Monday, August 18, 2014

Mouse Melon Progress

Take a look at the Mouse Melon Progress on our Rooftop Container Garden at work! 

I have to say I'm so excited that Sam brought one of these in for us to grow!  It's doing so well!  We've munched on a few that have matured but I'm certain there are a lot more on the way! 

Mouse Melon - or - Melothria scabra is a vine grown for its edible fruit. Fruit are about the size of grapes and taste like cucumbers with a tinge of sourness. Vernacular names include mouse melon, Mexican sour gherkin, cucamelon, Mexican miniature watermelon and Mexican sour cucumber.  This plant is native to Mexico and Central America, where it is called sandiita (little watermelon). It is believed to have been a domesticated crop before western contact began.

These plants are slow-growing when they are establishing themselves, but can eventually grow up to ten feet under proper conditions. They are drought resistant and pest-resistant due.

Similar to the cucumber, these plants produce both male and female flowers. These plants can fertilize themselves, but the flowers are not self-fertile. Flowers are small and yellow, about four millimeters in diameter. Fruits develop at the base of the female flower.

Our tomatoes aren't doing very well but we might see 3 of them.  Some of the peppers are doing ok and some aren't...more progress on those down the road, too!  We have 2 solid Brussel Sprout Plants 'happening' and I will post about that soon, too!  As well as others!

Let me know how your garden is doing!!!!

6 comments:

  1. Very interesting, never tried these! My garden is not going this year, we have all the new garden beds up and might plant some fall crops. But with the drought being so bad here now, we decided to avoid the water use.

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    1. I wish I could send you some of our rain! We've had a LOT of it!

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  2. The mouse melon plant is looking great and I see a melon! Our garden has done very well this year thanks to the rain and the fabulous beehives. From my readings, beehives tend to increase your harvest production. Typically, we receive a lot of produce so much that we give a lot away. This year, I've been giving away even more produce. I brought a big basket of produce to work and told everyone to help themselves, additionally numerous times, I''ve given away produce to close friends.

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    1. That's awesome!!!! Did you hear the government is PAYING people to raise bees now?? I will have to see if I can find the article again for you!!!

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    2. I heard about that, but I'm not interested. Our government paying me to keep bees on my land can easily can turn into our government thinking that they can tell me what I have to do on my land. Plenty of examples of that going on now, so it's not paranoid thinking on my part. The less government in my life, the better. Thanks, but no thanks. :)

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    3. That's very true! I didn't think of it that way right away...but it makes sense...I mean look at what they are doing to control non-gmo and family farms VS commercial farms...it's harder to be a mom and pop farm than a commercial one...more rules and regs...very sad! And all of the fees to label something 'organic'...I could go on and on...but I know you already know all of that :)

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