Growing out the Tondo Massafra in the Greenhouse

In the fall of 2024, I had the opportunity to grow out the Carosello Tondo di Massafra in the greenhouse. I settled on growing out this variety due to my friend Giuseppe mentioning to me that he was not able to see much of a difference between the coloration patterns of the Massafra, in comparison to the coloration of the Massafrese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

My seed source for the fall Massafra growout was seed from Riccardo Larosa. As much of the Riccardo Larosa seed tends to be poor quality or old, I made sure to soak the seeds in a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide and water before attempting to sprout them in a warm moist paper towel. Once the seeds sprouted, I transferred them into the hydroponic baskets in the greenhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants grew quickly in the late summer and began putting on female flowers. That is when I noticed that the female flowers were hermaphrodites. This was new to me. Had my previous Tondo Massafra exhibited hermaphrodite flowers? I’m not sure. I may have to try growing them again to find out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Riccardo Larosa Tondo di Massafra grew as one would expect. The texture was not as fine as I would have preferred, but that is often the case with the fruit I produce from my greenhouse. It would seem that, while stress does not induce bitterness in melons, it does affect fruit quality and cause the fruit to produce seed earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the Tondo Massafra that I grew in the greenhouse didn’t surprise me too much; except for the hermaphrodite traits exhibited by some of the flowers. I’ll have to keep an eye out for those traits the next time I grow this variety in the garden.

 

 

The Xylangouro Greek Cucumber

What can I say about the Xylangouro? I watched a video once that touted it as better than the regular Armenian cucumber. While this may be true, I’m not too impressed with this Greek landrace variety. It did alright in the greenhouse for me, but the flowers were all different and the shape of the fruit was a bit irregular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite being sold by a well-known company, I’m not sure if I will be growing the Xylangouro to offer to others for a while. Why is that, you ask? The texture of the fruit that I tried, along with the variable flower type tells me that this is a variety that promises more work than reward. Though it may sound selfish, I prefer to grow the more promising varieties first and save the less rewarding varieties until later. Over time I usually get around to the others.

Dark Armenian Cucumber in the Greenhouse

Desperate for a supplier of Dark Armenian cucumbers, I tried one well-known seed seller. Unfortunately, the germination was not up to specifications. That being said, I still wanted to know if the variety was actually what it was advertised as – just in case I needed an additional source of Dark Armenian cucumber seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I grew it out in the greenhouse in the spring. The variety did alright. It wasn’t exactly as vigorous as I would have hoped, but given that it sprouted from old seed, I was happy when the fruit eventually set. One fruit was enough to let me know that it was true-to-type, howbeit not want I would want to use for my future population of Dark Armenian cucumbers.

Tar Kakdi in the Greenhouse

Around the same time that I started growing my last outdoor Tar Kakdi, I started growing a few Tar Kakdi in the greenhouse. The primary reason why I chose to do this was to save seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, in growing this variety in the greenhouse I came to really love how thin and beautiful the Tar Kakdi is. Growing a vegetable variety like this reminds me so much of why I garden. I get so much of the love of the culture for its gardens and fields when growing each indigenous cucumber or melon variety. I believe that with this particular population, the grower selected the variety for both the beauty of the flowers and also the wonderful texture of the fruit. In all the other populations I encountered, I was never experienced the same texture or stretched appearance to the fruit. This particular Tar Kakdi seemed much less like an Armenian cucumber and much more of its own cultivar.