Cucumis metuliferus
Kiwano
Common names: Hornmelon, Horn cucumber, Spring cucumber
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 80 cm, rows 150 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Mar–Apr
- Harvest
- Aug–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 2 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Joseolgon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Kiwano, botanically Cucumis metuliferus, is a climbing pumpkin family plant native to southern Africa. It produces distinctive orange, spiky fruits with bright green, jelly‑like flesh. The plant is closely related to the cucumber and prefers warm conditions, making it best grown in a greenhouse or on a protected, sunny trellis in temperate regions. It develops long, climbing stems and yellow flowers that give rise to the characteristic horned fruits over the summer. A full crop requires a long, warm season; in cooler areas the fruit often ripens late in the year. Mild, edible varieties exist alongside bitter ones that can be toxic like many cucurbits, so only consume fruits that taste mild.
Care instructions
Kiwano needs a sunny, wind‑protected spot and a trellis for the vines to climb. Keep the soil consistently moist; the plant does not tolerate waterlogged soil. Fertilize every two to three weeks with mature compost or nettle tea once the first fruits appear. Harvest when the skin turns orange and the spines are firm, usually from September onward. If nights drop below 12 °C, cover the flowers with a cloth for protection.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Apr
HarvestAug–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 18 °C, ideally 28 °C
- Days to sprout
- 7 to 14 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, nutrient-rich, dry
Horned melon likes it loose and permeable and cannot tolerate waterlogged feet at all. A sandy, humus-rich soil with good drainage suits best; please loosen heavy loamy soil beforehand with sand or compost. The pH range is 6.0 to 7.0, so slightly acidic to neutral. The plant feels most at home in warm, sheltered spots where the soil warms up quickly.
As a member of the cucurbit family, horned melon should not follow directly after courgettes, cucumbers or pumpkins. A break of four years on the same site prevents soil fatigue and disease.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Aug
Horned melon is a heavy feeder and appreciates a generous application of compost before planting. During the main growing season from May to August, support it best with well-rotted manure or compost, applied every two to three weeks. Nettle feed gives the vines extra momentum for vigorous growth. As the fruit ripens in late summer, you can switch to comfrey feed, which supports flavour and ripening.
Overwintering
In our latitudes, horned melon is grown as an annual, since frosts kill the plant immediately. Overwintering outdoors is not possible. If you want to keep the variety, collect ripe seeds from the fruits and store them dry and cool for sowing the next spring.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
Horned melon is propagated only from seed. Sowing begins from March on a warm windowsill or in a greenhouse at temperatures around 22 to 25 degrees, as germination is warmth-loving. After the Ice Saints (mid-May), the young plants may move to a sheltered, sunny spot outdoors or into the greenhouse. You should plan in a climbing frame straight away, because the shoots grow vigorously and far.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
legume family (Fabaceae)
Beans and peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, which cucurbits, as heavy feeders, can make good use of.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
You should avoid planting potato and cucumber together because they share disease pathogens such as leaf and brown rot and stand in each other's way as strong feeders.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Kiwano yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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