Growing pepino on a windowsill or balcony: features of caring for a melon pear. Pepino, or melon pear Pear melon

Americans and Japanese eat pepino for dessert, New Zealanders add these berries to a variety of dishes, adding piquancy to the taste.

Pepino is stored for the winter: dried, canned, pickled and frozen. She saved people from thirst more than once.

What a melon pear is and how to grow it in a garden bed, we’ll talk in the article.

Description

Melon pear (otherwise pepino or sweet) is an evergreen shrub of the Solanaceae family.

The leaves are oblong with thick, dense skin. Inflorescences are blue with a purple tint. The fruits are 93% water. The shape of the berries is varied: from round to oblong.

Fruits vary significantly in size and weight. The weight of one berry ranges from 50 to 750 g. Ripe fruit has a cream or purple-yellow color; some varieties exhibit specks and longitudinal stripes of lilac-purple color.

The pulp of a ripe melon pear is light yellow in color and juicy. There are small seeds inside. The taste of the tropical fruit is reminiscent of the taste of melon and varies from sugary honey to sour depending on the variety, growing conditions and ripening time.

Note: In case of insufficient lighting and non-compliance with growing conditions, pepino resembles the taste of cucumbers.

There are many varieties of melon pear, but the most common of them are:

• Consuelo;
• Ramses;
• Pegasus;
• Favorite.

Why is it useful?

Pepino fruits are enriched with vitamins B, PP, A, C, K, Fe, pectin, fiber, carboxylic acids and a large amount of iodine.

Percent pure food product is about 7%. They are low in acidity, making them suitable for consumption by people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases.

In medicine, melon pear is a good assistant in the treatment of skin diseases and respiratory tract infections.

Features of cultivation

The main advantage of the melon pear is the possibility of growing it not only in the garden, but also simply on the balcony, terrace and even in the apartment.

To do this, you just need to comply with some requirements:

• the air temperature should be above +13°C, and during the growing season +24 - +28°C;
• the temperature should be constant, without sudden changes;
• air humidity should reach 75 - 80%;
• the soil should be as loose as possible and constantly moist;
• protect the bush from wind and drafts.

Pepino can be propagated by seeds and cuttings.

From seeds

To harvest in summer, seeds should be sown at the end of November, since the plants develop very slowly.

We grow seeds:

1. 1. To begin, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and left in a dark and warm place.
   2. After a couple of days, when the first signs of germination appear, the seedlings are planted in the ground.
   3. The tray with seeds is covered with film or glass to create greenhouse effect, which will speed up the germination process of the plant.
   4. Place the tray with seedlings in a warm place (20 to 25°C), where the temperature will be constant to avoid injury to the ovaries. Monitor soil moisture - moisten every 2-3 days.

Take note: Pepino fruits grown from seeds are less juicy than fruits grown by cuttings, and the yield is 20-25% less.

1. After about 10 days, the first shoots will appear. The film (glass) should be removed to allow oxygen to penetrate to the sprouts.
2. When the first 2-3 leaves from each seedling appear, you can begin picking. Only the strongest shoots are transplanted into pots.
3. After picking, cover each pot with film, and place the pots themselves under a lamp, maintaining a distance of 10 - 15 cm. The lighting should be around the clock. Thus, you will get an improvised greenhouse.
4. It is necessary to monitor the soil moisture and at least once a day open the created greenhouse slightly to allow oxygen to reach the sprouts.
5. In the first month of life, the culture develops slowly. Don't be alarmed, this is a normal process. By the time of transfer to permanent place The sprout should have 8-9 leaves.

From cuttings

More reliable way propagation of pepino - cuttings.

Cuttings are separated from the overwintered plant in mid-February. To do this you need:

1. Cut off the top of the shoot with 7 leaves.
2. Remove the bottom 2 leaves and shorten the next 2 by half. This will reduce moisture evaporation and the cutting will take root faster.
3. Place the cutting in a vessel with water so that the lower leaves do not submerge in it.
4. After 5 - 7 days, the cuttings need to be planted in soil pre-impregnated with foundation sol, since by this time the roots will have already reached 1.5 - 2 cm in length.
5. The pot with the seedling should be placed in a warm place and covered with film.
6. Pepino cuttings take root within a week even without the addition of stimulants.

