Winter Gourd
Other Common Names Include:
Cham kwa, Chinese Preserving Melon, Chinese Winter Melon, Christmas Melon, Dong gua, Doongua, Mogwa, Ton kwa, Tougan, Tung qwa, Wax Gourd, Wax Melon, White Gourd, Zit kwa.
Latin Name: Benincasa hispida
Plant Family: Cucurbitaceae
Close Relatives: Cucumber, gourd and squash
Uses and Markets: Culinary (Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine): mature fruit sold whole or by the slice used to make soup or is stuffed and baked or stir fried. In China, different varieties are preferred for different purposes.
Production Life Cycle in Ontario
Annual
Hardiness Zone
N/A
Special Notes
Soak seeds in hot water (45-55°C) for 20 minutes, then in warm water for 24 hours. Some cucurbit crops respond well to season extension techniques including plastic mulch. For more information on season extension, refer to the General Agronomics section.
Propagation method
Most commonly by transplants from seeds, less commonly by direct seeding.
Greenhouse Seeding/Propagation Dates
Late April or early May.
Field Seeding Date:
After last frost.
Field Transplanting Dates
After last frost, 3-5 weeks after greenhouse seeding.
In-row spacing
50 cm-3.0 m
Between row spacing
1.2 m or more
Optimal Soil temperature at planting
Delay planting until the soil temperature is 15°C or higher. The optimum soil temperature range at planting is 25°C-30°C.
Fertility
Apply up to 110 kg/ha N. Broadcast 65 kg/ha N and all the phosphate and potash required prior to planting. Sidedress the remainder of the nitrogen before the vines start to run. On sandy soils, a second application may be necessary after the vines begin to run. Click here for phosphorus and potassium application guidelines and for more information on specialty crop fertility.
Soil type
Well-drained soils.
Soil pH
5.5-6.5
Special requirements for growth habit
Grow on ground for larger fruits. Cucurbit crops may benefit from staking or trellising to reduce fruit damage on the ground, keep fruit clean and increase harvest ease.
Optimal Temperature Range
Prefers a temperate, warm climate.
Temperature sensitivity
Frost sensitive.
Irrigation requirements
Irrigation is beneficial under normal Ontario conditions.
Days to harvest
90-110 days
Specialized equipment
None
Harvest
Harvest Scheduling
Multiple harvests from the same planting.
Hand harvest or machine harvest
Hand harvest
Quality parameters/grades
No established grades. Quality is determined by the market.
Additional Harvest Notes
If possible, harvest during cooler parts of the day to reduce moisture loss and cooling costs. Remove field heat as soon as possible after harvest.
Post harvest
Special handling/curing
None
Storage Conditions
Relative humidity (RH): 70-75%
Temperature: 13-15°C
Air Exchange: N/A
Duration: 6 months.
Specific pests observed on this crop in Ontario (observations based on limited experience with this crop)
Insects and Invertebrates: Cucumber beetles, aphids (e.g. Aphis gossypii)
Diseases: Downy mildew, powdery mildew, alternaria blight
Other Potential Pests: The following pests have not been observed on this crop in Ontario. However, they are either significant concerns for closely related plants in Ontario, or are reported on this crop in other production areas. This is not a comprehensive list of all potential pests. Not all of these pests will necessarily survive Ontario’s climate, but could potentially survive in a protected environment (e.g. greenhouse, storage facility).
Insects and Invertebrates: Two-spotted spider mites, leafhoppers, squash bugs
Diseases: Damping off and root rots, bacterial wilt, angular leaf spot, scab, anthracnose, gummy stem blight (also known as black rot or alligator skin), fusarium wilt, phytophthora blight, septoria leaf spot, cucumber mosaic virus.
*Indicates pests commonly mentioned as causing significant damage or economic loss to this crop in other regions.
Comments
To date the following pests have been the most significant in Ontario: cucumber beetle, aphids, powdery mildew. This crop may be susceptible to many of the same pests as melons, cucumber and squash. Downy mildew is a serious disease of cucurbit crops. Cucumbers are the most susceptible to infection, however melons and other cucurbit crops can be affected by certain pathotypes of this disease. Downy mildew is wind borne and highly infectious. In susceptible cucurbits, it can destroy on unprotected crop in less than 1 week.
This crop is in Crop Group 9: Cucurbit Vegetable Group and Subgroup 9B: Squash/Cucumber Subgroup. For more information on Crop Groups, refer to the Pest section. Always refer to product labels, and follow all directions specified on the label, before applying any pest control product. For more information on pests of cucurbits in Ontario, refer to OMAFRA’s Ontario CropIPM tool or vegetable production and protection publications. For more information, consult an OMAFRA specialist. For pest control products registered on cucurbits refer to OMAFRA Publication 838. It is important to note that not all pest control products registered on cucumber and melon are registered on winter gourd.
- Check for pollinator activity at early bloom. Introduce honeybees if necessary. In cold climate, fruit set may be a problem – if this is the case, hand pollination should be considered.
- This crop can also be grown in the greenhouse.
- Note: Some varieties of Winter Gourd are grown for younger fruits known as Fuzzy Melon. For more information, refer to the Fuzzy Melon profile.
- Elford, E., Filotas, M., Todd, J., and S. Westerveld. 2009. Non-traditional crops demonstration garden. OMAFRA Simcoe Resource Centre, unpublished.
- Munro, D. B., and E. Small. 1997. Vegetables of Canada. NRC Research Press, Ottawa.
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2010. Publication 363 Vegetable Production Recommendations 2010-2011. Queen’s Printer for Ontario, Toronto.
