Winter Melon

Other common names: Wax Gourd, Fuzzy Gourd, Ash Gourd, 冬瓜

Winter melons are one of the most impressive crops an edible gardener can grow, with singular fruit growing as heavy as 30kg! The fruit is typically steamed or stewed, but the flesh can also be candied, and the seeds made into a sweet paste.

An annual crop, these plants are often grown in rotation with other fruiting climbers.

This plant is part of the Cucurbita or melon family, which includes other popular edible fruits like cucumber, bitter gourd, and pumpkin.

Sun and soil needs:

This vine does best in full sun gardens with a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight. This plant can also grow with 4-5 hours of direct sunlight and at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight, but will produce less fruits.

Plants do best in pots with loamy soil at least 30cm deep, or in true ground.

This vine is vulnerable to heat stress during the dry season. Water it regularly and mulch the base to prevent water loss.

Sowing seeds:

Seeds can be sown directly into pots or the ground around 15-30cm apart. Lightly water the soil until damp, once a day. Seeds should sprout within 2 weeks.

The seedlings are generally resilient to most environmental factors but may be vulnerable to being eaten by snails or birds. Protect your young plants with a DIY cloche or netting.

Growing:

Winter melons will produce more flowers and thus more fruit when fed with fertilisers high in phosphorus and potassium. Plants can be fertilised regularly once a month or once every two months after the plant produces its first flower for a fuller crop.

Because the vines will grow on top of each other, it is a good practice to prune regularly and remove dead leaves and vines to improve ventilation and allow light to reach more of the plant.

Direct sunlight can damage the fruit. Allow leaves to grow over the fruit or protect it using a cloth cover.

As a fast-growing vine, this plant needs a sturdy trellis to scramble on. Because the fruits hang down, it is ideal for arch-shaped trellises. The fruits can get quite heavy if they are hanging off a trellis and can be supported with a cradle to prevent damage to the rest of the plant.

As with all members of the melon family, this plant is bee-pollinated and produces male and female flowers. To encourage the formation of more fruits, it is best to have at least 3 separate plants growing in the same area to have both male and female flowers available, and to have bee-attracting plants within the garden to encourage pollination.

Harvesting:

Plants can be harvested for fruits around 4 months after sowing. The best time to harvest the fruit is in the early morning, before 9am.

Both mature and immature fruits can be eaten. Mature fruits are ready to be harvested when the stem holding the fruit has withered and turned brown. Seeds can be used from ripe fruit for immediate planting.

Because the plant requires a lot of energy to produce a singular fruit, most plants will produce 3-5 fruits before withering. Larger fruits can be grown if there are less of them on the vine as the plant concentrates nutrients and energy into the remaining fruit.

Harvest cycle:

Propagation:

This vine can be grown via seeds. Seeds can be taken from mature fruit for immediate planting.

Common problems & solutions:

Young plants have soft stems and can be completely eaten by slugs and snails. Grow seedlings till they are at least 10cm tall before planting them in true ground, or use DIY cloches or netting to protect young plants.

If your plant has few to no flowers, you can fertilise the plant with fertilisers high in phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients encourage root and flower growth, which are important for the plant to produce more fruit.

However, if your plant is producing lots of flowers but is not bearing fruit, you may not have female and male flowers present in the same area together. Pollen from the male flower needs to be transferred to the female flower before the female flower can become a fruit. This process is called pollination and is important or the formation of many edible fruits. Vines from the melon family generally produce male flowers before female flowers. Having at least 3 plants of varying ages in the garden will make both male and female flowers present for pollination to happen.

Many plants require pollinators to help them fruit. Bees, butterflies, birds and even beetles transport pollen from one flower to another, pollinating your crops and increasing their fruit yield. Attract some pollinators to your garden by growing pollinator-attracting crops.

Aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, and spider mites often infest the plant if it has underlying problems like repeated wilting from heat stress. Mechanical pest control methods like pruning the infested parts are the best methods for managing these pests in the short term, but resolving the underlying problem will prevent them in the long term.

Wilting leaves during hot weather is a sign of heat stress. Increase the number of times the plant is watered daily, and apply mulch at the base to prevent water loss.

Fruit flies, can lay eggs in the fruit, resulting in larvae damaging the fruit and creating spots on the skin. Birds and rodents may also eat unripe or ripe fruit. Wrap your fruit in netting when it starts to develop from a fertilised flower, ideally after all the petals have dropped off.