Landing

Certainly, the best option A greenhouse is used for planting pepino.

Planting can be done as early as mid-April. Thus, the growing season of the plant is prolonged, allowing early fruits to be obtained.

If there is no greenhouse, the bush can be planted in open ground, but only in May, after making sure there are no night frosts.

But for the first time, it is recommended to build a small film covering on the garden bed to protect it from winds and possible cold snap. During the day, the greenhouse opens to allow oxygen to reach the plant. The film is removed when the weather becomes consistently warm.

If the melon pear grows in a pot at home, then on warm days the plants should be moved to the balcony - the more light and access fresh air, the sweeter the fruit.

Care

It is very important to tie up and peg the pepino bush in time.

It has long been noticed that a plant that lies on the ground stops blooming and bearing fruit. And although the pepino bush itself is strong, it can still break under the weight of the filling fruits.

Therefore, you need to take care of installing the support (install poles and stretch the wire between them). And already 20 - 25 days after planting pepino in the ground, you need to start forming a bush:

• first of all, they form the base of the bush - the three strongest sprouts are left, the rest are simply removed;
• these three shoots are tied to the bottom wire: the central one - up, the other 2 - to the sides;
• further, as the plant grows, the stems are tied vertically.

It is necessary to regularly water, loosen the soil and clean the beds of weeds. Every week an audit is carried out - newly formed stepsons are cut off in order to preserve everything nutrients necessary for the ripening of juicy fruits.

Enter twice organic fertilizers: the first - after rooting of seedlings, the second - at the stage of fruit formation. On sunny days, it is useful to shake the plants, hitting the support with a stick so that the pollen gets onto the stigma.

Protection from diseases

Blackleg disease

The melon pear is affected by the same diseases as the entire Solanaceae family.

The most dangerous are root rot, which develops in waterlogged soils, and blackleg disease of seedlings. In autumn, fruits are often affected by Alternaria.

To protect against diseases, the same means are often used as for other Solanaceae.

For example, microbiological preparations Alirin-B, Baksis, etc. will help against root rot.

Harvesting

The ripening period of the pepino fruit is 75 - 90 days.

You can harvest throughout the summer, since the berries on the same bush ripen in different time. If the fruits do not have time to ripen before the end of the season, they are harvested earlier, leaving them in a warm and dry place, where they reach condition within a few months.

Gardener's advice: The harvest must be harvested with special care, leaving the stalk on the berry.

Pepino does not like bruises and dents, so each berry needs separate packaging (for example, in newspaper). It is important to pick the berries on time, since overripe fruit has a significantly different taste.

Feel free to experiment, surprise your friends and acquaintances with exotic tastes!

How to grow one exotic fruit like a melon pear, watch and listen to expert advice in the following video:

What is pepino? Probably every person asks this question when they hear this name. In this article we’ll talk about this interesting thing and also find out the basic principles of planting and caring for pepino on

Pepino - what kind of plant is it?

Pepino, better known as melon pear, - from the nightshade family, native to South America. Great interest in this plant appeared in the 80s of the last century. Today there are 25 varieties of pepino. The varieties “Ramses” and “Consuelo” were bred for our climate. The pepino fruit, or melon pear, looks like a melon or pumpkin and has quite delicious fruits. Pepino tastes like melon with a hint of sourness from the vitamin C it contains.

Did you know? The first mention of pepino was in 1553.

Features of cultivation, conditions for melon pear

Pepino, or melon pear - very capricious plant, Growing and caring for it at home is painstaking work. Pepino is grown from seeds and cuttings. When growing it, it is very important to cut off excess branches; if this is not done, the plant will hardly bear fruit. This procedure must be repeated weekly. The pepino (or melon pear) plant loves light and is suited to the same nutritional regime that you use when growing eggplants.

Did you know? Pepino is 92% water, which is what makes it so juicy.

