Kiwano
Kiwano is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Kiwano is a traditional food plant in Africa and a very hardy member of the cucumber plant family. The fruit has blunt horn-like spines and ripens with a greenish-orange skin and lime green, jelly-like flesh. The flavour is described as fruity, tasting like a combination of passionfruit and lime. Traditionally it is used as a snack or in salad. It is resistant to root-knot nematodes and fungal diseases. Fruit picked too early, before a colour change to orange, tends to be very insipid in flavour. Kiwano can be stored for several months between 20 - 24°C, it rapidly deteriorates in cold storage. Overripe fruit will burst to release seeds and it can become weedy and self-sow.
Product: Kiwano
Product type: SEED (20)
Botanical name: Cucumis metuliferus
Syn.: syn. African horned cucumber, jelly melon, gaka, metulon
Kiwano is a traditional food plant in Africa and a very hardy member of the cucumber family. The fruit has greenish-orange skin and lime green, jelly-like flesh. The flavour is described as fruity, tasting like a combination of passionfruit and lime. Traditionally it is used as a snack or in salad. It is resistant to root-knot nematodes and fungal diseases.
Plant type: Warm season annual vine
Plant height: 25 cm; or can be grown on a trellis
Sow when: Germinate best at 20 - 28°C soil temp.
Temperate: Late September - December
Subtropical: Spring to summer
Tropical: April - August
Germination: 4 - 10 days
Depth: 12 mm deep
Position: Full sun; requires bee pollination
Sow where: Into seedling pots, transplant when soil is warm
Soil type: Fertile, well drained, pH 5.5 - 7
Details: Overripe fruit will self-sow and can become weedy
Harvest: 90 days; wait for colour change to orange before harvesting; do not store in the fridge; stores best between 20° - 24°C
20 seeds per packet
Cucumis metuliferus
syn. African horned cucumber, jelly melon, gaka, metulon
Warm season annual vine
Kiwano
Kiwano is a traditional food plant in Africa and a very hardy member of the cucumber plant family. The fruit has blunt horn-like spines and ripens with a greenish-orange skin and lime green, jelly-like flesh. The flavour is described as fruity, tasting like a combination of passionfruit and lime. Traditionally it is used as a snack or in salad. It is resistant to root-knot nematodes and fungal diseases. Fruit picked too early, before a colour change to orange, tends to be very insipid in flavour. Kiwano can be stored for several months between 20 - 24°C, it rapidly deteriorates in cold storage. Overripe fruit will burst to release seeds and it can become weedy and self-sow.