Description

Melon Kiku Chrysanthemum
Cucumis melo var. inodorus

Cute little honeydew melon, white flesh. Mild, slightly sweet flavor, like an Asian pear. Can be crunched with the skin like an apple. 6 to 10 cm in diameter, 200g on average. Compact plants, up to 1.50 m long. Climbs easily on a support without needing to support the fruit. Highly productive, over 20 fruits per plant. Harvest begins in early August and continues until frost. Good resistance to diseases. Harvest when the melons are still white, the stripes are no longer greenish and the peduncle can be removed from the fruit more easily. When the fruit begins to turn yellow, the flesh is sweeter but the texture becomes floury. Native to Japan. 75 days to maturity.

Full sun, well drained and rich soil. Sow indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. 1 cm deep. 30 cm between plants. Protect from cold nights at the beginning and end of the season.

Germination: 92% in November 2025
Ecological seeds produced at Catherine’s Ornamental Garden.

Note
We grew the Kiku Chrysanthemum melon for the first time in 2024 and it really amazed us. Not only for its beauty, taste and unique crunchy texture, but also for its high productivity, earliness and disease resistance. We think it’s a very good candidate for market gardeners and for colder zones (we found 75-85 days as info on the internet, but in our gardens in 2025 it was ready 5-6 days before Gnadenfeld, which is a 60-day…