How to choose a place for growing, lighting

For pepino, it is necessary to choose a well-lit, ventilated place with a low level of humidity, since the plant does not tolerate sudden changes in humidity. Optimal temperature for a plant during the day is about 22 °C, temperatures above 30 °C can have a detrimental effect on pepino, night temperatures should not be lower than 18 °C - the color may fall off.

Soil for planting

How to plant pepino, melon pear propagation

Melon pear is propagated in two ways: from seeds and cuttings. But it’s still better to use cuttings, since not every variety produces full-fledged seeds, and pepino grown from seeds bear fruit later.

Growing from seeds

Not all melon pear seeds germinate, and even in special conditions this is about 50% for Ramses and 80% for Consuelo. Already in November or December, you can germinate seeds - in a flat vessel with a tight lid, covering the bottom with a moistened filter or toilet paper. The closed container must be constantly stored at a temperature not exceeding 28 degrees. The seeds begin to hatch within a week and up to a month after being placed in the container.

When the seeds shed their skins, pepino can be planted in a pot or tray with light soil, and they also need constant lighting. After a month, the backlight is reduced to 16 hours and after another month to 14 hours. And only in mid-February can you switch to natural light. Pepino is planted in open ground in mid-April or early May to avoid frost. The seedlings are planted in moist soil at a distance of about 50 cm from each other, sprinkled with dry soil; this should be done in the afternoon.

Still, to avoid frost, a film is stretched over the seedlings; if available, it can be placed under the film. When the temperature rises, one of the sides of the film can be opened for ventilation.

Cuttings

You can already break off cuttings from month-old seedlings and root them, preferably without shading them. For better rooting, it is necessary to take cuttings with 8 leaves. It is noted that Pepino cuttings root very well.

How to grow in the country, care rules

You need to care for a melon pear in the same way as for The most important things to care for pepino are: ventilation, removal of shoots, fluffing and disposal, watering as necessary, fertilizing.

Features of watering plants

Watering a melon pear - moderate, Do not over-moisten under any circumstances. To avoid rot and disease, the greenhouse must be ventilated. To reduce watering and preserve the substrate, the soil must be covered with rotted straw or - this also helps against weeds.

Soil care

Pepino loves light and fertile soil with little acidity. It is better to plant melon pears in the places where they grew before. After harvesting them, the soil is loosened, weeds are removed, they are dug up and fertilized, which is well decomposed,

Garter

The pepino bush needs to be tied up and formed within a week or two after planting. The stems are tied higher as the plant grows; the fruits are not tied to the trellis - they can simply be hung.

Feeding melon pear

The melon pear needs to be fed every month. They feed for the first time two weeks after planting in the ground, the second time after the first pruning of the stepchildren, and then every two to three weeks. The plant responds well to fertilizing with manure or but contains a lot of nitrogen, so we maintain the proportions: 1: 6 for manure, 1: 20 for droppings.

Important! Untied bushes without pruning fall to the ground under their own weight and bear fruit poorly.

Protection from pests and diseases

The melon pear is affected by the same diseases and pests, which is why disease prevention is the same. The main pests are

Several years ago I read on a gardening website about an unusual overseas fruit - pepino. Lemons, pomegranates, and figs are already growing and bearing fruit on my windowsills. I decided that the “melon tree” should definitely be on this list.

After researching the Internet on this topic, I went from buying seeds to enjoying the unusual taste of a strange fruit. In this article I will talk about this interesting plant and I will share the secrets of growing it at home.

Pepino – tropical perennial in the form of a bush with partially woody branches. Its bushes reach 1.5–2 m in height. They can easily be called a tree. The leaves are large, oval shape up to 15 cm long.

This amazing fruit, oddly enough, belongs to the nightshade family. It is closely related to potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes. Pepino flowers are very similar to potato flowers, only slightly larger.

Natural habitat is the countries of South America. This strange fruit is very popular among the local population and is included in many dishes.

Pepino photo:

Fruits of the "melon tree"

Oval or round fruits when ripe have a soft yellow color with purple stripes and small inclusions. The size of the fruit varies depending on the variety and growing environment - from 50 grams to 1.3 kilograms.

Grown in the sun favorable conditions the fruits gain sweetness and juiciness. The taste is reminiscent of melon, pumpkin and pineapple. In appearance it is similar to a pear, which is why it is popularly called “melon pear”.

