Firstly, I must make it clear that the Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd is not a melon – it’s a squash.  Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd has many other common names, including Fig Leaf Gourd (as this plant’s leaves are a similar shape to fig leaves), Malabar Gourd, Chinese Kadu, Chilacayote Squash, and of course these plants are also known by their botanical name, which is Cucurbita ficifolia.

One of the reasons I grew Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds is because I want to raise awareness of the dangers sharks face from humans and highlight the fact that sharks are tragically and needlessly killed to make Shark’s Fin Soup.  Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds offer a sustainable, vegan, comparable, mild-tasting (like marrows) alternative with a similarly stringy and gelatinous texture to sharks’ fins.  Please don’t buy Shark’s Fin soup – please grow Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds and make Shark’s Fin Melon Soup!

In the UK, we can sow Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd seeds from April until the end of June.  Gardeners in colder areas of the country should sow seeds by the middle of June, if possible.  This is a tender plant that’s killed by frosts and cold temperatures and requires warm temperatures for germination.  Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds quickly develop into large plants that take up a considerable space.  I don’t like to start these plants off too early, I’ve found that Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds grow very well for me when I’ve raised them from seeds sown outdoors in the first, second, and third week of June – here in South East England.  Plants can be started off from seed sown in containers of peat-free compost (or soil) and planted out once the plants have produced three true leaves (and when all risk of frost has passed).  Alternatively, when the risk of frost is over and the soil is nice and warm, sow Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd seeds directly where you want your plants to grow.  This is not a container plant – so you’ll need to find an area of ground where you can plant them in the soil.

If you’re sowing Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd seeds in pots inside a polytunnel, greenhouse, conservatory, or on a windowsill, please take the time to harden your plants off before you plant them outside permanently.  This may seem like a lot of unnecessary hassle, but I promise you it’s worth it – move your containers outside in the morning and bring them indoors at night and then repeat.  Do this for a minimum of two weeks, but if we’re four weeks away from the last frost date – you could harden your plants off for a month (longer if you want to) – they will thank you for it.

Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds can be grown inside a large polytunnel or greenhouse.  I’ve found that my Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd plants were very productive outside, here in South East England – so I save my space undercover for growing other plants.  Plant Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd outside in a bright and sunny, sheltered area.  These plants don’t want to grow in wet or waterlogged soil and they won’t be happy in the shade.

I must tell you that this is an incredibly vigorous growing vegetable that will be happy to grow over the ground – covering and grabbing onto and then submerging anything in its path.  Although you don’t have to grow plants scrambling over the soil – I’ve found that these plants will be delighted to climb a wigwam, trellis, or any support frame that’s strong enough to hold the weight of the plants and their fruit and provides plenty of opportunities for the plant’s tendrils to cling to.  These plants are proper climbers and will happily reach up and use their tendrils to get a sturdy grip and climb up and over any frame you give them – you shouldn’t need to tie the plants in – I find a gentle shove or a trim with scissors here and there is all that’s needed.

Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd plants are very productive.  These plants are full of energy and will dominate your garden if you let them, they need a considerable space to grow – I’d say at least 3m (10ft), but they will happily grow to cover almost any space you give them.  Plants can be pruned to keep them in line and potentially reduce harvest times.

Harvest Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds when they are young and small to use whole – as you would cook a courgette.  When Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds grow larger than a grapefruit their skin starts to toughen up – so peel the bigger ones before cooking.  Mature Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds last for an incredibly long time (providing they have toughened skins) and are stored somewhere dry and cool but frost free.  Don’t let this vegetable’s productivity and power in producing fruit lead you to believe you have to eat them every night to keep up with supply, as large and mature Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds (in good condition with toughened skins) can keep for a year (or more) after harvest.

Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds have a mild flavour and gelatinous texture, they are a popular ingredient in a wide range of sweet and savoury culinary dishes, including South American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Chilean, Spanish, Indian, Bangladeshi dishes – from Shark’s Fin Melon Soup, curries, and much, much more.  Dulce de cabello de angel is a sweet preserve that’s popular in Spain, it’s made of Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd, sugar, water, lemon, and cinnamon.  Cooks in Chile and Portugal also make popular jams using Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds.  Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd flowers are edible and can be eaten and prepared in recipes designed for courgette flowers.  The seeds of Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds are also edible, I find they taste nicest roasted.

Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds are open pollinated plants – which is fantastic, as this means we can save our own seeds and don’t need to buy seeds in future.  By saving our own seeds we can grow plants that over time become more adapted to our soil and growing conditions.  Cucurbits, including squash, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins, and related plants, all cross readily with each other, which means that if you’ve grown any related cucurbits (or if someone on your allotment site or one of your neighbours are growing cucurbits) the seed that your plant generates won’t produce the true plant with all the attributes you hoped for, which could be disappointing.  To save seeds successfully, you need to hand pollinate your plants using flowers that have yet to open – this is because bees or other insects are likely to have already pollinated any open flowers.

For pollination you need a male flower and a female flower – so wait until you have at least one of each.  Female flowers have a swelling at their base – which will grow and develop into a Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd.  Male flowers are slim and have a straight stem.  Examine your plants in the afternoon or evening and find male and female flower buds that look as if they’re ready to open the following day.  To ensure you prevent any pollinators from accessing the flowers – use fattened, mature but closed buds and gently pop a rubber band over the tips of the petals to firmly keep the petals closed.  In the morning, cut the stem of your male flower and remove the rubber band and the flower’s petals.  Take care of your female flowers, as you need to keep their stems and all their petals intact and in good condition.  Carefully remove the rubber band from your female flower and hold the male flower like a brush and directly rub the male pollen all over and around the female’s stigma – cover the floral parts of the female flowers – the bit inside the petals – with male pollen.  Immediately after you’ve pollinated a female flower, use the rubber band to close the petals and prevent any insects accessing the bloom and cross-pollinating the flower with pollen from another plant.

It’s a good idea to loosely tie a piece of twine around the stem of any female flowers you’ve pollinated – as this will help you remember which Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds you’re leaving on the plant to mature and ripen for seeds.  The twine is just to help you be certain which Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd to harvest – use a loose bow or knot that will not have any risk of squashing or damaging the plant’s stem.

At the end of the season, harvest your pollinated Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds on a warm, dry day in September, October, or November.  Leave a section of stem on the plant.  Keep the fruit as dry as possible at every stage, but wipe over the base of the fruit if needed, then store in a cool dry place for at least a month to allow the fruit to continue ripening.  These things should keep for ages, providing there’s no moisture on or around the stem or the neck of the Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds.  Damaged fruits will not last as long, but matured Shark’s Fin Melon Gourds that are in good condition and kept somewhere cool and dry but frost free will keep for six months to a year without any problems at all.

When you’re ready to harvest your seeds, take a large knife and cut open your Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd.  Scoop out the seeds and use the flesh for cooking as usual.  You’ll need to wash the seeds, clean off the fibres, and dry the seeds.  Scatter a thin layer of hand-dried seeds over a tray or plate on a windowsill to dry out fully and then store the seed in envelopes inside a tin (to protect your seeds from rodents) somewhere dry that enjoys steady, cool temperatures.

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