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Growing kiwano from seeds is not much different from planting and caring for ordinary cucumbers. Horned melon is more heat-loving and high-yielding, at the same time resistant to pumpkin diseases. The fruit contains many microelements that are beneficial for the body. Therefore, the culture is becoming popular in supermarkets and gardens.
What is kiwano and how is it eaten?
The annual crop from the pumpkin family, which is planted with seeds for seedlings, has several names: African, Antillean cucumber or anguria, horned, jelly melon, kiwano and others. A branched plant in the form of a vine with creeping climbing stems reaches 4-9 m in length. Thin shoots are faceted, fragile, with numerous tendrils. The leaves are large, 3- or 5-lobed, coarsely hairy. The weak root system is located close to the surface. Because of this, when growing kiwano at home, it is better to resort to mulching the soil rather than loosening it. Yellow female and male flowers are formed along the entire length of the stem in the axils of the leaves, blooming from morning to afternoon.
On one kiwano bush, up to 50-200 ovaries are created. Oval fruits are noticeable with large soft spikes, the size is close to an orange, they are 6-15 cm long. The weight of heterogeneous fruits is from 40 to 350 g, there are vegetables up to 480 g. The total harvest from one plant reaches up to 10 kg. Young kiwano fruits are covered with thick green skin with marbled patterns. As it matures, the color changes to yellowish and then orange. The jelly-like pulp is green, with numerous seeds.
To taste, kiwano is suitable as a side dish for meat and seafood. The refreshing fruit is included in appetizers or dessert salads, combined with vegetable or fruit mixtures. Choose salt, lemon or sugar for dressing. Kiwano is widely used in cooking as an ingredient for compotes, jams, an additive to fermented milk products, and soft cheese. Tiny 3-4 day old vegetable gherkins with small seeds and fleshy spines are pickled and salted. Many people like fresh juice from horned cucumber as a drink that tones the immune and gastrointestinal systems.
Where does the Kiwano fruit grow?
The plant is native to Africa, and its cultivation is now widespread on an industrial scale in many countries with warm climates. Horned melon is exported to Israel, New Zealand, and countries in South and North America. Growing African kiwano cucumber from seeds is also possible in the middle climate.
What does Kiwano taste like?
The taste of the slightly tart pulp is unusual, aromatic, and the seeds do not interfere with consumption.Notes of cucumber or zucchini, lemon, banana stand out. Some people find kiwano in common with avocado, lime, and kiwi. Dishes made from pickled or salted horned cucumber gherkins are valued by gourmets for their delicate and spicy taste.
How to grow kiwano from seeds
The exotic vegetable is propagated by seeds, which are sown in advance for seedlings.
Sowing African cucumber seeds for seedlings
Cultivation of kiwano seedlings continues in cups until transfer to a permanent place for 30 days. More often, horned cucumber seeds are sown from the 20th of April, and in regions with cooler climates - in early May. Prepare separate pots 8-9x8-9 cm, which are filled with ordinary substrate for seedlings. Kiwano prickly cucumber seeds are prepared:
- treated with a selected growth stimulant, for example, “Epin-extra”;
- germinate for 2-3 days in a warm place.
Exotic seeds are sown to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. The pots are placed in a warm place. Kiwano sprouts are provided with light and heat not lower than + 25 °C.
Transplantation into open ground
In the garden, among vegetable crops, for the African cucumber, carefully choose a place with light, well-drained soil. Kiwano prefers diffused light rather than direct sunlight - buds and small ovaries fall off in hot weather, and the leaves suffer from burns. At the same time, there must be enough light; the plant cannot be planted in the shade. Kiwano is suitable for a temperature of + 25-27 °C, development slows down if the heat drops to + 12 °C. In the greenhouse, vegetables are in familiar conditions. In open ground, exotic plants are placed under protection from gusts of wind and in light afternoon shade.They take care of supports for the vine in advance, arranging metal or wooden pyramids.
Seedlings are transferred at the end of May or at the beginning of June with an interval of 50-70 cm between growing seedlings.
