Winter Olive Green - Melon
The Vert Olive winter melon is an old variety that produces elongated, wrinkled, dark-green fruit that is more or less tanned when ripe. The greenish-white flesh with a yellow heart is fairly thick, juicy and very sweet.
This variety can be stored all winter in the cellar.
Characteristics of the Olive Green winter melon
The Olive Green winter melon, Cucumis melo, is an ancient variety of fruiting vegetable native to France. It is also known as "Napoletano Verde Tardivo", "Tendal Verde", "Valenciano Tardivo", "Vert de Noël" and "Green Olive Netted". Its oval, dark-green-skinned fruits, 15 to 20 cm long, contain juicy, sweet white to pale-green flesh. This winter melon keeps well and can be eaten freshly sliced, in smoothies or salads.
When to sow winter melons?
Vert Olive winter melons are sown in pots 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting, from March to April, in bunches of 2 to 3 seeds. Place seedlings under a bright, warm shelter, at a temperature of between 18 and 21°C. Keep substrate moist until seeds emerge. Transplant melon seedlings with the root ball in the vegetable garden, after the last frosts. From April to May, when outside temperatures no longer fall below 15°C, you can sow directly in the ground, in bunches of 2 to 3 seeds. Melons need plenty of light and warmth to reach maturity before the frosts.
Prepare holes filled with compost or organic matter 2 weeks in advance, spaced 1 m apart in all directions, to accommodate the melon plants or seeds. In cooler regions, it's advisable to warm up the soil with mulch before planting, and to leave only one to three fruits per plant to encourage the ripening process. To encourage height growth and free up space on the ground, install sturdy supports when transplanting the plants.
Water freshly transplanted seedlings regularly, avoiding wetting the foliage.Also mulch the soil to keep it cool and limit water evaporation. In the vegetable garden, winter melons enjoy the company of corn, radishes, beans and leeks. It's best to keep it away from other Cucurbitaceae (squash, cucumber, etc.) and potatoes.
When to harvest winter melons?
Vert Olive winter melons are harvested from July to October, when the fruit changes color and gives off its typical fragrance. In addition, the skin around the stalk begins to crack, while that on the opposite side becomes tender. Cut the fruit as close as possible to the stem, a few centimetres above the stalk.
This melon can be stored all winter in a cool, airy cellar, away from light. Delicious in mixed salads, soups or fresh gazpacho.
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Sow in pots at a temperature of between 20 and 25°C, 6 weeks before planting. Transplant with the root ball, after the last frosts, in planting holes enriched with compost, spaced 1 m apart in all directions. Sowing in the open ground under the same conditions is possible when the soil is well warmed and outside temperatures no longer fall below 15°C.
Melons need plenty of light and warmth to ripen before the frosts.
Cucumis melo
From 500 to 1000 g
25 seeds
From 15 to 20 cm
France
1885
"Vilmorin-Andrieux "Les Plantes Potagères
This ancient variety from France is mentioned in Vilmorin-Andrieux's 1885 book "Les Plantes Potagères". It is also known as "Napoletano Verde Tardivo", "Tendal Verde", "Valenciano Tardivo", "Vert de Noël" and "Green Olive Netted".