If the fetus did not receive enough solar heat or other important conditions for full development, its taste will resemble an ordinary cucumber. But even then it is perfect as an ingredient in salads. Overripe fruit loses its juiciness and attractive taste.

Some varieties have a slightly bitter peel, so it is best to remove it before use. Also carefully remove the seeds with a spoon.

The value of the “melon pear”

Pepino fruits not only have a bright juicy taste, but are also rich in useful substances and vitamins. This exotic fruit is rich in vitamin C, as well as groups of vitamins B and PP. It contains such important substances as iron, pectin and carotene.

Pepino: growing at home

For cultivation in the regions of Russia, two varieties are most popular:

1. "Ramses". A variety with good yield and high resistance to unfavorable conditions development. The fruit is pear-shaped, yellow-brown in color and is distinguished by early ripening.
2. "Consuelo." Also has good performance productivity. Its fruits are cream-colored and striped lilac color with juicy pulp and a pronounced melon flavor. Their weight reaches 1.3 kg. This variety is more demanding in terms of development conditions.

Pepino is a heat-loving plant; to grow it, it is necessary to create a special favorable microclimate:

• temperature environment should not be below +13 °C;
• the optimal average daily temperature for active growth and fruiting is +20 – +25 °C;
• air humidity should be high - approximately 75–80%;
• always moist soil.

The root system of the plant is located almost on the surface of the soil, so it is worth protecting it from wind and strong drafts to prevent it from breaking. In extreme heat, when the temperature remains stably above +30 °C, the flowers fall off without an ovary.

A great place for this miracle fruit could be glass balcony or greenhouse. It is quite possible to grow it on a windowsill, but the fruits will not be as large and tasty.

Growing from seeds

Pepino seeds are sold in a specialty store. You can try to extract it yourself from a ripe fruit purchased at the supermarket. But in this case, you risk getting late flowering or not entirely healthy shoots from the hybrid fruit.

The development of pepino seedlings occurs rather slowly, so sowing should begin in December. First you need to germinate the seeds:

1. It is recommended to soak the seeds in a growth stimulator for a day.
2. Seeds treated with a stimulant are wrapped in a wet cloth and left in a warm place without access to light.
3. As soon as the first signs of germination appear, the sprouts should be placed in a shallow container under glass and provided with round-the-clock lighting. It is important to ensure that the fabric is always wet.
4. When the cotyledons emerge from the peel, the sprouts are planted in prepared soil and covered with glass or film. To avoid bacterial diseases, it is recommended to treat the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Lighting is reduced to 16 hours a day.
5. Once the shoots have appeared, covering is not required. Continue to monitor temperature and humidity.
6. After 2-3 leaves appear, the seedlings are picked and transplanted into individual pots.

Cuttings

The simplest and most reliable way is cuttings. The donor is a bush that has survived the winter well.

Before wintering, the mother bush is cut to 1/3 of its height and stored all winter at a temperature of +8 °C. During the dormant period, the plant is watered approximately once a month.

At the beginning of February, the plant is moved to a warmer room (16–17 °C), and regular watering begins. A week later, feed with nitrogen fertilizer. During the period of shoot growth, remove the buds that form.

The cutting procedure can be started closer to the end of February - beginning of March.

1. A shoot with 7 leaves is cut from a bush.
2. The bottom two leaves are removed and the rest are cut in half. Thus, they reduce moisture loss and help speed up rooting.
3. The cutting is placed in a container with water up to the leaves, and after 7 days the roots appear.

Stepchildren from a bush can be planted directly into the ground. To do this, you need to moisten the soil well and cover it, for example, with a cut plastic bottle. This will increase humidity and speed up rooting.

Watering and fertilizing

Pepino demands high humidity, but excessive moisture also harms the plant. Watering should be carried out as the top layer of soil dries. It is useful to mulch the soil with sawdust to reduce moisture loss and reduce the frequency of watering.