Watering and fertilizing
When grown in open ground, moisture-loving kiwano is watered every other day, and more often during drought. The soil is loosened shallowly or mulched. Weeds are removed and the area is mulched.
The culture develops powerfully and forms ovaries with additional nutrition after 15-20 days:
- Mullein is bred in a ratio of 1:5;
- infuse chicken manure for a week and dissolve 1:15;
- use foliar fertilizers for vegetables;
- They use ready-made complexes of mineral fertilizers for vegetables such as “Kristalon” or “Fertika”.
Usually they water and feed after the grown fruits have been removed.
Topping
Agricultural techniques for caring for the exotic kiwano fruit when grown from seeds include:
- tying climbing stems to supports or special vertical trellises;
- obligatory pinching of the tops of vigorous side shoots where there are male flowers.
Pinch the lashes to the ovary, removing barren flowers. Flexible vines are sent in the desired direction, tied with soft material. These techniques are especially necessary when growing kiwanos in a greenhouse, where they grow profusely in an artificially created favorable climate.
Protection from diseases and pests
Like most members of the squash family, jellied cucumbers are disease and pest resistant. Ants and aphids are driven away with soap or soda solution.The mole cricket, which gnaws the roots of young kiwanos, is destroyed before planting by setting traps or using targeted drugs.
Features of growing Kiwano
Horned cucumber bears fruit in short day conditions. There is no need to sow kiwano seeds early for growing in open ground or a greenhouse. The plant blooms in the second half of summer.
Growing kiwano in the Moscow region
According to reviews, growing kiwano in the middle climate zone is best practiced in greenhouses. Flowering in August does not allow all the fruits to fully ripen. Although some are picked for ripening, and the vegetables may acquire a sweet taste, most remain small, with green skin. Such unripe vegetables are used for pickling or pickling. During the growing process, it is necessary to limit the violent growth of kiwano vines, otherwise they will inhibit the ordinary cucumbers with which exotics are planted. The cultivation of a domestic variety bred by Novosibirsk breeders will be successful.
Growing Kiwano in Siberia
For temperate climate conditions, Novosibirsk residents developed a variety of African cucumber called the Green Dragon. The growing season of the plant does not depend on the amount of daylight, flowering occurs earlier, the bulk of the crop sown with seeds in April ripens in the greenhouse before frost. The first fruits of the Green Dragon variety ripen by mid-summer. Domestic kiwano seeds are sown in April. After the one-month seedling stage, it is transferred to a film greenhouse, but only when the temperature is above + 18 °C. If there is no heat, there is a risk of losing young seedlings.
Harvesting
In the optimal greenhouse climate for growing the Antillean kiwano cucumber of the Green Dragon variety, gherkins are harvested in late June, early July. Fruits that have developed for 4-7 days are picked. Their spines are soft and fleshy. This category is for marinades or pickling. The fruits are mixed with various assorted tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. Used for preparations for the winter and for lightly salted consumption.
The more often fruits are removed when growing kiwano, the more new ones are formed. The gherkins of the original horned cucumber are harvested after 1-2 days. The remaining fruits enlarge and gradually turn yellow, but during this period they do not yet acquire their taste, and only towards the end of development they have a yellow-orange skin. It is in this phase that the pulp becomes more and more jelly-like, with a characteristic melon-banana aroma, lemon notes and sweet and sour taste. The period of ripeness begins 60-70 days after the seeds of the Green Dragon kiwano variety germinate. Fruits picked green, which have reached a length of 10-15 cm, ripen outside the bush and remain tasty six months later. Their safety even at room temperature is ensured by a wax-like film that appears on the surface of the peel towards the end of ripening.
Reviews about Kiwano
Conclusion
Growing kiwano from seeds is not difficult for novice gardeners. Many exotic lovers plant 1-2 plants on balconies because of its picturesqueness and original fruits. When growing, the requirements for light and heat are observed, and the seedlings are not taken out into the fresh air too early.
