Pepino Dulce

Solanum muricatum

With a name that means “sweet cucumber,” the flavour of this fruit recalls a succulent mixture of honeydew, tomato, and cucumber. The plant is a beautiful shrub with dark green linear leaves and profuse large showy purple flowers that look like potato flowers. Pepino needs sufficient heat to ripen so does not do well in coastal areas.

Water: Sensitive to drought stress, needs consistent water

Hardiness: Frost tender, performs best in a warm, relatively frost-free climates. This plant can survive a low temperature of 27°F if the freeze is not prolonged, though it may drop many of its leaves. Protect from wind.

Category: Perennial Food Crop