The Backyard Mexican Sour Gherkins take over

Growing the Mexican Sour Gherkin this year was a relatively new concept for me. I had never grown Melothria scabra and I figured that it may do good in rotation with the other plants that I grew out in my garden. I had one friend tell me that he couldn’t get enough of them while some of the reviews that I previously read described the outer skin as a tough rind and the inner skin as having texture akin to snot. Given the fact that everyone was purchasing these seeds from me, I decided that it was worth it to at least give the plants a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants mature slowly though will grow rapidly later in the season and will often produce tuberous roots that can be used to grow out plants in subsequent years.

The Melothria scabra, which originates in Mexico, has many names, including Sandita or Sandia de Raton, Mouse Melon, Mexican Sour Gherkin or Cucamelon. Many companies will sell Melothria scabra by one of these names, but for the most part they are all Melothria scabra.

 

 

 

The vines produce little female flowers first (without a pollinator) while the male flowers appear later, often in small clusters.

 

 

 

 

It took several weeks of both male and female flowers for bees to finally notice my plants and begin pollinating them. Though I did attempt to hand-pollinate them previous to the work of bees, I was only minimally successful. The few fruits that I hand-pollinated were not nearly as big or as perfectly oval as the ones that had been visited by bees.

My first taste of cucamelon made me think of something crunchy, yet juicy, with a somewhat tolerable inner texture, a taste of melon rind and a slight hint of acidity akin to a lemon. While the leaves and fruit are cute, those factors may not be enough to redeem it. I can only imagine that there are plenty of individuals who, only being familiar with the taste and texture of regular cucumbers – feel that this kind of cucumber wonderful. However, having grown multiple Carosello varieties that exceed these grape-sized crunchy fruits in every way, I was left feeling a little like “Meh”.

While my initial views of the cucamelon were not exactly positive, I would have to say that my opinion of the plants improved over time. Though the cucamelon does not exactly attract the praise of those who would prefer a fine textured delicious vegetable, the vines have staying power. Long after other cucurbits have succumbed to disease and cold weather, the cucamelons prevail. Only a real freeze will kill the plant back to the main stems. Until then, the plant will continue to grow out further and further into every possible nook and cranny that possesses any form of usable light.

The cucamelon's ability to produce tuberous roots would make it an excellent, though slightly invasive, perennial in more moderate climates. Yes – the cucamelon has many unique qualities that set it apart from other cucumbers and make it a very useful alternative to those who would otherwise not enjoy cucumbers.

So here is my opinion of the cucamelon, from 0-10, 0 being worst and 10 being the best. Taste: 4 (better than Diva – which to me tastes like grass), Texture: 3 (tolerable) Staying power: 9+, Other interesting attributes: 7

 

 

 

So there you have it – a very cute interesting cucumber alternative that requires very little maintenance and could provide you and your family with years of production from a single seed.

The Costata Romenesco Squash

As with most people, I like a little bit of summer squash, or zucchini, now and then. However, I don’t like to overdo it. For years I have heard that Costata Romenesco is the most delicious varieties of squash to grow, so I decided to try it.

Though the seed source for this variety provided sub-par seeds, I enjoyed growing out this variety. The squash were enjoyable to eat in a number of dishes and tasted fairly good when raw. When I stopped ot look at the Costata Romenesco plant/bush, I enjoyed watching the bees come and go from the plant. Some native bees even took to hanging around in the flowers.

 

 

The taste of this variety is pretty good, the ridging is interesting and the texture of the Costata Romenesco is pretty consistent. I’m not sure if I would say it is the “best” zucchini that I have ever tasted. This goes to the Long of Naples – a Cucurbita moschata variety (like butternut) that often produces 25-50 pound fruit when mature. When harvested at a mere 15 pounds, the texture of the fruit is so smooth and tender that it is a true joy to consume.

 

Out of 10, I would say that the Costata Romenesco ranks somewhere around a 7. It is not quite as productive as some other varieties, but has some pretty good qualities that make it a summer squash worth growing.

 

Serenade – Reversing the effects of Rot & Disease

So – in several other posts I have brought up the incredible benefits I have seen this last year by spraying some Serenade (Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713) on my plants. Though it is not a miracle cure for every plant problem that a gardener will encounter, Serenade did a fantastic job of helping my garden to thrive.

 

First of all, let me say that Serenade is no longer in production. Bayer purchased the company that made this product and has been distributing it on an extremely limited basis by a trade name that includes many other chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. So trusting in Bayer to continue producing this product may not be a gardener’s best bet.

The exact same product, in larger quantities (starting at 1 gallon) and at a higher price is available by the name of CEASE by BioWorks. The main retail website to purchase this product is through Arbico Organics, who pays me nothing to say any of this.

So – what are the benefits of Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713? Especially before the fruiting stage of plant growth, this bacteria helps both the leaves and roots of the plant to flourish. Exactly how they promote healthy plant growth is unknown to myself, through I believe that they must, in some way, outcompete other “bad” bacteria to provide the plant with greater access to nutrient and more efficient use of sunlight than the plant would otherwise be able to experience. I don’t believe that there is a direct impact on the leaf, like is the case with many fungicides. Instead, the plant is provided the ability and opportunity to heal itself.

What are my experiences with this product? Increased growth in my cucumbers and tomatoes. Healing my cucumber, tomato and banana plants from environmental, bacterial and fungus conditions that would otherwise have killed the plants. What more can I say? Like I said, it is no miracle product, but – when applied every other week – it can make a huge difference in ensuring that plants continue to grow in a steady productive manner until the crop has matured.

Finally, I will try to make sure to link you to both the video I made along with the webpages where you can find this product.