bushes are cut to half in autumn, dug up with the roots, transplanted into buckets or tubs and kept in a cellar or basement. The earth during storage should be occasionally moistened so that the roots do not dry out. At the end of February, plants are brought into the house, put on sunny window, watered and fed. With the onset of heat, the melon pear is moved to the garden.

When young shoots grow on old bushes, the excess ones are cut off and rooted. Pepino cuttings actively give roots even in a glass of water. You can pick stepchildren in August from a bush growing on a garden bed, and in spring - from seedlings from seeds, which begin to branch already on the windowsill. It is noticed that stepchildren from the upper part of the bush are more precocious than those from the bottom. Pepino is grown in the room all year round without a dormant period, if it is possible to illuminate for 14-16 hours a day.

Video: pepino cuttings