Tedra Erikson Stanley performing the thumbnail test.
Mirlitons are typically ready to harvest when they reach approximately 8 ounces, although size and weight can vary. The most reliable method for testing for harvesting is the thumbnail test.
Start by pushing on the fruit skin with your thumbnail. If the fruit skin dents or even seeps a little moisture, the fruit is still immature and will be too watery. If it is firm and does not dent, you are ready to pick. The old growers used to say, “My mirlitons are hard now and ready to pick.”
See Tedra Stanley’s video on how to do the test here.
At the hard stage, they are also mature enough to sprout and or use as seed. But once they begin to sprout, they’re too tough to cook.
The spring harvest of mirlitons has increased in recent years due to advancements in growing techniques. The question is: How do we plant them?
There are two options: container-grown plants or planting them directly in the soil.
First, in either case, the fruit needs to be spouted. This ensures the seed is viable, and a sprouted mirliton means the roots and shoots are ready for soil and will quickly root and grow. You can expedite sprouting by incubating the fruit. If kept warm, they will sprout within 7 to 14 days. Read how to do it here. (We encourage growers to also incubate their sprouts before selling or gifting them, for the same reasons.)
Once the seed has sprouted:
Container planting: Plant it in a 3-gallon container and keep it outside in the shade for the summer. Use a small tomato cage for a trellis. Mirlitons can be easily pruned back to maintain a compact shape if desired. Transplant them into the ground in September, after the danger of the heatwave has passed. Cut it back and mulch it in November, or tent and heat it for the entire winter. Either way, you’ll get a good spring crop. Use the bamboo stake technique for gauging watering needs.
Mirlitons trellised on tomato cages.
Direct planting: This is a little more tricky. You can plant sprouts in May or June, but they will need to be initially shaded from the heat of direct sunlight. Place a milk crate over the plant, covering it with a 40% shade cloth or a piece of cardboard to protect it from the sun’s rays. After it starts to grow foliage, remove the crate and shade. Read about shading it here. Use the standard methods for bed preparation in the quick guide
I realize that this sounds like a strange idea, but experienced container plant experts have been using wooden skewers and chopsticks to gauge soil moisture for years. The principle is simple; moist particles of soil adhere to the wood. A clean skewer means the soil is too dry, a muddy skewer means too much moisture, and a stake flecked with large soil particles means the moisture is fine. The same principles apply to using a large bamboo stake in your raised bed or garden.
The two methods gardeners often use are the second-knuckle method and the electric meter method. In the knuckle method, you insert your finger down to the second knuckle and feel if you feel moisture at the tip. That gives you a good reading of the soil moisture in the first two inches, but the mirliton root zone is much deeper than that. You need a reading of soil moisture from 1-6 inches, and a finger can’t do that.
The other popular method is a sleek moisture meter. But there are several problems. The probe does not tell you what is happening at all levels. It rounds it off to one reading. Plus, the meter is set in the factory to a specific soil type. It has no idea about the unique qualities of your soil, such as porosity, particulate size, clay content, and amendments. That makes for unreliable readings. I think they are useful with house plants, but not with gardens.
The bamboo stake uses your senses and can adjust to any soil conditions. Look and feel are important gardening tools. (A bamboo stake will work for raised beds. But the most accurate method to prevent overwatering or underwatering your mirliton is the inexpensive stainless steel soil sampler.
Steps for Using the Bamboo Stake Soil Moisture Gauge:
Use a standard ½-inch diameter bamboo tomato stake with no lacquers or plastic. Coverings can throw off the measurements. Make sure the stake is dry. I leave mine out all day.
Select a place about 6 inches from the plant base. You can choose a different place each time if you are afraid of harming the roots.
Shove the stake straight down about 6-12 inches and wait a couple of seconds, then pull it up quickly.
Read the stake:
A relatively clean stake means soil moisture is low, and you need to water. (photo 1)
A slightly smeared or dirty stake, particularly in the first two inches, means the plant has more than enough available moisture and needs no water. (photo 2)
An evenly distributed number of soil particles (crumbs), the length of the stake means the plant needs no water. (photo 3)
Wipe off the stake and set it aside to dry.
Learn from the stake:
Make a mental note of what the stake looks like each time you test or take a photo. You will see that it gives you a graduated reading–each particle of soil represents the available moisture at that specific level. The bottom of the stake will show the moisture at the deepest level. You can learn from the tests: Do the test the day after you water or when it has rained so you see what good soil moisture looks like on the stake.
If you want a more precise moisture reading that uses both appearance and feel of the soil, upgrade to themetal soil sampler
FIg. 1. Clean bamboo stake means low soil moisture and you need to water the plant.
Fig. 2. A light coating of soil particles indicates good soil moisture. Note that the slightly muddy tip of the stake means the soil is getting saturated at the deepest level. No need to water.
Evenly distributed flecks (crumbs) of soil indicate good soil moisture at all root zone levels. No need to water.
Many gardeners attribute plant failure to manure or compost that may have been contaminated with Grazon or other herbicides. A professional laboratory test is too expensive for the average gardener, but there is a simple, inexpensive test you can do at home. You can do it before using the compost or manure, or after you have already planted:
Spider mites and mealybugs tend to plague mirlitons that are planted in containers, especially when kept indoors during overwintering.
You can manage mealybugs by soaking a cotton swab with 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and dabbing it directly on the bugs. Alternatively, you can dilute the alcohol with water at a 1:10 ratio (one part alcohol to 10 parts water) and spray it on both the top and bottom of the leaves. (Sevin claims to control mealybugs, but there’s evidence that it is not as effective as alcohol.)
Mites can be controlled with the same alcohol spray, neem oil, or insecticidal soap (follow the instructions on the label).
Sprays will only kill the living mites, so you may need to repeat the spraying process weekly for a few weeks.
Red spider mite clusters.
Click here for a short fact sheet on how to identify signs of mites.
Strong winds and hurricanes can shred a mirliton vine and stress it enough to delay or even stop flowering.
Michelle Impastato Glore discovered an ingenious way to inexpensively and quickly protect the vine from winds: netting. It’s the most effective way to protect your vines from wind damage–even in hurricane winds.
With young plants, she sandwiches them between two layers of netting and secures it to the trellis on both sides with clips. She pushes the tips of the clips through both sides so they hold the vine snugly but not so tightly that it breaks the stems.
To protect her large, mature vine, she wraps the entire vine with netting on both sides and secures it with velcro and or plastic tape.
Both vines survived gusts of 20 mph, and the large vine should have sustained gusts up to 70 mph.
The netting comes in many sizes at Tractor Supply and other stores, including this large roll for big vines.
Watch the video here of Michelle’s vine after 70 mph gusts. The vine had grown through the netting, so she had to cut holes in it before removing it.
New plant sandwiched in with netting clipped to trellis.
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