From June to October, Melothria Scabra produces ready-to-harvest fruits that look like small honeydew melons but taste like aromatic cucumbers. In autumn the climbing plant contracts, turns unsightly yellow and dies on the surface. No reason to throw away the Mexican mini cucumber, because it will sprout again next year if it has properly overwintered.
How can you successfully overwinter the Mexican mini cucumber?
To overwinter the Mexican mini cucumber (Melothria scabra), you can dig up the root tubers, clean them, store them in moist sand and store them at 5-8°C. Alternatively, the plant can be overwintered outdoors by cutting it back and covering it with brushwood, mulch or plant fleece.
Dig up roots
Melothria Scabra forms underground storage organs that you can overwinter in the house in a relatively cool place and replant in the spring. In the fall, do the following:
- Cut back the above-ground parts of the plant as soon as the outside temperature drops permanently below ten degrees.
- Carefully dig up the root tubers.
- Remove soil residues by hand or with a soft brush.
- Let the tubers dry a little on newspaper.
- Unlike dahlias, you should bury the storage organs in moist sand because they must not dry out.
- Avoid the tubers touching each other as they rot easily.
- Place the boxes in a frost-free room. Temperatures between five and eight degrees are optimal.
Thanks to the overwintering method, the storage organ continues to grow and produces ever larger and more productive plants.
Wintering outdoors
In mild regions where temperatures only briefly drop below freezing, you can overwinter Melothria Scabra outdoors. To do this, cut back the above-ground parts of the plant in autumn and spread winter protection made of brushwood or mulch over the plant. Covering with plant fleece (€34.00 on Amazon) has also proven to be effective.
Tip
The Mexican mini cucumber is seed-proof. If you don't want to overwinter the plant, you can get seeds from the fully ripe fruits. Store the valuable seeds labeled in small bags until sowing in spring.
