Tzimbalo - Solanum Caripense - Sweet, Juicy & Abundant
Quantity: 15 Seeds
Tzimbalo, aka Tzimbalo Melon Pear, or Solanum Caripense, is a fruit producing plant in the solanaceae (nightshade) family. It's a relatively unknown plant, but is finally making its debut in North America. The vigorous plant grows quickly, and produces an abundance of beautiful and delicious fruits. The fruits taste sweet and tangy, and are very juicy. First time growers can sometimes find it to be difficult to identify when the fruits are ripe because they barely change colour when mature, but they do get darker and a little bit shinier. The unripe fruits don't taste good, so when the fruits are suspected to be ripe, it's best to wait a week or two longer before picking them just to be sure. This being said, a ripe Tzimbalo tastes divine, and it doesn't take very long to understand what a ripe Tzimbalo looks like. This is definitely one of the tastier fruits in the solanum genus.
All seeds are organic and open pollinated.
Growing Instructions
For the highest yields, It’s best to start Tzimbalo seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before the last frost; we start them here on the farm in mid March. It's good to sow them in a sterile growing medium; most available seed starting soils should do the job nicely; we use sunshine mix (peat moss and perlite). The soil should be made moist, but not damp. Sow the seeds 1/8 inch below the soil surface. Store in a warm area until tiny sprouts emerge from the soil. A heat mat greatly aids in this step, but is not necessary. Seeds can take up to 3 weeks to germinate, but may take less time too. Once germinated, and the first true leaf has formed, it's time to pot up to a larger container that contains a good quality potting soil. Transplant to their final location when the nighttime temperatures are consistently 8°C or higher; for us at the farm, this is around early May, but they are quite resilient, so can be planted out early without sacrificing yields later on in the season.