Feeding seedlings with mullein gives good results. Dilute in a ratio of 1:10 and water 3 times:

• as soon as the seedlings have taken root;
• 2 during the period of active growth and development of the bush;
• at the beginning of fruit formation.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

Seedlings are planted in a greenhouse or permanent container (8–10 liters) at four months of age. The minimum air temperature should not be lower than +18 °C. At home, the plant is given a window sill on the sunny side.

Pepino prefers light soil. An excellent predecessor for it would be garlic, cucumber or beans. The soil must be well loosened and freed from old roots and weeds.

The distance between the beds should be at least 70 cm. Do not get carried away with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise you risk getting active growth greens instead of fruits. Combine last year's manure with phosphorus and potassium.

Bush formation

The plant forms many stepsons throughout the growing season. They draw life-giving forces from the bush, which negatively affects the formation of the ovary and the formation of fruits.

They should be removed when they reach 3–5 cm. Leave small stumps 1 cm long so that new ones do not grow in the same place. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times a month.

Usually 1–2 stems are left on the bush. As they grow, the shoots are tied to a support so that they do not break under the weight of the inflorescences.

During the flowering period, shake the bushes slightly to help the flowers pollinate. It is recommended to pick off white flowers without lilac stripes, as they are barren flowers.

Diseases and pests

The overseas fruit was enjoyed not only by our gardeners, but also by local insects. On bushes and fruits you can find:

• slugs;
• Colorado potato beetle;
• ticks;
• ants;
• whitefly

Pepino is a common problem fungal diseases in the form of rot and black legs. It is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity level and temperature. Regularly ventilate greenhouses and the rooms where they grow.

Along with potatoes and tomatoes, Europeans brought from America (or rather, from Peru) unique plant. This is a perennial evergreen pepino shrub.

It grows up to 1.5-2 m in height. Its leaves are oblong, shiny, just like bell pepper. The inflorescences resemble potato ones. The fruits are round, with a diameter of 5 to 15 cm, weighing up to 700 g, with juicy, aromatic pulp. They are different color, but most often light yellow with purple stripes. The taste is sweet and sour, reminiscent of a mixture of melon, pear, cucumber and strawberry. There are many small seeds in the center of each fruit.

About the benefits of fruits

Fruits are picked from the bushes at an early stage of ripeness. They are used to prepare fruit salads, desserts, jams, compotes, add them to first and second courses, and also salt, pickle, dry or store frozen. Fresh pepino can be stored in the refrigerator without losing its taste for up to 3-4 months. The skin and seeds of the fruit have a specific taste, so it is recommended to peel the pulp before use.

The fruits are considered very healthy due to the high content of vitamins A, group B, C PP. as well as iron and pectin. IN folk medicine The pulp is used to treat skin diseases and respiratory tract infections. Due to its low sugar content, pepino is recommended for people with diabetes and rheumatism.

Growing

Due to the climate in Russia, pepino is grown in room conditions, in greenhouses, in greenhouses. Culture can't stand it negative temperatures. In spring (from the end of February), additional lighting is turned on for plants, increasing daylight hours to 16-18 hours.

During the growing season, pepino should be fed with a weak solution of complex fertilizers (10 g of superphosphate, nitrate and potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water) once every 1-2 weeks. Bushes are usually formed into 1-3 shoots, cutting off some of their side branches (by cutting them, like tomatoes). Mature plants, burdened with fruits, are tied up.

Fruiting

In the absence of insects, pepino is pollinated manually using a brush, or by lightly shaking the flowers. At the end of March - beginning of April, fruits begin to set on the bushes. They grow for a long time (up to six months) and ripen at different times over the course of 2 months.

Bushes that have finished bearing fruit enter a dormant period. They need to do pruning, shortening the shoots by three quarters. Then take the pepino to a cool room (for example, glazed loggia with a temperature of 4-6 degrees). After a couple of months, when wintering is over, bring the bushes back into the house and replant them in new soil.

Propagation by seeds

The culture reproduces well by seeds. They can be bought or taken from a ripe fruit. At the end of January - beginning of February, spread the seeds on a damp paper napkin, place in a transparent glass jar, close tightly and put away. dark place with a temperature of 26-28 degrees.

