Pepino (melon pear)
Pepino (melon pear): Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Pepino, or melon pear, Solanum muricatum, is a fruiting plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, with a long history of cultivation in the Andean region. Its name suggests melon and pear, but it belongs to the same botanical genus as potato and aubergine. It is therefore neither a true melon in the cucurbit family nor a pear tree. Its appeal combines sweet, juicy fruit with the outline of a small bush.This frost-sensitive perennial has fairly flexible, branching stems that may spread under the weight of its fruit. Plants often reach around a metre, with size and overall spread varying between varieties and growing conditions. The green foliage is variable too: some leaves are simple, while others are divided into several leaflets. Their generally elongated shape and the loose network of branches give the plant a softer outline than a fruit tree with a clearly defined trunk.The small, star-shaped flowers have…
