Shhhh, two Walter Andersen Nursery employees were spotted at the Poway store acting suspiciously. They were standing in front of the Solanum muricatums, poking in the plants and removing the fruit. Actually, they were tasting the Pepino melons to see if they were ready to eat and tell you about. They are nearly ripe and chances are you will walk right by them and not even realize this is an edible you might want to add to your yard.
The plant is native to the Andes Mountain area and you grow it like you would a tomato. Give it some support, well draining soil, full sun and regular water. In return you get a shrub that grows 4-6' tall. Multi-colored flowers appear in clusters followed by fruit. The fruit is just bigger than an egg and the taste is mild, somewhat similar to cantaloupe. Every now and then you will find Pepino melons in the supermarkets and they are expensive to buy. Both our locations have these in stock.