Solanum muricatum Pepino

Description

Beautiful round fruits that taste like a mix of pears and melons, creamy skins with purple stripes and deliciously sweet and juicy flesh. Cultivated in a manner similar to its relatives such as the tomato, it naturally grows upright and can therefore be grown as a free-standing shrub. A support is sometimes used to prevent a heavy crop of fruit from pulling the plant down. It has a fast growth rate, bears fruit within 4 to 6 months after planting, and seeds are rarely produced. Although strictly a perennial, forming a large shrub, it is often grown as an annual, and the attractive fruit can often be seen in markets in Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile.This fruit has a tender taste and can be eaten fresh in fruit or vegetable salad or cooked in a ragout. It is also used indoors as an ornamental plant.

The seeds are sown on the surface or slightly covered. Do not let the soil dry out. Containers are kept in warm conditions until germination occurs, which can take 3-10 days. Move germinating seedlings immediately to bright light conditions, such as a south-facing window. Insufficient lighting is a common cause of failure of young seedlings. Around the time of the last frost, place the seedlings in grow bags.