The kiwano or African cucumber is a simple and very productive crop. It needs good temperatures to grow and it is from the cucumber or pumpkin family, Cucurbitaceae.
This family, that of Cucurbitaceae, includes many and varied fruits, generally large and with very hard skin. With this guide to the African cucumber, I want to show you the step by step of this cultivation, from sowing to harvesting and getting the seeds.
In addition, I share with you some small kiwano care that we must have. A different but very interesting crop to have in the garden. Apart from this small visual guide with videos, at each cultivation moment you have a link to an article explaining each step in more depth.
HOW TO SOW AFRICAN CUCUMBER OR KIWANO
As with many spring crops, with kiwano we will have two options. One will be to do direct sowing, so we will have to wait until it is spring or the temperatures start to rise without risk of frost or put a tunnel to protect them. Another more interesting option is to sow the seeds of African cucumber in sheltered seedbed in late winterso that they can then be taken to their final place.
It is one of five advantages or benefits of making seedbeds, which is true for many crops, including the kiwano plant. Seeds we can buy them or have them obtained from our orchard the previous season. In the video you have the planting step by step.
Kiwano, horned melon seeds – Cucumis metuliferus
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HOW TO PLANT AFRICAN CUCUMBER IN THE GARDEN
A little late in the spring, we can already plant our kiwanos in their final place. It is important to know that the African or kiwano cucumber is grown like cucumbers and is a climbing plant, so it is ideal that we prepare a sunny area of the garden and we can prepare a teepee structure to cultivate them. Otherwise we can always use a bow to farm them and thus take advantage of the space. They are very productive crops, so we won’t need a lot of kiwano plants for good production. In the video I leave you with much more information.
MAINTENANCE AND WATERING KIWANO
The kiwano is a plant that we will cultivate on tutors as we have already mentioned. Ideally, the fruits do not touch the ground, or as little as possible. We can prepare many different structures for them to climb, as I have already mentioned in the form of a teepee, with a construction trellis, with a purchased trellis or with wires. In this way we obtain the best development of the plant and that the fruits materialize.
He irrigation in the Kiwano It must be abundant and regular. I can’t stand the lack of irrigation, and we must almost keep the earth moist but never flood it. Hence the importance of very well-drained soil. You can always water with nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizers once the first fruits begin to appear and ripen, water requirements increase.
Regarding the amount of water and irrigation of the cultivation of African cucumbers, it must be taken into account that when watering, we must avoid wetting the leaves because they rot easily and are very susceptible to fungus. .
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MOST COMMON DISEASES AND PESTS OF KIWANO
THE diseases that affect this culture they will not be much different from what cucumbers, zucchini and squash can have. In more humid regions and more temperate climates like mine, our biggest problem will be to control the fungi that can affect us, but thanks to these 7 Fungus Remedies In the orchard we won’t have a problem.
In warmer climates we can be affected by pests such as white fly, there red spideror minelayers, but in truth it is a culture quite resistantwith which we are not going to have problems if we find that everything is more or less remote.
Although it is true that in first stages of cultivation we must ensure that snails and slugs Don’t destroy our factory, but we won’t have big problems.
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HOW AND WHEN TO HARVEST KIWANO
Kiwanos or African cucumbers are They harvest when their fruits are ripe.Although it can be eaten when green without any problem and also has a good flavor, it is less sweet and has a milder flavor.
The harvest, depending on the climate in which we live, can be done before or after. In less hot climates like mine, we will harvest more or less at the beginning of autumn, although in other regions it may be a little earlier. However, the state in which we have to reap our fruits is more or less always the same. It is necessary to wait until the fruit fully ripens and changes its color from intense green to dull yellow.
HOW TO GET KIWANO SEEDS
The final step in kiwano cultivation if we want to come full circle is get the seeds of the best fruits and the best plants to be able to grow them the following year and thus be more independent. We will do it as in almost all spring crops, in mid-autumn. If we sowed a variety of hybrid kiwano ( F1 ) we must not get his seed.
In the video you have all the steps as well as the planting distance between the varieties to avoid crossbreeding and if you are interested I leave you a link with a index of all the seeds that can be obtained in the garden.
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