The African Horned Cucumber, also known as horned melon or kiwano, is an unusual fruit with unique characteristics. Whether you call it by one name or another, it certainly is unusual.
The plant is similar to a cucumber or melon vine, which you can either allow to creep along in the garden or provide support. Each vine can produce up to 100 fruit. The fruits start out small and green, covered with horns. The young fruit is similar in color to the leaves, so it can be hard to spot and may come as a surprise while you are weeding or re-tying the vines.
Here's a comprehensive guide to successfully growing this exotic fruit from seed.
Starting Seeds Indoors
Horned melons require very warm temperatures to produce a crop, so it's best for most gardeners to start the seeds indoors. For early crops, start plants inside 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting. Use 3 seeds per pot in 2-inch pots, thinning to one or two plants per pot. Maintain temperatures above 70 F during the day and above 60 F at night.
Germination Tips
- May germinate in 3 days at 80 F to 90 F.
- Germination may take 10 days or longer at cooler temperatures.
- Update: For the Horned Melon seeds planted Jan 30, 2014: 30 out of 36 seeds have germinated by Feb 5, 2014.
Transplanting and Growing
Once your weather stabilizes to above 60 F, you can transplant the small plants into the garden. With one or two true leaves transplant best. Remember hardening-off plants not to expose them to cold temperatures. Be sure that the weather has settled and completely buried, before first fall frost date. Do not plant until soil reaches 65 F. Cucumbers are very sensitive to cold, whether direct-seeded or transplanted.
Read also: Kiwano Germination Guide
Keep them well watered until established and add mulch once the soil warms to 75 F. Direct seed into holes in plastic. Consistent, plentiful moisture needed until fruit is ripening. Horned melons develop bitter taste in dry sites, and require fertile soil.
Support and Trellising
I grew mine in a very large container in full sun, quickly learning that a strong support was needed. Use a trellis; it makes harvest easier and produces straighter fruit. Install the trellis before planting or transplanting to avoid root injury. The vines were well behaved at first, staying within the confines of the provided support. Later they tried to reach over the fence where the beans were growing. Trellising also avoids many problems. Plant plants about 10 inches apart.
Pest and Disease Management
As for disease and pests, all I can say is that mine were not bothered by any insects. The mice, which always eat my strawberries, did not bother the horned melons. However, here are some general tips for pest and disease management:
- Use fabric row covers if pests are a problem.
- A hard stream of water can be used to remove aphids from plants. Wash off with water occasionally as needed early in the day. Encourage lacewings.
- Squash vine borer: Remove borers by hand and destroy. Remove and discard or destroy infested plants.
- Control beetles as soon as they appear; they spread bacteria.
- Choose varieties to reduce disease problems. Some varieties are susceptible to bacterial wilt but may not be readily available.
- Mildew: Avoid crowding plants to improve air circulation. Remove affected leaves and fruit as soon as possible. Destroy infested plants. Manage aphids that spread virus.
Harvesting and Storage
How to Eat a Kiwano Melon | Horned Melon Taste Test
The plants do not like any amount of cold weather, so plan ahead to harvest before frost, but the fruit is very cooperative. Cold weather was approaching and I had to dash outside to harvest all the fruits even though they were still quite green.
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Here's the good part: If the fruit is kept at room temperature, not refrigerated, it will ripen and will keep for several months. Yes, you read that correctly. Being a skeptic, I just had to do a test with a few of my fruits. Yes, it's true. Some that were picked green in November lasted until early January.
Ripeness Indicators
Look for a change in stem color from green to light green at the blossom end. The fruit is typically ready in 7 to 10 days, reaching a size of 7 to 8 inches with a thick skin. The skin color varies, but is usually a uniform dark green.
Taste and Culinary Uses
As for the taste, hmmm. You can research and see what others think - that the fruit tastes like a cross between a cucumber/lemon/banana/zucchini. Some people hate it. Some are put off by the green color. Many don't like fruit that looks like a medieval weapon. Or you can just dig in and taste for yourself. The type of seed you plant, the soil/temperature/growing conditions, and other variables all contribute something different to the taste of the fruit.
To me they tasted a bit like kiwi, but they were more fun to eat because I spit out each precious seed to save for next spring. Each seed is surrounded by a lime green, jello-like sack (I don't know the technical term). The entire fruit can be eaten: rind, pulp, seeds and all. They can be eaten at any stage of ripeness, from green to orange. The leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach. (Nope, I did not try that!) The fruit pulp contains vitamins A and C and iron and fiber.
Culinary Ideas
- Eat the Horned Melon with a spoon as a taste test.
- Mix the pulp with plain yogurt (excellent).
- Add it to a smoothie (very good).
- Try it on ice cream (not so much - I still prefer chocolate).
- Use it on cake (everything tastes good on cake!).
A few ideas for later: Horned Melon Salsa or a lovely green sherbet. They make a "Blowfish Melon Cocktail." What's next? "Jelly Melon Shooters"? Almost forgot, yes, the pulp can be strained and made into jelly. I have GOT to try that next year! But for now I'm still working up the nerve to prepare Roasted Horned Melon as is done in their native country.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Health Benefits and Other Uses
As with any food crop, please know the source of your seeds as there are "cousins" of the edible horned melon that are quite bitter and inedible (and possibly toxic). I communicate daily with my Plant Sister who lives halfway around the world. It was she who first introduced me to the African Horned Melon. It was the trading of these seeds that started our friendship. She tells me that the rind of the Horned Melon is very high in Vitamin C.
You can make Horned Melon Rind Tea rich in Vitamin C: Slice the rind, dry/dehydrate it, and store it in a glass jar in a dark cabinet.
Seed Availability
The seeds are available from Baker Creek and several other companies.
Cucumber Varieties
Several other species in the genus Cucumis are also called cucumbers:
- West Indian gherkins, Cucumis anguria.
- Gherkin pickles are usually just immature common cucumbers, Cucumis sativus.
- Chinese or Asian cucumbers, Cucumis melo var. These are the same species as melons and cantaloupes. These are parthenocarpic, meaning they produce fruit without seeds and are "burpless." Grow on trellises if you want straight fruit.
- African horned cucumber, Cucumis metuliferus.
Vining varieties produce more fruit than bush varieties, but they take up much more space. Use plastic mulch to speed soil warming and protect plants. Some varieties recommended for New York:
Slicing
- Burpless Hybrid II
- Greensleeves
- Marketmore 76
- Marketmore 80
- Orient Express
- Raider
- Spacemaster
- Sweet Slice
Pickling
- National
- Regal
