SPERLI Birnenmelone Pepino

The pepino, or melon pear, bears multicoloured fruits from August to October – an exotic from the Andes for raised beds and tubs in full sun.

The story

Origins & history

Solanum muricatum comes from the Andes of South America, for example Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, and was grown there before the Spanish arrived. The conquerors called the fruit “pepino” – in Spanish actually the word for cucumber. It is closely related to the tomato and the potato.

Uses

Ripe pepinos are eaten fresh, much like melon. The plant grows bushy and needs a sunny, warm spot and plenty of room in a raised bed or large tub. Only the ripe fruits are eaten, not the leaves and stems.

Meaning

In German it is called Birnenmelone, pear melon, because its fruits recall both pear and melon. A name that reaches between two familiar fruits for words to describe something new.

A thought for giving

Related to the tomato and the potato, reminiscent of pear and melon – and yet entirely itself. A gift for people who do not fit into any box.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 10 plants
• Botanical name: Solanum muricatum
• Life cycle: annual
• Position: sunny
• Suitable for containers: yes (raised bed, container)
• Sow indoors: February–April
• Harvest: August–October
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 20–25 °C
• Germination time: 14–28 days
• Plant spacing: 100 cm
• Row spacing: 60 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Start indoors from February to April, in seed compost in the Anzuchthaus PRO24 propagator.
2. Sow seeds 0.5–1 cm deep; at 20–25 °C they germinate in 14–28 days.
3. Keep the seedlings bright and warm.
4. From mid-May, plant in full sun in raised beds or tubs with peat-free Gemüseerde (vegetable compost), spacing 100 × 60 cm, and feed with Tomaten-Dünger (tomato fertiliser).

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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