Solanum muricatum
Pepino
Common names: Melon pear
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 60 cm, rows 80 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Feb–Mar
- Harvest
- Aug–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 2 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Michael Wolf · CC BY 2.5 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Pepino, botanically Solanum muricatum, originates from the Andes and produces aromatic, melon‑sweet fruits in late summer. It grows as a loose, semi‑shrub with soft, velvety leaves, typically reaching 50 to 100 cm in height. In our region it thrives best in a pot, preferring warm, wind‑protected conditions similar to chili or bell pepper plants. Mature fruits are identified by a creamy yellow base color with violet streaks and taste best when fully ripe straight from the plant.
Care instructions
Plant the Pepino after the last frost, around mid‑May (week 20), either outdoors or in a large pot with nutrient‑rich, well‑draining soil. It requires a sunny, warm location and consistent moisture; never allow the soil to dry out completely, but avoid waterlogging. During the growing season, feed regularly with compost or diluted nettle tea. Before the first frost, bring the plant indoors and overwinter it in a bright, cool place at 5 to 10 °C, as with chili. In spring prune the shoots back to encourage new growth.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingFeb–Mar
HarvestAug–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 18 °C, ideally 25 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, moist
Pepino likes loose, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged. The plant tolerates waterlogging poorly, because the shallow roots then rot quickly. A dose of compost before planting provides enough nutrients for the start.
Do not grow pepino in the same spot directly after tomatoes, potatoes or peppers, as all four belong to the nightshade family and share similar diseases.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Aug
Give mature compost or diluted nettle liquid feed every two to three weeks while the plant is flowering and setting fruit. A mulch layer of grass clippings or straw keeps the soil moist and incidentally releases nutrients. From August, reduce feeding so the last fruits can still ripen.
Overwintering
Pepino is frost-sensitive and does not survive a winter outdoors. Bring the plant indoors before the first frost and put it somewhere bright and cool at 10 to 15 degrees, watering only a little. In spring it sprouts again from the old wood and can go back outdoors after the Ice Saints.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
The simplest method is propagation from cuttings in late summer: cut a fresh tip cutting of 10 to 15 cm and place it in a glass of water or directly in moist seed compost. Roots usually form within a few weeks. Sowing from seed is also possible, but takes longer to the first harvest and does not always give plants true to type.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
mint family (Lamiaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example LavenderThymeBasilRosemarySageHyssop and 43 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
borage family (Boraginaceae)
Borage attracts pollinators and is supposed to keep tomato pests away from the nightshade family.
For example BorageCommon comfreyLacy phaceliaForget-me-notLungwortSiberian bugloss and 2 more species in the catalogue
Source: organic greenhouse companion planting practice
Rather not
gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
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 CucumberPumpkinCourgettePickling cucumberButternutHokkaido and 15 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.
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