Sweet Cucumbers

Unlike the familiar cucumber of salad and picnic fame, sweet cucumbers taste like a cross between honeydew and cucumber.
 
But they aren’t melons or cucumbers. They are members of the nightshade family, along with eggplant, groundcherries, peppers, and tomatoes!

Sweet cucumber plant (I, Michael w) CC BY 2.5

Before we learn about the growing particulars of this new plant, let’s see why we would want it in our landscape.
 
Also known as melon pear, pepino melon, or pepino dulce, fleshy sweet cucumbers (Solanum muricatum) give us the best of both worlds, melons and cucumbers. Like other nightshade plants, they are sturdy and can produce for several years. However, commercial growers tend to treat them as annuals. Because sweet cucumbers are sensitive to handling and long-term storage, we are unlikely to see them in stores any time soon.

​That’s why you might want to grow them at home. Let’s find out how.

Interior of sweet cucumber (Eglekuc) CC BY-SA 3.0

Native to South America, sweet cucumbers thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 8–11. You can also grow them in a container and move them to a protected location in winter. They can tolerate some frost but produce the largest harvests when grown in a greenhouse. Short periods of temperatures as low as 28°F or as high as 100°F can be tolerated, but milder temperatures are preferred.

Sweet cucumber plants can be grown from seed, but cuttings are faster and easier. Sweet pepper cuttings grow roots quickly and do not need auxins or other plant hormones to get started. Mature plants can grow three feet tall and wide. Flowers and immature fruits are white with purple stripes. As the fruit matures, the white tends to turn yellow or gold.
 
Sweet cucumbers prefer dry environments but need regular irrigation to keep up with their fast growth rate. Feeding rates will depend on your latest lab-based soil test results and local conditions.

Most sweet cucumbers produce fruit in 4 to 6 months. Naturally upright, these plants benefit from tomato cages or other supports to help keep fruit off the ground, though this is not always needed. They frequently enjoy the extra heat provided by a south-facing wall or fence. Pruning is not required. The soil should never be soggy.
 
Sweet cucumbers are self-pollinating but will produce more fruit if other plants are nearby. Fruits are picked after they are fully ripe.
 
Sweet cucumber plants are subject to many of the same pests and diseases as other nightshade family members. Common pests include aphids, Colorado potato beetles, cutworms, flea beetles, fruit flies, hornworms, leaf miners, spider mites, and whiteflies. They are also susceptible to anthracnose, bacterial spot, pepino mosaic, tobacco mosaic, and blights caused by Alternaria spp. and Phytophthora spp.

Sweet cucumber flower (Philipp Weigell) CC BY 3.0

Do you have a warm, sunny spot in your landscape? Sweet cucumbers might be a great addition to your summer menu.