Trying the Ethiopian Gherkin (again)

I asked some friends if they could grow some Ethiopian Gherkins for me. I was thinking that they might try growing them in-ground, but they grew them in pots. Here are some gherkin pictures I took during my visits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the majority of the seed I harvested from the fruit did not germinate well, I found that by letting the fruit age for at least six weeks, I was able to harvest some seed that had very good germination.

 

 

A Second go with the Martina Franca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying the Ayra again

Back in 2022 (https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-red-sapped-ayra-from-rajasthan.html) I grew the Ayra cucumber, an Indian variety from Rajasthan, in the raised bed garden. While it did very well and had some beautiful coloring, I seemed to have left the fruit out for too long in the heat. Subsequently, the fruit did not produce the most high-quality seeds. They were both smaller than the original and had worse germination. As a result, only a few years later, I felt the need to try growing out the Rajasthan Ayra again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year, it seems like they were once again hit with something. It looked very similar to spider mites. Whatever the case may be, the life of the fruit was cut short. Fortunately, the fruit did produce high-quality seed, though once again small.

 

 

The seedlings were transplanted in late April and were ready to harvest for seed by the end of June. One thing that I really like about this melon variety is the beautiful color near the end of the season.