HOW TO SELECT: Ranging from teardrop- to egg-shaped, the pepino has violet streaks across a pale background. The stage of ripeness can be determined by the color between those stripes: deep yellow or gold indicates ripe fruit while pale green means it is an unripe pepino.
Is Pepino an annual?
The plant resembles its relative the tomato, but the fruit tastes more like a cantaloupe. The plant doesn’t survive winter cold so is usually grown as an annual, but you can grow pepinos as perennials by planting them in pots and overwintering them indoors.
Is Pepino melon a perennial?
What is Half-Hardy Perennial? but requires winter protection from frosts and temperatures below 0C.
How long do Pepinos last?
Reap my pepino Harvest the fruits after 5 months of cultivation, from July to October, when the fruits have taken an unbleached hue – and thus lost their green dress. They can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks as long as they are dry.
How big do Pepino melon plants get?
about 2-3′ tall
Although they can grow up to 6′ over multiple years, growing pepino melons as an annual helps keep them smaller. They tend to grow about 2-3′ tall and 3-4′ wide and do well in both the garden and in containers.
When should I pick my Pepino?
The pepino melon is ripe and ready to harvest when it turns a pale creamy color all the way through to golden yellow with purple stripes (though stripes may not form if the fruit is shaded). For the tastiest fruit, leave it on the plant until fully ripe for the flavor to develop.
How long does a Pepino plant last?
One of its big advantages is that it is a bushy shrub which persists from year to year in temperate regions and produces fruit for many months – even the whole year in warmer areas.
How long does it take for a pepino melon to set?
Pepino melons will not set fruit until the night temps are above 65 F. (18 C.). Fruit reaches maturity 30-80 days after pollination. Although pepino melons are parthenocarpic, a larger fruit yield will be reached with cross-pollination or self-pollination.
What does a Pepino fruit look like?
Fruit from the growing pepino plants may be round, oval, or even pear shaped and may be white, purple, green, or ivory in color with purple striping. The flavor of the pepino fruit is similar to that of a honeydew melon, hence its common name of pepino melon, which can be peeled and eaten fresh.
Where do Pepino melons grow?
and savory dishes as well as being delicious eaten fresh on its own. Pepino melons are grown commercially in New Zealand, Chile and Western Australia where they grow as annuals but they can be grown in the milder areas of northern California as well.
Can you grow Pepino in a greenhouse?
Overwinter indoors or inside the greenhouse. Pepino plants do not set fruit until the night temperatures are over 65 F. (18 C.). The fruit matures 30-80 days after pollination. Harvest the pepino fruit just before it is fully ripe and it will store at room temp for several weeks.
