Match the perfect time
at the harvest Only those fruits of the melon pear should be picked that have reached the optimal degree of ripeness. Then they taste particularly aromatic and have the right amount of sweetness.
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If the optimal degree of ripeness has been reached, you should also pick a melon fruit promptly, because it quickly loses quality. Their flesh becomes soft and it can even start to rot on the plant.
Warmth as a factor in fruit set
Indeed when does the melon pear even bear fruit? It is not enough for a plant to open many flower buds. It must also come to the fruit set. The pepino, as the melon pear is also called, can pollinate itself. But fruits only develop from it if the temperature at this time remains consistently above 18 ° C for many nights.
Late harvest time is typical for the melon pear
To the bloom in spring and successful pollination, it takes many weeks before the first edible fruits hang on the bush. At some point in late summer the time has come. Depending on the current weather, a little earlier and a little later. That is why it is important to follow the signs of maturity.
Tips
We recommend that you remove all flowerless side shoots early on to exhaustso that the saved energy benefits fruit development. You can get bigger fruits if you shorten the long flower stems.
This is how you recognize a ripe Pepino
A "finished" fruit needs about 90 days to grow. Depending on the variety, it can be up to 20 cm long and weigh 300 grams. However, these characteristics alone should not be what you should go for. Here are the reliable maturity traits:
- the pepino gives off a sweet scent
- the color has changed
- the fruit yields slightly to pressure
Trying is better than studying! If the pulp tastes of pear and honeydew melon, the degree of ripeness is ideal.
Allow to ripen in winter quarters
if the care true, but the weather is not, the ripening of some fruits may be delayed. Since the melon pear is not hardy but she has to be in the house early in the fall overwinter. What to do with the unripe fruit still attached?
Leave the fruit on the plant. This can also be done in a light winter area, at 5-10 ° C to ripen. If this is not possible due to lack of space, you can harvest the unripe fruits and let them ripen at room temperature within a few days. It is faster if a few apples are deposited near you.
Use and storage of ripe fruits
Even a single melon pear can produce a lot of fruit in good years. They taste delicious on their own, but also in sweet and salty dishes. Fruits that cannot be consumed soon can keep for another 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
