Baby Bunnies and Mouse Melons

Two questions. I have a schoolyard garden that I coordinate at our local elementary school.....lots of good veggies growing!

First question.....has anyone ever grown Mouse Melons...also known as Mexican Sour Gherkins? They are related to the cucumber and are small 1 to 2 inch fruits that grow on a vine. I'm wondering if they tend to be invasive? The vine is said to be prolific.....maybe a pot for this first year??

Second question....we have a family of bunnies in our onion bed. They have dug a nice nest right in the middle!! The kids know about them so I'm tempted to just leave them there but I'm not sure how much damage they'll do to the garden....the babies are very tiny, just born a few days ago.

Thanks and happy gardening!

Ivytwine -- I can't help much with the mouse melons, never having grown them, but I think I remember someone, somewhere on this site was asking about them (or looking for some seeds or something) a while back and I'll try to find that for you...

As for the bunnies -- I think they will eat your whole garden... I'm assuming momma bunny is somewhere nearby, since the babies are "tiny" ? She's a smart one, nesting in the middle of a garden, I'll give her that!

I bought mexican sour gherkin seeds from Baker Creek Seeds this year, but it'll be a few weeks before I plant them. I also got them thinking they'd be fun for the kids. I figure as long as I keep them climbing, they can't be any more "invasive" than my other cukes. (I grow my cukes up tomato cages or fencing)
I'd love to talk to you about your schoolyard garden. My son's school did a "green" addition last year, and his teacher and I have been thinking that what it's really missing is some raised beds! It occurred to me, though, that there's not a lot that we could grow and harvest while school is in session. What do you grow? Who tends the garden over the summer?

The bunnies moved out!! Too much noise and craziness with the kids, I think.

Patterntracy:
We started the garden with 4 raised beds last year and a few beds agaisnt the wall of the school. Right now we're growing and harvesting 3 types of lettuce, snow peas, radishes (we're on our third rotation), swiss chard, kale, strawberries, arugula, mustard greens and spinach. Since these are all early crops we were able to plant and harvest with the kids. We also planted onions, potatoes, carrots, beans, corn, and squash directly in the ground. We started seeds with the kids for our summer crops....tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, herbs and a few others.....the kids have the starts in the window on the south side of the school and water the plants and chart their growth. We actually just planted many of these last week.
As for tending the garden in summer...that would be me! I tried to start a watering rotation but it didn't really work out. We live in a seashore tourist destination and many of the families are very busy that time of year (myself included). I do have a designated "garden work day" same time and day all summer....that was ok with a few "regulars" I also must add that we have a very tiny school.....40 students PK through 6th grade. We are a public school but we don't have a lot of year round residents.
Most of last years harvest in summer went to the regular garden families and the food bank. When the kids return in the fall there is still enough harvesting to keep everyone interested..
You could just do a spring garden of early lants like lettuce, radishes, spinach and peas....they'll be harvested and eaten before school lets out for the summer! You could have a special salad lunch day.

Thanks, Ivytwine! Yes, my fear is that I'd wind up doing most of the summer maintenance, but I think it's definitely going to be worth a try. And as you said, we could always stick to the late spring crops if there's not enough summer help. Thanks for getting back to me with specifics. You've given me something to aspire to!
I planted my sour gherkin seeds the other day, and will let you know how things go.

Another option for your school garden is to plant in conatiners....specifically old kiddie wagons. Drill a few holes in the bottom....fill with good soil and plant away! You could home a notice to all the families in your school for wagon donations (and soil, plants, seeds etc).The nice thing is if you need too, you could take the garden to your house for the summer...or if you have multiple wagons, maybe a few families could take a wagon apiece. This could be a good first year project to see what kind of interest you have from the students and parents!

Hi ivytwine,
I just wanted to check in quickly and ask if you planted the mexican sour gherkins? I did, and "mouse melon" seems a more appropriate name--they are teeny, tiny delicate little plants, with tinier flowers, and I've yet to see anything nearing an actual cucumber yet. My other cukes are producing, and are 3 times taller than the mouse melons. I'll keep you posted, but at this point, not only are they not invasive, they're barely a plant!

Concur, they have delicate vines, no more invasive than anny other member of the cuccurbita family. If space is the problem, they take up less room than cucumbers, melons, squash, gourds etc. Melothria scabra is not a cucumber, but because it is mostly used in pickling is sometimes lumped with then. Fruits resemble a 1 inch striped watermelon. Its kinfolk include Melothria pendula ( Guadelupe cucumber), Melothria maderaspatana and Melothria maderaspatana,. The latter two are mostly used in herbal medicines.