How to grow Pepino in Australia

Where to plant

Grow pepino in full sun in well-drained soil improved with compost or worm castings. It prefers warmth, but fruit drops in very hot weather, above about 27°C. It can survive short periods around 0°C if cut back after fruiting and covered on frosty nights.

The bush grows to about 1 m high and wide and its branches get heavy with fruit, so give it a small trellis or stakes for support and to keep fruit off the ground, where rodents find it.

• South East Queensland, the Northern Rivers, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide: grows as a perennial shrub, fruiting for many months.
• Melbourne: plant after frost and grow it as an annual, or in a pot that can be sheltered in winter.
• Canberra and Hobart: marginal. Plant after frost, mulch well and treat it as an annual, or overwinter it under cover.
• North Queensland: grow in the dry season only, planting from April to August; fruit drops once days pass about 27°C.
• Darwin: not suited; the heat is too great.

How to plant

1. Plant a young plant or a rooted cutting in spring after the last frost, in a sunny spot.
2. Dig in compost before planting. Avoid manures and high-nitrogen fertilisers, which give leaves rather than fruit.
3. Set up a trellis or stakes at planting, and tie the stems in as they grow.
4. Water in well and mulch, as the roots are shallow.

Watering and feeding

Pepino has shallow roots and moderate water needs. Keep the soil evenly moist, especially while fruit is forming, and mulch well in summer. Uneven watering affects fruiting.

Feed with compost or a balanced fertiliser that is not high in nitrogen, so the plant fruits rather than just growing leaves.

Pruning and care through the year

• Remove some shoots, especially those growing away from the support, so light and air reach the whole bush.
• Cut the bush back after fruiting, and cover it on frosty nights in cool areas.
• Pepinos root wherever branches touch the ground, and in some areas the plant is regarded as weedy. Keep stems off the soil unless you want new plants, and do not let it spread into bushland.

Harvesting

Pick when the fruit has turned a deep golden yellow with purple stripes and gives slightly to a gentle press. Fruit picked pale is not fully sweet. Pick the ripest fruit in a cluster and the others keep maturing.

Handle gently, as pepinos bruise easily. They keep for several days on the bench, or for a week or more in the fridge, as long as it is not colder than about 5°C.

Growing in pots

Pepino grows well in a pot at least 30 cm wide, with a small stake or frame, in a sunny spot. A pot can be moved under cover in winter in frosty areas.

Using it

Peel and eat pepino fresh, like melon, in fruit salads, with yoghurt, or wrapped in prosciutto. It also suits savoury salads with lemon juice, and can be made into sauces and chutneys. The skin is edible but usually not eaten.

Propagation

Cuttings strike easily: take a woody section with a few leaves at the top and push it into soil or a pot. Branches pegged down into soil root in about a month and can then be cut off and planted. Seed grows readily but plants may not be the same as the parent.