Planting a melon pear requires careful thought beforehand. After all, the nightshade plant comes from distant South America, where the climate is different than here. Since a specimen can be several years old, the question of location must be answered above all.
How do I plant a melon pear correctly?
To successfully plant a melon pear, sow the seeds indoors in spring, plant them in the garden bed or in a large pot from mid-May and place them in a sunny location protected from the wind. The soil should be loose and nutrient-rich.
Where do you get a young plant from?
Let's go a step further and start by getting a plant. Because many hobby gardeners, whose interest in the melon pear has just been awakened, may be wondering how they can get young plants in the easiest and cheapest way.
- Buy seeds or take them from a ripe fruit
- sow indoors in spring
- if applicable. Find cuttings for propagation
- buy an already grown plant
Make a location decision
The melon pear or Pepino is not hardy. You therefore have the choice of cultivating it outside in the garden bed as an annual plant in summer. Or you can plant them in a large pot that stays outside in the summer and is brought indoors in the fall.
Tip
If you subsequently decide to extend the life of a Pepino rooted in the garden, you must carefully dig up the plant in the fall and pot it up so that it can overwinter indoors.
Planting time only after frost
This plant can be sown indoors from the end of February. It will take a few more weeks for the seeds to develop into small plants. However, these young plants and purchased specimens may only be planted in the garden from mid-May.
Finding the best spot in the bed
Pepino wants to be protected from the wind in the garden. Proximity to larger plants or a house wall can be helpful in this regard. However, make sure that these do not cast a shadow on the melon pear. Because this plant also needs a lot of light and warmth so that its fruits ripen.
First prepare the soil, then plant
You should loosen the soil in the bed about two weeks before planting. Work in mature compost or settled cow manure. If the soil is too clayey, there may be problems with waterlogging later. In this case, mix the soil with sand.
After the soil has settled again and there is no longer any fear of frost, you can plant the melon pears. Maintain a distance of approximately 80 cm between two plants. The young plants are watered well.
Tip
Immediately after planting, the melon pear needs intensive care so that it opens many flowers and produces a rich harvest.
Melon pear in a planter
If you want to cultivate the melon pear in a pot, make sure to use a well-drained substrate. For example, you can mix commercially available potting soil (€10.00 on Amazon) with coconut fiber. The pot should have a stable hold because the plant will quickly increase in volume. It is also important that it has sufficient drainage holes or a drainage layer at the bottom.
Tip
Don't choose a bucket that's too big. This would only stimulate root growth but not fruit formation. It is better to repot the fruit plant into a slightly larger pot every year.
Set up a trellis if necessary
The tendrils of the melon pear can spread flat on the ground or are tied to a trellis. In the second case, you should provide the climbing aid when planting, because growth will quickly pick up speed.
