Specialty vegetable crops

Cultivation 
Environment

Warm and sunny weather is preferred.  Grow well between 25and 30in thick and humus-rich loam with good drainage, and a pH value between 6.0 and 6.8.

Planting and Spacing

Transplantation of seedlings is preferred to start cultivation.  Germinate seeds in nursery and transplant seedlings once they have 3 to 5 true leaves.  Plant spacing should be about 60 cm x 120 cm.  Set the plants in a single row.

Fertiliser
Application
and
Management

Basal Dressing:
Apply about 1 000 kg of compost, 90 kg of both peanut cake and bone meal to each d.c..

Top Dressing:
Apply 100 g of organic fertliser (N:P:K=4:3:3) to each plant as top dressing 2 weeks after transplanting and once every 2 weeks until the plant flowers and the first fruit appears.  From flowering to initial fruiting period, apply 100 g of organic fertiliser (N:P:K=4:2:10 or 9:3:7) once every 2 weeks instead until the end of growth period.  Foliar fertiliser may be applied according to the actual circumstances during the growth period to enhance the quality and quantity of fruits.

Plant
Adjustment

Erect a trellis to support the vines once the plant reaches 40 cm in height.  Pluck all side vines and fruits from the lower portion of the main stem to encourage growth.  During the growth period, maintain a suitable level of moisture in the soil, conduct light ploughing, earthing-up, weeding and thinning to allow the young fruits to grow straight.

Harvesting

Ready for harvest when the fruits have grown to 26 cm in length and 14 cm in width.