After 1-1.5 weeks, the seeds will hatch. As soon as this happens, move the jar to a lighted windowsill. And after the cotyledons open, dive the seedlings along with pieces of napkins into pots with fertile soil. loose soil. At first, keep the seedlings under small greenhouses made of plastic bags.

Cuttings

Pepino is propagated by cuttings. To do this, in February, cut branches with 6-8 leaves from the bush and place them in moist soil. Remove the bottom pair of leaves and shorten all the top ones. Cover with bags and place the cuttings in the shade. When they take root, remove the bags and move the plants to a lighted place.

Pepino from cuttings begin to bear fruit earlier than seedlings (in July-August). And if you transplant them into the garden in the spring, you can get a ripened harvest in open ground. Plants, of course, will die during the first frost, so insulate the bed well and cover the plant non-woven material or spruce branches.

Unlike many tropical crops, pepino is not a picky plant to care for. According to experienced gardeners, growing it is no more difficult than homemade hot peppers.

Melon pear, or pepino, is ancient plant, which came to us from Peru. During the time of Alexander III, pepino fruits were exhibited at agricultural exhibitions. The culture grew in all the palace greenhouses until 2017. Then they forgot about pepino, but since the 1980s they began to grow it again on amateur plots.

Description of pepino

Melon pear is evergreen shrub Solanaceae family. It has leaves like peppers or potatoes; the flowers are no different from potato flowers; the bush grows slowly at first, like an eggplant; You need to care for them like you would for tomatoes. Only the fruit is unique. Depending on the variety, it can be round, cylindrical, heart-shaped, or elongated oval. The skin is yellow or orange with purple stripes.

Melon pear blossoms

When cut, pepino looks like a melon: there are thick fleshy walls (4–5 cm) and a seed chamber. There are very few or no seeds inside. The consistency of the pulp resembles a pear; in overripe fruits it is juicy and melts in the mouth. The taste can be both sweet dessert and simple vegetable, reminiscent of pumpkin, cucumber or zucchini. The aroma is always melon, it can be bright or faint.

Almost all pepino have a round shape, tapering towards the tip, are colored in different shades of yellow with dark stripes, and when cut they look like a melon or pumpkin

Pepino is propagated by cuttings. They can be ordered online from amateur breeders or private collectors. Seeds are sold in regular gardening stores. If they are not available in your city, then order online, for example, at the Gavrish store. This company, by the way, has developed two varieties of pepino, zoned for all regions of the Russian Federation: Ramses and Consuelo.

Video: how Consuelo and Ramses grow

Melon pears are grown in a greenhouse, open ground and on a windowsill. Pepino from seeds often does not reproduce the parent properties. From one bag you can grow plants that differ in leaf shape, fruit size and taste.

Melon pear varieties

There are 25 varieties of pepino in the world. Officially, there are only two in Russia (from “Gavrish”), adapted to the climate of the middle zone and even Siberia. In Ukraine and southern regions They are growing 2-3 more.

1. Without formation, Consuelo grows as a spreading bush more than 1.5 m high. Ripening occurs 120 days after planting seedlings or cuttings. The fruits are heart-shaped with a blunt apex, orange with longitudinal lilac stripes. The pulp is light yellow, the taste is pleasant: sweet with strong aroma melons Pepino weighs 420–580 g.

   Pepino Consuelo produces heart-shaped orange striped fruits

2. Ramses looks a lot like Consuelo. The ripening period is 110 days after transplanting the seedlings to the garden bed. The fruit is cone-shaped with a sharp tip, orange. The light yellow flesh tastes sweet, the aroma is melon-like, but very weak. Fruit weight - 400–480 g.

   Pepino Ramses has conical fruits that taper towards the tip.

3. Gold is also a vigorous pepino. The fruits are yellow with purple streaks and are shaped like a melon. The weight of each is 350–450, and with rationing and pinching - up to 1–1.2 kg. To taste, Gold belongs to the vegetable varieties. The pulp goes well in salads with onions, but sometimes sweet specimens also grow.

   Gold differs from other varieties in its lighter color and vegetable taste.

4. Valencia is a dessert variety of pepino. The fruits are elongated, weighing 400 g, and contain sweet and moderately aromatic pulp inside. When fully ripe, the skin and pulp have a rich yellow-orange color.

