It is a no-demanding type of plant, very disease resistant and pest resistant.. needs least fertilizer for growth and good yield..
Its is generally ready for harvest after 70 days.... The fruits can grow from 2-3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter, but are best eaten when between 12-15 inches long....
They are straighter when trellised, when they are allowed to hang when growing.... but they are space hogs (say a 5 feet diameter for a single healthy plant) in the garden, it can be managed quite easily if grown on a trellis...
Plant in full sun and maintain an even moisture level for even-sized fruit. Warm temperatures are needed for germination and pollination...
It can be grown just about anywhere... The plants can tolerate partial shade and love rich soil that is high in organic matter and well drained...
Once seedlings are up, plant at 1 foot distance from other. Keep plants well watered. If watered well, do not worry if leaves wilt on the hottest days. This is the plants way of conserving as much water as possible...
For pots, there should be a single plant in 18" diameter clay pot, larger the better, although it needs less fertilizer but when the plants is making fruits it drains a lot of nutrients from the soil, so a light sprinkling of balanced NPK every in every 15 days is advised... make sure to pick the fruits regularly.. young fruits are crispier and juicier... plants continue to grow and yield for 6-8 months..
Botanically it is a melon rather a cucumber and the yellow flower emit a very sweet ripe melon like fragrance during hot days, for this reason bees and other pollinators are easily attracted and there is no need of hand pollination...
These easy plants can become a wonderful project for kids also, as maturation time is short and you can eat it raw directly from the garden..
A picture from internet, how the plant looks like:
