They look like tiny watermelons, but taste like cucumbers. What the heck are they? That’s what most people say when they lay eyes on a Mexican Sour Gherkin cucumber.
It’s an heirloom variety that keeps gardeners from getting bored. We first saw them at the Culver City Garden Show, where fellow gardenerd Elizabeth Camp was showing them off. One look and we knew they were a garden must. We grew them this summer in our Test Garden, so here’s the lowdown:
Mexican Sour Gherkin flower
They took quite a bit longer to germinate and grow to a decent sized-plant. In fact, our Armenian cucumbers were almost finished by the time these little buggers showed real signs of life. But we kept pulling for them, and it paid off.
Tiny tendrils and delicate leaves began to climb the trellis, and they haven’t stopped yet. We planted from seed in late March. It’s now October and we’re still eating these tasty fruits. Using drip irrigation to keep the soil bed moist, and several applications of compost, the plants responded most to warmer weather.
Tiny Mexican Sour Gherkin setting fruit
We helped guide the tendrils up the trellis, but they reached the top quickly and began to reroute sideways and everywhere. Soon we had mini watermelons hanging all over the place.
As they grow…
The taste is slightly tart, but more than anything, it’s a flavor explosion that screams SUMMER when you bite into one of these little guys. They make great party favors and fantastic conversation-starters at block parties.
Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers
We got our seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, and we would definitely grow these again, even though they took longer than expected to get going. Patience is key with this variety, but the results are worth it.
Why do mine make tiny ones which fall off before getting edible size?
It could be a number of things, Gene, but usually if fruit falls off before it’s ripe it’s usually a deficiency of phosphorus and potassium. Plants naturally abort fruit if they don’t have the nutrients to support life. I usually recommend putting down compost and watering with kelp emulsion every two weeks until the situation improves. A little organic veggie fertilizer can help as well, if you use that.
Are the growths at the roots edible?
I tried to grow them last year but no fruit appeared. I was patient and I babied them. The vines grew like crazy but no fruit.
I recall the vines took a really long time to get going, but then they took off. It took another stretch of time before I started to see flowers. They are not the quick producers of typical cucumbers. Seed catalogs list it as being anywhere from 60-75 days to maturity. That said, if you left them all season and they did nothing, it may be that your soil is in need of phosphorus or potassium. Both are responsible for fruiting and flowering, and overall vigor. Worth doing a soil test before planting this year to see what your soil needs.
I am in St. Louis, MO. When should I seed these? The area I will plan them in gets almost full sun, but there is some shading here and there. Thanks!
St. Louis has a last frost date of April 15th, so you can plant them indoors (or protected seed trays) now for planting out after April 15th. Full sun is great for these cucs. Have fun growing them!