   Unripe Valencia fruits look like pepper pods

5. The favorite is a variety of amateur selection, bred by gardeners from Ukraine by crossing the Peruvian pepino with Valencia. The fruits are round-conical in shape and yellow in color. They are sweeter than Valencia, juicy, with a pleasant melon aroma.

   Favorite fruit on top, Valencia fruit on bottom

Sowing pepino seeds

The seeds of this plant are small, like those of eggplants, and they take a long time to germinate - about 30 days. Some gardeners managed to get seedlings after 7 days. Germination is not always high, for example, for Ramses it is 50%, and for Consuelo it is 70–80%.

Start sowing in November-December.

Further care for pepino is the same as for tomatoes: water and feed with complex mixtures, for example, Fertika Lux, every 10–14 days. If necessary, replant into a larger container. Pepino is very unpretentious during the seedling period, grows slowly, and does not stretch. If flowering began on the windowsill, shake the bushes sharply in the morning for better pollination.

Grown pepino seedlings

Disembarkation and care

Plant Pepino in a greenhouse or open ground at the same time as tomatoes. Place according to the pattern - 50x50 cm. This culture forms ovaries at temperatures no higher than +27 °C and no lower than +18 °C. The first fruits appear in May-June, the second wave occurs at the end of August - September. The landing location depends on the region:

• IN middle lane and Siberia, it is advisable to grow in a greenhouse or in open ground, in the sunniest areas.
• In the southern regions, where the temperature drops below +30 °C only at the end of summer or autumn, pepino is grown in open ground, under the open shade of trees.

If the melon pear does not have enough light and warmth, then its fruits will grow insipid, like a zucchini or cucumber.

Video: pepino in southern Ukraine

Care for pepino:

• Be sure to tie the stems.
• Form in open ground into 1 stem, in a greenhouse - into 2–3. Stepchildren are difficult to break off; use pruning shears to avoid damaging the stems.
• Feed once a week with complex fertilizers for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Optimal N-P-K ratio- 5–10–10 or 0.5–1-1, that is, nitrogen should be half as much as potassium and phosphorus.
• If you see that summer is already coming to an end, and there are still a lot of ovaries and flowers on the bushes that will not have time to turn into edible fruits, then remove them. Leave only the largest pepino in the bunches.
• Protect from pests: Colorado potato beetle, aphids, mites, whiteflies.
• Water, avoiding drying out and stagnation of water, loosen and mulch the soil.

It has been noticed that Consuelo sets more fruits in the spring, and Ramses - in both spring and autumn. The sweetest fruits come from spring pollination.

Harvest, appointment of pepino

The ovaries formed in spring and early summer ripen on the bushes by July-August, and a second autumn harvest in the middle zone can no longer be obtained. You can collect fruits that are full and just beginning to color. They will ripen at home, just like tomatoes. Treat the melon pear harvest with care; the pulp of ripe fruits is crushed and quickly deteriorates in areas of damage.

Salads and desserts are made from pepino, jams, jams, and compotes are made. Unsweetened varieties are added to soups, sauces, meat and fish dishes. Pieces of pulp can be pickled, dried, or frozen.

Video: a child tasting pepino

Cuttings of pepino and saving bushes for next year

In most of Russia, pepino fruits do not produce seeds. To save planting material before next year, the bushes are cut down to half in the fall, dug up by the roots, transplanted into buckets or tubs and kept in a cellar or basement. During storage, the soil must be moistened occasionally to prevent the roots from drying out. At the end of February, the plants are brought into the house, placed in a sunny window, watered and fed. With the onset of warmth, the melon pear is moved to the garden bed.

When young shoots grow on old bushes, the excess ones are cut off and rooted. Pepino cuttings actively produce roots even in a glass of water. You can pick stepsons in August from a bush growing in a garden bed, and in the spring from seedlings that begin to branch already on the windowsill. It has been noticed that the stepsons from the upper part of the bush are more precocious than those from the lower part. Pepino is also grown indoors all year round without a rest period, if it is possible to provide additional lighting for 14–16 hours a day.

Video: pepino cuttings

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