THE CHINESE CUCURBITS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 34

Here, to prove the point, is a melon grown just for pickling. Native to China and
Japan, it's easy to grow in North America and lends itself to a wide variety of delicious
pickles. If you like pickles, you'll love the Asian pickling melon.
Appearance
Pickling melons vary from dark to light green to silvery gray to white. They are oval
in shape, about 12 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. The flesh is white and dense.
Their close relationship to the common cucumber is evident both in their looks and in
their flesh; cut in half they look almost exactly like a short, stubby cucumber with some-
what denser flesh and smaller seeds.
The plant spreads 10 or more feet, so you need a large garden to let pickling melon
sprawl on the ground. A better method is to train it up a fence or trellis; this makes it
easier to find the fruits, keeps them away from slugs, and reduces disease by allowing
foliage and fruits to dry quickly. The foliage is dense enough to make a good wind-
break; don't use it on all sides of an enclosed garden or you'll cut down on the air cir-
culation within the garden.